A/N: Why hello all my fellow.... Ummm.... People! I'm here and I'm raring to go! I'm taking a break from my other fic, because I got this idea, and I couldn't wait to write it! So, w/out further pointless babble, here is my first chapter of "Life's Rules: Trust"! Oh, and by the way, this is part one of a trilogy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, or anything affiliated w/ them. If I did, I wouldn't have to worry about money at all!
Chapter 1: Afraid?
Trust: Assured reliance on the character, strength, ability, or truth in someone or some future.
Jump City. So many people moved here to escape the hectic and fear-filled lives in Metropolis and Gotham. Little did they know that their demons would follow them there. A once clean and safe community is now brimming with trash, the homeless, and criminals of every shape and type. Graffiti covers half of the city, and murder, robberies, and thuggings are now so commonplace that no one even turns a head when they hear about it on the news.
No, it isn't the quietest town in the world, or the safest for that matter, but it was the home for five exceptional beings who resided in a huge ' T ' shaped tower on an island, off the coast of the city. Everyone in the city knew who they were, be it liked or disliked, and it became a comfort that these five kids would always be there to protect them from the fears and demons that had followed them so far. But, I wonder, do the masses who reside in this city ever stop to think about their young heroes' fears? Do they ever stop and think to be thankful that the "Teen Titans" have given up so much in their lives so that some unknown bystander can be carefree? No. I don't believe they do, or care for that matter.
And, then I worry if this path the Titans chose will ultimately lead to their downfall, not to some unseen evil, but to themselves. But, hell, that's why we're here after all. To keep that from happening...
It was another average day at titan Tower, if that was even possible. A green changeling and a huge cybernetic teen were arguing over the ever-important subject of breakfast. An irritable gothic girl was trying to meditate over the din the other two were making, before she finally gave up and decided to just sit at the table with a book, and wait to eat. On the other side of the tower, a young man was taking all of his aggressions and frustrations with himself, and situations that were befalling the team, out on a punching bag before he had to go to breakfast. And last but not least, a pretty alien girl was sitting on the roof of the huge tower, so lost in her own thoughts to know that breakfast was even going on. Yep, just another normal, average morning.
' I wonder if Slade will start to terrorize the city again, now that he has returned,' Starfire mused. She shook her head in frustration, causing her long, red hair to sway back and forth. Her bright emerald eyes flashed in anger as she thought about the team's arch-nemesis sudden and unexpected return. The team had just beaten the poo out of Johnny Rancid yet again, as he was trying to rob a jewelry store, when suddenly a dozen robotic henchmen had appeared and started firing at the Titans. They were all surprised, and could tell that Robin was afraid he was having hallucinations again. The robots were not so much a problem, but then they saw him, Slade, watching from the end of the street, and he said that he'd see them all again soon. Then he disappeared as quickly has he had come, and the Titans were left to live in worry for the past three weeks that Slade would unleash a deadly, and devastating attack on the city.
He wasn't even supposed to be alive, after all, who survives falling into a pit of lava, but somehow he was, and he was on the loose yet again. But that wasn't even what caused the alien princess to become so angry.
' I thought, with him gone, Robin would no longer have to spend his time obsessing over that fiend! He has had enough pain from that monster and I do not wish to see him in any more. He does not deserve that, he is brave, noble, kind, han-'
"EEP!" she suddenly yelped out. Starfire stopped herself, trying to push the thought out of her mind, but she just couldn't. She couldn't stop thinking about him, not when she was sleeping, not when she was daydreaming, and now apparently, not when she was awake! She couldn't stop thinking about his past, his abilities, his thoughts, and foremost, about his eyes. Robin's eyes were something of a mystery to the team, after all, no one had ever seen them before. About a year ago, Beast Boy even tried to get it off one morning by shooting a rubber suction covered with glue at it to pull it off. It didn't work, and left a very disgruntled, glue covered Cyborg, and a very pissed off Robin. Needless to say, it had never been attempted again. But, Starfire kept on thinking about them, what shape they were, what color, how he looked with them.
' But why do I care so much?' She asked herself. ' The rest of my friends do not seem to think on this as much as I do, It is just his eyes after all.'
' Maybe it's not just his eyes,' a little voice in the corner of her mind argued.
' What do you mean?' Starfire asked backed.
' What I mean is that perhaps you wish to see his eyes because you wish to know who he really is. You wish for him to care about you the way you care about him, and that can only happen if he lets you in.'
A very surprised Starfire started to counter, ' But, I do not-'
' Really?'
Now annoyed, ' How could I? He is my best friend and partner, it would not be fair to the team.' Starfire responded. ' Besides, I nearly married someone else not so long ago, and I have-'
' But you didn't want to! You would have regretted that for the rest of your life and you know it.'
' But I cannot possibly-'
' Yes you can and you do!'
' But I'm not old enough to comprehend those kind of feelings!'
' You are old enough! You love him Starfire!'
Not wanting to even begin to argue with herself on that topic, because she knew in her heart that she would lose, she finally just shouted out loud, "Be quiet now please!"
"Am I interrupting anything?" a monotone voice asked from the door leading back down into the tower.
"No friend Raven!" Starfire yelped as she jumped up in surprise. "I was merely wishing to think up here about, umm, about.."
"You know Star, you're not a very good liar, and that's saying something considering that we live here with beast Boy," Raven interrupted. When Starfire didn't answer she continued, " Breakfast was starting and since you weren't there, I decided to go find you."
Walking toward Starfire she looked right at her and said, "Look, this really isn't my thing, but do you want to talk about what's wrong? You've been acting a little bit less cheery lately and that's usually not a good sign."
"I have been worried about someone since we learned that Slade is alive," Starfire answered slowly, and quietly.
"I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess Robin," Raven said with a sigh.
"How did you-" Starfire began.
" Please, it's obvious you would be worried about him. He always gets obsessed whenever Slade's around, and it's a no-brainer to me that you care for him, and don't even try to deny it," Raven said, silencing the protest rising from the Tamaranian's mouth. " 'm an empath remember, I see these things."
"I do care for him," Starfire confessed in a small voice. "But it does not matter Raven for I know he cannot possibly feel the same."
"Do you love him Star?" Raven asked. Starfire gave her head a small nod, and Raven continued. "Well, you're wrong Star, because he does feel the same way about you, maybe even more in fact. He's just, ugh, he's just ...afraid."
" Afraid?" Starfire asked, confusion mixed with happiness all over her face. "Why would he be afraid?"
' How do I explain this?' Raven thought to herself. "He's afraid because he doesn't want you to get hurt. He doesn't believe that you'd be safe if someone found out how much he cares." Raven then took hold of Starfire's arm and led her back down the stairs to breakfast.
Starfire was in so much shock, she didn't know what to think! On one hand she wanted to just go up on the roof and scream all of her emotions out, but she knew someone would hear. On the other hand, she just wanted Robin to sweep her into his arms and yell out how much he loved her, and then kiss her in front of the whole team. But she knew that wouldn't happen unless, how did they put it, flying pigs would walk? So, she decided to take a leaf out of Raven's book and just try to hide her emotions. As she and Raven entered the kitchen to hear Cyborg and beast boy arguing over food as usual Starfire put on a big smile and sat down at the table.
"Man, would ya just let me enjoy my bacon!" Cyborg yelled at Beast Boy, who was trying to switch out the meat products for tofu.
"Dude, it's good! Just try it wouldja?!" Beast boy yelled back.
"NO!!!!!!"
"Friends," Starfire began. "Let us do something fun today! Perhaps we can potato the couch and watch a movie!"
"For once, I agree with her," Raven said looking up from her tea. "Anything to get you two to be quiet."
As the other four made so much noise to wake up the whole town, Robin just sat there, mulling over the thoughts in his head. ' If I could just get a tracer on him, maybe we could find out where he is hiding. But, argh! That won't work anymore than the other lame-ass plans I seem to be coming up with lately. What's wrong with me?!' he asked himself in frustration. ' I can't seem to focus on what I need to do. Everytime I start to plan, all I can seem to think about is...'
"Robin," Starfire asked, ripping the masked-youth away from his thoughts. Looking up he saw that she wanted to ask him something, something she had probably just explained to the whole team, that he didn't catch because he was thinking too much about, well, her. ' You need to stop this Robin,' he scolded himself. ' it's only going to lead to more implications that you can't have.' "Yeah Star?" he finally answered.
"Do you wish to partake in today's festivities?" She asked.
"That actually sounds great Star," Robin began before...
"BRAEH BRAEH BRAEH!!!"
"The alarm is going off!" Beast Boy said. " Must be trouble!"
"Thank you captain obvious," Raven said rolling her eyes.
"There's a new baddie in town," Robin said checking the computer. "North of the civic plaza on 9th avenue." He looked up from the screen and saw all the Titans were ready to go, but Starfire looked a little crestfallen. "I'm sorry Star," he said quietly. "Maybe some other time okay?" She gave a small nod and smile, and put on her game face.
"All right Titans, GO!"
So, there it was y'all. I'll try to update soon, can't promise anything, but hopefully w/in a week I'll have ch.2 posted. Please you guys, review! They're like food for the author's soul! I accept flames, IF they are constructive in some way or form. Don't spew just to spew... that's what anger management classes are for! Later! Osco