This idea was prompted by Spouse of Airdrie saying, 'Wouldn't it be funny if...' He didn't have to complete the thought. We've been together long enough that I certainly know his humor ... and of course I took it further. And then Kryalla Orchid encouraged me – not that it took much – so, as to paraphrase the Gipper, 'here we go again'.
And there is amazing Fanart to go with this story by Pinku on Tumblr. Go now to my Tumblr or hers to see it! Her Tumblr is pinkuchama! She does the BEST art, and lots of Teen Titans work!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.
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Grappling
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Chapter 2 - Flash Point
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Dick had no idea after what his body had been through when he'd be able to walk again. None whatsoever. He wasn't sure when he would be getting out of bed either, or when the ability to lift his head or limbs would return for that matter. And the bed he was in didn't seem as comfortable as the one he would have anticipated waking up in after the match. Laying there, his eyes still shut, awareness creeping in slowly, his memories of what happened before he became supine for a final time remained fuzzy. As he had especially in his days as Robin the Prisoner Wonder, the many times he laid captive in the hands of criminals, he feigned unconsciousness, gathering his wits, assessing, remembering.
Slowly he began to recall parts of the wrestling match with Starfire. He recalled that things had been getting beyond out of hand, and so it certainly seemed reasonable that he was bound.
Bound? Sure, but not restrained. Damn. No, that is not a normal reaction, Dick. Think... the binding was for what purpose? Maybe for the Tamaranian Right of... of, well, what exactly?
He was dying to know ... and at the same time petrified. Ergo he thought it prudent to keep his eyes remained closed. The use of any kind of restraints was not part of the rules for the match, he knew Starfire understood that. All the more reason to be concerned that this wasn't one of Starfire's customs she had the sudden urge to spring on him, ahem, share with him. He also didn't sense her nearby. Yes, warning bells, red flags were go off in his battled addled brain. He snickered at the turn of the phrase battled-addled. Now he was really concerned.
Yes, something wasn't right. Holy Mother-of-all-Understatements, Batman!
His mind wasn't clear, yes, that was established, and it should have been. For the sake of safety, they'd decided ahead of time not to enter into pitched combat in an altered state, unless a level of lust he'd never even considered existed was to be considered an altered state.
Which oh it definitely was, but his mind should be clear because at that moment his body was neither primed and ready nor was it tapped of all reserves as it were.
And then there was the pain. Well, in all honestly, he had been prepared for pain. The good pain, that pain-pleasure; he was looking forward to it in fact. And the sore-pain, he knew that would be an end result of a wrestling match with Starfire. Some pain was par for the course when dealing with an over exuberant Tamaranian, and he was fully in the frame of mind for that as well. Dick was able to remember savoring that pain/pleasure as they began to clash and grapple.
Outside of crime fighting some pain was a daily occurrence, even if not in this situation or in training or sparring, which he simply chalked up to the 'innocent bystander' effect that was his to live by being the human mate of a Tamaranian. Hell, Starfire's hugs were an occupational hazard.
But then again, this was different.
His mouth was dry and he wasn't hungry, yet he had a feeling he hadn't eaten for hours or even longer. Yes the bindings were on odd places on his body even if for play, and again Starfire wasn't going to break the rules. There was so much fun to be had.
Dick slowly remembered what happened after that first round when he managed to pin Kory. Pin? That was a generous assessment; he was fairly certain she threw that round.
He searched his mind, focusing. He then remembered the second round when what little they had on as their wrestling 'outfits' came off. Starfire didn't quite get the idea that taking off her clothes was supposed to part of the opponent's challenge but it was hardly a match where scores were carefully tallied and he'd be sure to explain that to her next time.
Oh yes, next time ...
Starfire either allowed him to hold her or he did manage it on his own, she was strong but he couldn't sell himself short, they'd sparred for years now, but the lines were blurred when the goal was to win? lose?, um well, not necessarily, as he had thought before there would be no way to lose. Yes, it was winners all around, right?
Or could something have gone wrong enough that-
Nightwing's brain lit on the memory of her smile as she finally triumphed by depantsing him (they decided to forgo investing in actual wrestling singlets for the purpose of ripping them off each other so he wore a Speedo and she wore a bikini) and tripping him up with said pants and then simply using her weight, strength and leverage to pin him by sitting on his chest. Then there was that look in her eye when she well, sniffed his Speedo and then him ... not the first time she'd done it, and it's not her strangest behavior, but well ...
Memories came back more fluidly, rapidly. He kept his eyes closed to focus and truth be told to delay the inevitable - good or bad - that would be the revelation in seeing his surroundings whatever they would be.
The third round was where the rules blurred a bit more, if that were possible, not that he moved to make any objection at the time. Starfire took her time, whether reeling him in or preparing for the kill or the seduction or to be seduced or conquered or ... it was hard to figure out what her plans were at the time or how to counter them. There was so much stimuli, the noise for one from the sheer volume of her purring and yet to be so bereft of her touch, it was the lack of that stimuli that he craved. He determined his best strategy was to do nothing to counter her, taking those moments to rest a bit and to collect himself as she spent languishing, pausing to preen as she rumbled and her eyes glittered in utter lust.
Dick needed his strength with the goal being gratification, and if he were going to be not only a willing but an active participant, he needed something left in his reserves. He did not wish to yield without some show of, for lack of a better term swordsmanship, in that third and final round, and he also realized sadly he could not battle at the pace they had been for the endless hours that he had preoffered in the original challenge.
Not that it would be a horrible sacrifice to be defeated in that first match – again Richard had gone into this believing there would be no way to lose. Starfire however was not seeing it the same way, being an eentsie bit more competitive and after her time briefly showing her wears and posturing a bit, she came into the third round figuratively and literally, on fire. Well, just the tips of her hair, but that was enough.
Because they hadn't factored in that oil when exposed to enough heat leads to -
"Mr. Grayson, I've given you a large bolus of your Fentanyl through your PCA pump. I'm going to be checking your-"
"BURNS!"
His eyes flew open in hot white panic when he remembered that the last few minutes of their match ended with stop, drop and roll.
How incredibly hot. And not in a good way.
"That's right Mr. Grayson, you have a few burns."
The young nurse was gentle and kind, and utterly calm. Given that she was only twenty-five, she was not only of perfect temperament for working in the burn unit, but well beyond her years to handle such a difficult job.
Pat Parker, RN had seen plenty of burns before as an Air Force nurse and left her final tour of duty in Afghanistan for what she thought would be a less life harrowing job in the Thomas Wayne Burn Unit at Gotham City General Hospital. What she had seen was burns from poisonous genetically engineered plants, from various gases and acids weaponized by the supervillains that came out of the revolving doors of Arkham Asylum, and from the many explosions and fires that plagued the city.
Coordinated the care and treating the burns of Dick Grayson, Gotham's Most Eligible Bachelor and the adopted son of the hospital's number one benefactor was pretty much a walk in the park. After all they were just first and second degree oil burns, although the story behind the homemade funnel cake making gone awry seemed a bit off. But crazy things happened sometimes to the extended Wayne family and friends, and there really was no reason to question anything. Burns were burns, and they needed treatment, and lucky for her, she was very professional with her patients. Otherwise, she might find herself burned as well. Starfire may be distraught over the situation, but that vulnerability only made her more possessive and jealous.
On her planet, her people didn't get burned the way humans did, evolution worked out that way in defense of Tamaranian eye beams, but Richard was her mate and she would care for him. It was difficult enough to turn over his care to Raven, but she was used to that. Oh she wished that her friend would arrive. They'd figure out a way to get Richard out of the hospital and back to the Tower or even to Wayne Manor. She wished she hadn't panicked and called 911, but as good as Alfred was, he hadn't been at the manor when she and Dick were 'Bat-cave sitting'.
On the dot of 11 AM when visiting hours began, Kory Anders strode into the room knowing to be on her best behavior. Starfire's supermodel alter ego would have to appear as human as possible, not the easiest thing for her. Dick thanked God and X'hal that the nurse had long ago finished his bed bath. That would not have gone over well. With his wounds redressed and opiate medication flowing freely through his veins, he was as comfortable as he could be given the limitations of Western Medicine and smiled at his girlfriend as she took a seat by his hospital bed.
With the knowledge that Raven would appear soon and Dick would be discharged, she could relax. He didn't look that bad, and he wore his wounds well as he always did. As a true warrior. But just as she could not be overly jealous or emotional, she could not appear too proud of him for holding up so well, and she could only sit and sigh, rather than do what she wished to do: the dance of Ran'uuk in celebration - the motions were too much like 'I'm a little tea pot' anyway. She'd save that for later.
TtTtTtTtTt
"Really Bruce, you're laughing at my situation when I have personally stitched up your back after a night of wild claw marks when you were too embarrassed to go to Alfred again-"
"You do realize Dick I have back up cameras that you don't even know about, so while you were cave sitting and setting off the sprinklers, I have fantastic blackmail material,"
"Truce."
"Truce."
"That's lovely gentlemen, but as the keeper under lock and key of more blackmail material than either of you can ever even fathom, let's have some better planning in the future before these extracurricular activities of yours begins. I'd much prefer to be changing nappies than bandages if you catch my drift so why don't you stop treating these lovely young ladies of yours as playthings and perhaps they will injury you less -"
"I'm not!"
"I would never!"
"No arguments but please just consider, especially you Master Wayne, just who has been inflicting your injuries lately, especially before you come down so hard on the young Master."
TtTtTtTtTt
"Hey Dick, now you're burnt on the outside, and all running away on the inside; get it? You know, just like those pancakes that Starfire loved that Rae made that time? The ones that reminded her of the incinerated roaches-"
Raven smacked Beast Boy upside the head with a hand made from her powers to shut him up. "Anyway, once that you are all healed Dick, can I have some sort of assurance from you and Starfire that you two won't risk bodily injury again-"
"Uh, well-"
"Whether it's for a 'friendly competition', some sort of erotic duel you two want to have, or for the love of all things both Holy and evil, because of a stupid dare that Beast Boy came up with?"
"Do you want an honest answer?"
"I have a feeling the honest answer is going to be a stupid one."
Starfire had been twiddling her thumbs, her eyes diverted, "Raven, would you do the defining of 'the stupid one' as the exciting and the sexual satis-" Dick covered Starfire's mouth with a hungry kiss.
"Help us all, I have my answer. If I'm needed for the end of the Universe or something of equal importance, I'll be meditating in Keystone City. Far, far away."
FIN
Pat Parker, RN is a Golden Age DC Comics character 'War Nurse' who helped superheroes, she really wasn't one (other than being a nurse)
Funnel Cakes are a Pennsylvania Dutch creation popular at carnivals and the boardwalk at the NJ/DE/MD shore, made of pancake batter drizzled through a funnel into a deep-fat fryer, then cooked and served with confectioners' sugar or a fruit topping. Yum.