So…eheheh. I haven't been updating the Caged Bird lately…but trust me, I'm working on the next chapter right now! But in the meantime, I started writing this little story. I was listening, for the first time, to Bob Dylan's song "It Ain't Me, Babe"a few days ago, and it got stuck in my head. Well, I was thinking about it, and I realized this song really fits how I think the relationship between Robin and Starfire is eventually going to turn out, so I sat down and just typed away. It was…supposed to be a one-shot, but so far, I've been working on it and it's been getting to be a really long one-shot…so I figured it be easier to read if I just split it into chapters and made it into a story…I should have the rest up in two or three days, so…yeah.
…Um, I know most people know this, but just in case, Robin=Richard Grayson, Starfire=Kori Anders, Beast Boy=Garfield Logan, Cyborg=Victor Stone, Raven=Raven (lol..that wasn't necessary), Bumblee=Karen Beecher, Speedy=Roy Harper, Aqualad=Garth, Kid Flash=Wally West
I don't want to talk anymore, so…please read and review afterwards!
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. It belongs to DC comics and Cartoon Network. Yeah.
Go away from my window
Leave at you own chosen speed
I'm not the one you want, babe
I'm not the one you need
-Bob Dylan, "It Ain't Me, Babe"
Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.
It was late afternoon. The sun streamed across the roofs of homes lining the street in a quaint little suburb. There was a particular cozy looking yellow one at the end of the row. The bushes out front were all trimmed, although they seemed a bit misshapen, as if the person who'd been cutting them had tried to form them to look a certain way, but found it more difficult than they'd thought it would be and had just given up. The grass was cut, but not quite evenly; patches of grass were higher in some places than in others, as if the person who'd been mowing it had had a bit of trouble with the lawnmower. Several tulips lined the path up to the front porch, but some stuck out at odd angles, as if the person who'd planted them had tried to make them all nice and straight but had failed. There were plenty other little odds and ends about the little yellow house, but it still had its undeniable charm and inviting warmth.
Slightly flawed but still as enchanting as ever beauty. Words to describe not only the house but the resident of said house. She sat in the kitchen at the dining table, drumming her fingers on the wood. Her carnation pink summer dress stood out against the tan, practically orange tone of her skin. She crossed her long, shapely legs and tapped her foot impatiently. At six foot four, the twenty-three year old seemed as if she was a model, yet she still had that air of childlike innocence. She was naïve and one of the kindest souls you'd ever meet, but anyone who would take that kindness for weakness would greatly regret it; the young woman was strong enough to toss a sixteen wheeler a few hundred yards without even breaking a sweat. She brushed back her long, wavy red hair and turned her sparkling emerald eyes to the wall clock.
Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.
It was 5:30. She sighed, propping an elbow onto the table, her chin on her hand. It had been nearly four hours since her boyfriend had left on a trip to the post office and then the grocery store.
'Surely it cannot take this long to do such simple errands?' she thought to herself.
She was about to resign to their bedroom to take a nap when she heard a car pulling up in the driveway. She shot out of her chair and in her excitement flew toward the front door, forgetting she wasn't supposed to do so. The lock clicked and the doorknob turned as a young man with jet black hair walked in with two paper bags filled with groceries. Before he could even close the door, she was there, coming to a sudden stop a few inches away from him. He looked up, surprised.
"Richard!" she proclaimed in absolute joy. "You are finally home! Why have you--?"
"Kori!" he whispered frantically. He stepped outside, looking down the street to see if anyone was watching. The coast clear, he went back in, shutting the door behind him with his foot. Putting down what he was carrying, he rounded on her.
"What are you doing?! You know someone could have seen you--!"
"But there is no one here," she answered, cutting him off. "Our neighbors have all went out, it is entirely empty!"
"Still…" He took off his shades and put them in the pocket of his black leather jacket. He blinked, adjusting his cerulean blue eyes to the light. He was six feet, a young man at twenty four years old. He was lean, disguising the fact that he did indeed have muscles. He had a beautiful face, not hard and sharp but not too round either. He had boyish features that made him look soft and gentle at times but could easily change into a look of cold, intense hatred. He was intelligent and strong, driven yet stubborn, perhaps one of the most stubborn people you'll ever meet. He worked hard, but was a known workaholic, always putting his work first. You could always see it in his tired eyes. He ran his hand through his short but longish dark hair that framed his face as he picked up the bags once again and headed for the kitchen, his girlfriend floating a foot above the floor, on his tail.
"You never know if someone's hiding out there," he continued as he walked down the hall. "And they're always there when you least expect it; they'll try to get you when you're off guard and--"
"Yes, I understand," she cut in, hoping to be spared the lecture. "I have understood it the past hundred times you have told me, Richard. I am being as careful as possible."
He put the bags down on the counter and turned around. "Just…don't do it again, okay?"
She smiled sadly, landing softly on the ground. "…Yes. I won't."
"Good." He proceeded to take out the groceries one by one and put them away in the refrigerator and pantry. She watched him walk around, back and forth. "Um…Richard?"
"Hmm?"
"Why were you gone for so long? I had even finished making my Tamaranian cake for us to share tonight and had much time to spare sitting and waiting for you to return. Surely the 'shopping for the groceries' would not have been so…time consuming?"
He answered while putting things away in the cupboards, not looking back at her. "Well, there was a really long line at the post office and there was a huge hold up at the supermarket since they were short on cashiers…"
"But…four hours, Richard?"
"I know…I would've gotten home sooner if it hadn't been for the four car accident on the freeway--"
"Accident?" She sounded overly worried, as she always was with these things. "What happened? Were people hurt? Oh, I hope no one was killed!"
He slightly winced at the sudden rise in volume and tone of her already high pitched voice. "Star, it really wasn't that bad…watch the news tonight, it'll probably be on."
"So…they're all okay?"
"Yes," he said, slightly but unintentionally annoyed. He put away the milk and eggs and shut the fridge door. Straightening up, he turned to see her, still concerned about his news.
"Kori…" He walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Trust me, they're fine. You know that if they weren't, I wouldn't have just stood aside and done nothing, right?"
She nodded slowly. He sighed, putting his other hand on her other shoulder, staring into her eyes. "I know it's been hard for you to just stay here all the time and not go out and be superheroes like we used to, but… "
She took a step back from him. "I…I understand, Richard. I am…fine. Truthfully, I am." She took his hand in hers. "But, thank you for comforting me." She smiled sweetly.
He slowly returned the smile, but pulled away from her, loosening his hand from her grasp. Her smile faltered as he turned around and walked out of the kitchen. She frowned and was about to fly but remembered she wasn't supposed to and instead ran after him.
"Richard!" she called. He stood in the hall, grabbing his sleek, black helmet and straightening out his leather jacket. "Where are you going? You just got home and--"
"I just remembered I forgot to give Gar back the camera we borrowed from him two weeks ago," he said, putting his shades back on. "And I haven't taken out my bike for a while…I'll probably go for a drive afterwards." He grabbed the keys to his Harley-Davidson from the top shelf and opened the front door. "I might be gone for a while, so if you're hungry, don't wait up for me to eat."
"Wait," she grabbed his left arm. "You've already been out for so long, I don't understand--"
"I'll be fine, Kori." She let go and he walked out, shutting the door behind him. She stood there, listening to the sound of his motorcycle revving up and speeding down the street. She stayed there for a moment and then sighed. She may be naïve, but she'd been living with him long enough to tell when he was hiding something. Shoulders slumped forward, she trudged into the living room on her way to their bedroom. As she bent down to pick up the remote to turn the TV off, she caught sight of Gar's digital camera on the coffee table.
Her eyes began to tear up. She dropped the remote and ran upstairs. She needed someone to talk to.
Yeah, that's kind of…shorter than usual, but I think it's better to have it like this, in short chapters, than in one, super, ridiculously long one-shot. So…what do you think of it? I know, I suck at romance stuff, but I thought I'd give it a try with this story. As for the plot…well, we'll see when we get there. I think it sucks…but that's the way I am…very self-degrading. Haha.
…Ok, that made me sound emo. I am not EMO! No, no, no...anywho, please review and tell me what you think so far!