Author's Note: So you may or may not have noticed but I delayed the first chapter date by a day. Once I got back from Japan the other day, I thought it'd be best to give myself a little longer. Jet lag hit me hard Sunday and Monday so I am posting the first chapter of Counting The Days: Bound today instead.
If you want to see my Japan journey, head over to my Tumblr. Ima post a photo diary, talking about all the things I did.
Now, this installment... a fair few warnings...
- It's darker than Forgiveness at times.
- There are more problems faced by our couples; all of them, not just robstar.
-There will be a character death. Might be a main character; might not. (Don't you wish I was joking? Well, I'm not. Sorry!)
- We will be exploring some other characters that were not in the first book.
- This book will be longer in chapters than the first but I'm not letting on how many until near the end like I did before.
Hm... that's all I let you in on for now. Just thought I'd mention a few to prepare you. This is also the installment I am possibly most excited for. Like, I remember writing the plan and I was exciteddd.
So, without further ado, here is chapter 1 of my second installment of Counting The Days.
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.
She heard the melodic sound of birds chirping outside her window before she saw the sunlight streaming in through the window.
Starfire stretched her arms above her head as she lay in the sweet bliss of her round bed. Her eyes slowly opened and she turned her head towards the window.
Throwing her arm out, she caught the ray of sunlight across her forearm and she smiled at the feeling it gave and how her energy felt immediately heightened.
She sighed and rolled onto her side, her green sleepy eyes focused on the rolling waves outside the tower.
The Princess considered her life then, thinking about the past month and how things always seemed to happen for a reason. That's what she told herself.
Everything happened for a reason.
She thought about how even bad things can often lead to a good result overall.
There was a decision she had made; one that had to be given one way or another. He had been there, waiting with a nervous air about him to see if she would accept or reject his heartfelt proposal.
Her heart caught in her chest, even thinking back to it.
She'd been stunned to say the least. Robin wasn't the most spontaneous with romantic gestures such as that and something so committed too. But, she considered her almost dying was enough of a jolt to his system that he sought some affirmation that she was here and she was with him.
Starfire remembered how nervous she felt; how speechless she was.
She'd been hesitant.
She'd questioned his decision to propose so out of the blue to her like he had.
She'd said no.
Of course, she'd blurted the answer out, not exactly thinking about it properly and due to the abundance of nerves she'd had in her stomach.
She'd not been thinking when she'd said it.
She'd initially said the answer his poor heart didn't want.
But, then she'd said yes. Repeated it several times before squealing it and jumping on him, pushed him flat on his back and kissed him soundly on the lips.
Sitting up, Starfire swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, sheet wrapped around her chest and flowing down the rest of her form. She absently noted the empty space beside her as she shuffled over to the window, bathing herself in the bright sunlight.
The sheet shifted to around her waist, her breasts completely on display to the birds and the fishes. She loved to be naked and that was why she owned one of the bedrooms facing the ocean rather than the city.
Starfire smiled sweetly as she stared down at her beautiful engagement ring. Every day since he'd asked her to be his wife, she stared at it for the entire morning before going off and completing her daily activities and duties.
Who knew something so small could mean so much and bring so much joy and excitement?
Her head snapped up at the sound of the water faucet being shut off. She slowly quirked a smile, hearing someone padding into the room from the connecting bathroom.
"So, you're finally awake..."
Starfire bit her lip and turned to face him, leaving the sheet bunched around her slim waist. He stood there, momentarily caught off guard but he grinned back at her and began rubbing his hair with the towel that sat around his neck whilst Starfire briefly eyed the one draped around his hips.
Cocking her own hip, Starfire placed a hand against it and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Finally? I do not believe you have been awake for much longer than I."
"Long enough to take a shower," He quipped, walking over to the end of their bed.
Starfire pouted and folded her arms over her chest, "I noticed... I was hurt to miss the invitation to join you."
Robin chuckled and threw the small towel into the hamper. He opened his arms to her with a calm smile, "You just looked so peaceful. It seemed wrong to wake you."
She rolled her eyes as she floated over to him, dropping the covers completely just before reaching him. Something flickered in his deep blue eyes and they wandered over her form briefly, but long enough that she knew he was ogling her.
Throwing her arms around his neck, Robin snaked his around her tiny waist.
Not one to waste time, Robin pressed his lips against hers; immediately seeking a heated morning smooch.
His hands unashamedly fell straight to her ass, giving her a playful squeeze. She hummed a small sound and hiked a leg up against his hip. Robin grunted and placed one hand beneath her thigh to keep her in place.
Feeling bold and simply because she had already initiated the playfulness, Robin grinded against her a little, causing her to smile into their kiss.
'You know... this towel could drop real easy.'
'Oh? Is that so?" Starfire's voice was mild and nonchalant in her mind but the movements she was giving told another story.
'Mhm. Lightning quick. This towel could be gone in the blink of an eye and we could move over to our bed.'
'Hm. That sounds wonderfully tempting, otu n'anya.'
'Thought you'd see it that way. Shall we get started then?'
Without waiting for a response, he lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his middle, earning another deep throated groan as she brushed and teased against sensitivity.
He fell onto their bed, with Starfire beneath him. She pulled away from his lips, laughing,
"Squishing me? How extremely romantic."
Robin smirked, "Just making sure you're sturdy enough for it this morning." He cheekily teased,
Starfire grabbed his chin and raised her eyebrows, "I believe you will find my stamina surpasses your own, Richard."
Robin chuckled but the Princess sighed, running a hand through his still slightly damp hair.
"We should not..."
He dropped his forehead to hers, "Staaar..."
"I do believe you are whining, boy of wonder."
Robin grumbled before he lifted his head again to narrow his eyes at her, "You are such a tease."
Starfire cupped his face and kissed him once before pulling back and tilting her head, "Perhaps later... our morning training sessions with our friends is surely due to commence soon."
He shrugged, "I could just cancel training-"
She touched his chest, "Have the willpower, my love."
Rolling off of her and onto his back, Robin held himself up by resting on his elbows.
"Are you gonna head in for a shower?"
Starfire shrugged, "No, I believe I shall wait until after our training session."
He nodded and sighed, letting himself flop back, his hands coming to rest on his stomach.
"Is everything the okay?"
Robin yawned, "Yeah... I'm just tired is all."
"You were completing the crime reports until an awfully late hour, Robin."
Whilst his eyes remained closed, a grin sprung to Robin's lips, "There's that and then you decided to help me in becoming less tense."
Starfire turned to him with her nose up, his hand reaching to stroke her bare back as she sat up.
"You did not enjoy it? I suppose I shall have to refrain from doing such a thing again-"
His hand stilled on her back, "Whoa... I didn't say that... And, believe me... it was... holy shit..."
Starfire giggled and blushed slightly.
"You've only ever done that a couple times since we started having sex."
"I believe it aids a healthy relationship to explore various ways of pleasuring one another."
He smiled, "Well... thank you for it... I woke up a lot chirpier."
Starfire beamed back at her boyfriend, "I welcome you, Robin."
"Y'know, I'm loving this side of you."
She raised an eyebrow, "Side of me? But, I am not a geometrical shape."
Robin stared at her for a long moment before he burst out laughing, "And yet, you're still my Star." He paused to explain, "I meant... this sexy streak you have. I really like it... and the fact that I'm the only one who gets to see you this way."
Starfire jiggled on the bed, straddling him and resting her hands on his chest. Robin's hands came to rest against the small of her back where he gently raked his nails over her soft skin.
She pecked his face a couple of times before staring into those blue orbs of his.
"You are the only one who will ever see it."
He smiled softly, "Good... have I mentioned recently how much I love you?"
Starfire held a finger to her chin in mock consideration, "Mm, yes. However, I can always appreciate it being said again."
Robin chuckled before sighing and giving her lower back a gentle tap.
"I suppose... we should get dressed."
She copied his sigh, "Indeed."
With that, Starfire moved, sliding off of him and standing up beside their bed. Robin followed her up and playfully smacked her rump. She made an high pitched sound and teasingly narrowed her eyes at him as she walked over to her wardrobe.
He grinned and stood up, stretching his arms above his head before wandering over to his own wardrobe where his uniforms hung.
The two of them had decided to move into the same room just under a month ago; around the time when Robin had proposed to her. They realised there was no point being in separate rooms when they rarely spent any time without one another as their relationship continued to progress.
So, the initiative was taken and Robin moved his things into Starfire's room, considering that was where they tended to hang out more between the two bedrooms. Robin's room was now merely another guest bedroom for when they had occasional visitors.
It was an easy step to take, on account of already having lived with each other for 5 years. Moving into the same room wasn't exactly the anxiety attack that some couples felt. They were lucky in that sense.
Pulling on her gauntlets last, Starfire hummed a happy tune as she caught sight of her engagement ring again. She wriggled the fingers on her left hand, watching as the light made it shimmer.
Starfire blushed. Robin had explained the green running through the ring was because of her iconic starbolts and because of the colour of her eyes. He said he wanted the ring to match her perfectly.
She cast her mind back to the day he proposed again. She still had her reservations about it but as long as Robin was happy, so was she. It was not uncommon for Tamaranians to marry young; in fact, it was the way she had been taught when she was a child.
However, she knew there was often some stigma about couples on Earth marrying when they are young. She knew they weren't about to get married the following day but she hoped it wouldn't be years until they actually married.
Her concern was Robin. He was impulsive; it was one of the things she loved dearly about him but she also worried about this choice. Did he mean it? Was he sure?
He had only recently turned 21 and whilst the age was not an issue at all in her eyes, she didn't want him to regret his asking of her. She didn't want him making rushed decisions just because of how close he'd come to losing her.
But, nothing in his demeanour suggested he regretted his asking her to marry him nor did he show any hesitation or reluctance when speaking about it.
Starfire's cheeks grew warm as she thought about the evening of his proposal.
It had seemed only fitting for them to consummate their engagement and relationship that night. They had been talking about it at length before he proposed and then, that night, it just felt right to take that step.
She had tried to make it all romantic with candles and petals; like she had seen in Earthen romance movies. Starfire had even worn something special to entice her fiancé a little more; not that he needed it when he came to their room.
Her heart fluttered even now, thinking about their first time together. It had been everything she had hoped. It was slow and gentle and above all else, it made her feel so much closer to him.
Of course, since that first experience, they had become creative and daring. They had tried different positions, locations as well as becoming more confident in the act.
Starfire smiled as she rubbed her engagement ring. Since he proposed, the two of them had fallen into a somewhat honeymoon period. They were consistently playful with one another, only really butting heads on one issue in particular.
Other than that, Starfire had had trouble grounding herself due to how happy and full of bliss she was.
Moreover, Robin seemed a lot calmer since they became betrothed. He was beginning to be much more laid back and relaxed. He'd started showing a more carefree streak on a daily basis.
Beast Boy and Cyborg, of course, loved this new streak in his personality and tried to take advantage of it everywhere they could. From movie nights to pizza deliveries; if Robin allowed it, they asked for it.
Her thoughts were broken as she felt one of his now gloved hands on her hip and the other clasped her outstretched hand, briefly touching the diamond ring for himself.
She relaxed back against his chest as he leaned in to kiss her cheek and rest his head on her shoulder.
"Ready?" He asked,
Starfire nodded, "I believe so."
She spun away from him, his hand still locked with hers. She moved to walk towards the door but his hand kept her from doing so.
Turning back to Robin, she gave him a confused look.
He had an apologetic look on his face and he tilted his head down towards her hand.
"Forgetting something?" He murmured,
He ran his thumb across her engagement ring, causing her to glance down at it.
Her shoulders slumped as she realised what he meant. She released his hand took a step back from him.
"Oh... yes. Of course."
She stared at the jewel on her finger one last time before she slipped it off and walked over to her vanity, placing it in the drawer for safe keeping.
Forcing a small smile, she turned back to Robin who was frowning sympathetically.
"I'm sorry."
She shook her head before resorting to looking down at her feet.
It had been just over a month since he proposed and they had yet to tell a single soul. The rest of the Titans were completely unaware of their newfound relationship status at Robin's call.
Therein lie their small head butting issue.
"Please..." Starfire began, looking up at him with innocent eyes, "Why can we still not yet inform our friends?"
Robin sighed and stepped closer to her, taking her hands in his.
"I just... want it to be ours for a little while."
She bit her lip, "Are you certain that is the reason?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly, "What'd you mean?"
Starfire searched his face, "Perhaps... I..." She shook her head, "It matters not."
Robin reached up to touch her chin, keeping her looking at him.
"Tell me." He whispered softly,
She sighed, "Perhaps... you wish to wait because you have felt the regret of proposing-"
He physically jerked back, staring at her with wide eyes.
"You think... Star, that's not it at all. Of course I don't regret proposing to you."
She only felt slightly better hearing him say it, "Then... why must we keep it the secret? Do you believe our friends would not be happy for us?"
"No, I think they'll be overjoyed, actually..." He paused and sighed, "Honestly, I just want to be kinda selfish with it. I want it to be ours; something we can be quietly happy about... I mean, the minute we announce it, we're gonna have people in our faces about it and I just..."
Starfire opened her mouth to speak but Robin stopped her,
"Not that I don't want people getting involved and feeling happy for us... I just... I guess I'm a little worried about someone thinking we're rushing things too."
She furrowed her eyebrows, "But, it is not as if we have made any arrangements for a wedding yet."
Robin shrugged, "I know but to other people... it might seem sudden and rushed considering we've only been together for just over a year."
Shuffling her feet, Starfire tilted her head, "On my world, I would already be married with a number of bumgorfs."
He blinked, "Really?"
She smiled a tiny bit, "You forget I was forcibly betrothed to another when I was just 17 years old."
Robin frowned, "Yeah, I try to forget that as much as possible."
"Apologies." She replied, squeezing his hand.
He watched her for a long moment, his thoughts ticking by, "I'm sorry for making you wait, Star... you know me... I'm not exactly someone who gets the banners and confetti..."
Starfire smiled a small smile, "It is okay..."
Biting his lip, he stared back at her, really thinking hard, "No... it's not... I know you're unhappy about it. I know how much you want to tell everyone."
She shrugged, trying to put the disappointment aside for him.
"You know what?" He said, eyeing the drawer her ring sat in, "Let's tell the others."
Her heart nearly stopped and she was convinced she heard him wrong, "What?"
Robin smiled shyly, "You heard me... we'll tell them."
She blinked, "Truly?"
"We'll wait off telling the entire Titan network for a little longer, if that's okay but I don't see a reason to wait any longer on telling Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven."
Starfire broke into a bright smile, throwing her arms around Robin and kissing him briefly, "Oh! Robin! Thank you! They will be most happy for us, I am certain."
He chuckled, hugging her back with the weight slightly lifted, "I see extreme teasing in our future from two pinheads in particular."
She giggled and pulled back to look at him, all excited now, "Oh! When may we tell them?"
"Can you restrain yourself until we get through training? Otherwise, there will be zero focus."
Starfire frantically nodded, her smile lighting the room up.
Robin smiled and kissed her nose,
"Let's get going then... the others should be downstairs about now."
Author's note: Small time jump. A month has passed and no one knows about the engagement yet and they've also moved into the same room and have also taken that intimacy step they were umming and ahhing about at the end of the last story.
Also, if you're new... this story is part of a series. Please go and read Counting The Days: Forgiveness before jumping on this one otherwise, not everything will make sense.
If you are a returning reader who was there with me through Forgiveness... I welcome you back. Take a seat, grab a snack and enjoy this second story. Thanks pals!
This will probably be next updated on Saturday. I'm off the weekend and am only in work 2 days this week but the rest of today and tomorrow; I wanna get more written for this story. The schedule will stay the same though. Sundays, Wednesdays and alternating Fridays/Saturdays is when this will most likely get updated.
Fun fact: this chapter was written on my 11 hour and 30 minute plane journey to Japan.
Let me know what you think so far!
