So, the long and short of things is that my laptop has a virus and won't let me access the Internet. This is sad. So this chapter is coming to you from the publicly accessible desktop that we own, and probably won't be as good because I'll have to be writing it where everyone else can read it and can bother me while I'm doing it. We'll see.
Mayhem in Mexico
Chapter 9
Starfire was not, by any stretch of the imagination, stupid. She watched and observed just like any girl, and she was protective of her boy just like any other girlfriend would be. So when Raven and Robin came back from their trip to the beach, she could tell something was up. Raven was flushed, and not just from the sun, and when Robin looked at her, he blushed just the same.
But however perceptive Starfire might be, she really didn't understand what was going on. Until their impromptu trip to the beach, Robin had been avoiding Raven, that much Starfire knew. She also knew that Raven had figured it out, too, which was why they had gone to the beach together. They were back now, and clearly not the same as they had been before they'd left. What had changed so drastically?
The two resident birds each went their separate ways, Starfire watching them, noticing the brief touch they shared before parting. They both smiled, and Starfire frowned. Something was going on between them, and she wasn't entirely sure she approved of it – whatever it was.
XXX
Robin had to admit that he didn't know what to do. Everything made sense now – why he had been jealous at the ball, why he hadn't liked Kyle, why he valued every touch, every look he shared with Raven, but…
Things were never as simple as all that.
Robin sighed as he collapsed on his bed. In three days they were going back to Jump, back to being heroes. He wasn't sure what exactly that entailed. Would everything go back to normal? Would it be just him and Starfire, together in their own little world? Would his friendship with Raven go back to its same routine?
He didn't have the answer to any of the questions, but he was fairly certain that things had changed far beyond his control. That was probably the thing he hated the most about the situation – the lack of control. Robin was just the type of person that needed to control every aspect of his life, and when he couldn't, things tended to not over very well for him.
This was one of those things he couldn't control even if he tried. These were emotions, and they clearly couldn't be controlled; Raven herself had proven that simply by admitting that she had fallen for Robin. And she was the queen of controlling her emotions.
He sighed at the knock at his door, hoping it was Raven coming to him for more private conversation. He felt grounded when he was with her, like it didn't matter that she was sort of like his second girlfriend, the one he cared more for, but the one who was undemanding about the relationship they had. Starfire wasn't going to be happy when she found out what was going on.
He called for his visitor to come in and was disappointed when it was his real girlfriend, and not Raven as he had hoped. She smiled kindly at him and sat next to him on the bed, reaching for his hand and threading her fingers through his. He had to fight to avoid yanking away his hand. He knew that he had to think things through, but he was almost positive that it was going to end with his breaking up with Starfire. He didn't want to keep pretending that his relationship with Starfire was okay – it was too much like leading the pretty alien on.
"Is something the matter, Robin?" she asked, and he laughed inwardly. Raven was the only one who ever called him Richard, or even Rick. The others knew his real name, though not his background, but somehow they just couldn't associate the real him with the him that was Robin.
"No, Kori, everything's fine. I'm just… thinking."
She seemed content with his answer, and he couldn't help but hear what Raven's response would have been in his head. Yeah, I can see that. Now tell me what's bothering you, Richard.
He had to keep himself from sighing out loud, lest he alert Starfire that something actually was wrong. They frequently just sat together holding hands, lost in thoughts. Starfire was a kind, loving girl, and Robin knew he had had feelings for her at one point in time but…
Things had changed, and drastically. He could no longer be with Starfire now that he knew how he felt about Raven. It would be leading both of the girls on, and he knew that both of them, if scorned, could and would kick his ass without so much as thinking about it. Still, he didn't know how to tactfully break up with Starfire. Even if he didn't start dating right away, he was leaving Starfire for Raven, and it would eventually become obvious.
"Kori," he said, sitting up. "We need to talk."
She smiled at him, but it was a sort of mournful expression, and it suddenly occurred to Robin that Starfire was much more intelligent that most people perceived; she had probably at least noticed that something was going on when he had come back to the villa with Raven smiling and blushing like a schoolboy. He blushed suddenly crimson, feeling like a small child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"Well, this is awkward," he muttered, running his hand through his hair. He saw Starfire nod out of the corner of his eye.
"Please, Robin, I understand that thing have changed between us. I also understand that Raven is your best friend and has been at your side in ways I could not be. If it is your choice that we should do the breaking of our relationship, I understand. I may not wish it to happen, but I will remain your friend even if you do not wish me to be your girlfriend any longer."
Robin felt a bit sad as she slipped her hand from his, wishing for all the world that things didn't have to end the way they were. "I'm sorry, Kori. I know it isn't fair to you. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't realize how I feel about her until after Ra's al Ghul kidnapped her. It's not like I was thinking about her the entire time we were together."
Starfire laughed, an almost bitter sound that Robin was sorry he had created. "No, my friend, I believe that you thought of her quite often over the course of our relationship, you were only to blind to see it."
He said it before he could stop himself. "And you did?"
Starfire smiled a sad, wistful smile and nodded. "I did. I thought perhaps you might grow out of it and come to love me as you love her, but as time progressed I realize that it was not so. But I blame neither of you, and I believe that no one will be surprised when you tell them that you love her."
Robin was surprised at Starfire's words. "I don't love her, Kori. I mean, not like that, and not yet anyway. She's my best friend and I care about her, but loving her is taking a bit far."
Starfire patted her now ex-boyfriend's leg affectionately. "Think what you will, Robin."
She got up and left, then, leaving the Boy Wonder to his thoughts, leaving him thinking that breaking up sure had been easier than anticipated, and wondering if that was a good or bad thing.
XXX
Raven was in the kitchen cooking, hair pulled up in a pony-tail wearing sweatpants, when Robin walked in. He went absentmindedly to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of orange juice and began chugging it. Raven called his name and then waved a spoon at his when he didn't hear her. "Hello, Richard? Earth to Richard?"
He finally heard her and turned to face her, orange juice bottle still in hand. He smile sheepishly and put it back in the fridge, not exactly knowing what he was going to say to her.
"Kori and I," he began. "we broke up."
Raven blinked at him for a moment, unsure of herself, and then hugged him. "I'm sorry," she whispered in his ear. "I know it must be hard."
Robin pulled away from her and laughed. "Well, not really. When I told her that we needed to talk, she saw it coming, and she sort of broke up with me. It's all making my head spin."
Raven rolled her eyes and turned back to her cooking. "That doesn't make it hurt any less, Richard. You're shell shocked, I can see it."
Shell shocked?
"I am not shell shocked, Rae." he argued, but Raven just laughed.
"You can't see the look of total shock on your face. Even if you went in to the conversation knowing that you were going to break up with her, you can't believe that it's really over. So yes, you are shell shocked."
He couldn't argue with her logic. "I guess. I mean, I knew we weren't going to stay together after what happened with you and me at the beach, but… it's different. She was my girlfriend, you know? And now she's not, and it's kind of weird."
Raven shrugged, plopping her cooking on two plates and handing one to Robin. "I guess. Eat up and don't worry about it. We'll get back to the Tower and things'll start to go back to normal."
She saw the expression on his face, a look of mischief and amusement and she couldn't help but laugh herself. "Okay, so maybe not completely normal. But normal enough."
END CHAPTER
So this chapter took me longer to write because I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it and then it was really short. That, and I went to Comicpalooza on Saturday and all around had the best day of my life. There was a Nightwing there and I yelled "OI Grayson!" at him, and he had this really funny expression on his face like he didn't know what to think. I also took a picture with him, if you want to see it. Once again, the link is on my profile.
Review and let me know what you think!
