Hey there! Here's the second chapter! Hope you like it! But before you read I have a few things to say.
One, I HAVE NEVER kissed before in my entire life, and of that I'm proud. There WILL be a kiss scene, and I want to tell you that everything said was interpreted from stuff I've read and heard. Okay? Okay.
Two, the characters are a little OOC here, but that's sort of appropriate considering what they're going through. Uhm… yeah.
Three, review or… um… I shall be sad? o.O
Confusion and Confession
It seems the pollen's effects last longer than expected. How will the love-struck Titans deal with a crime-free day all alone with each other?
Rated PG.
Disclaimer: Dude, like… I, like, TOTALLY don't own the Titans, dude… Um… Peace out.
Confusion and Confession
Robin must have fallen asleep because when he opened his eyes the noise had died down outside and the sun had set completely. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning.
"Robin! You have awoken! Glorious!"
Robin jumped and fell right off the bed. Groaning, he sat up and stared, wide-eyed, at the figure on his sheets.
"Starfire?" he squeaked. "What are you doing in here!?"
She looked rather guilty as she squirmed about on the bed. "I do not know… I just came."
Robin smiled at her, and once again felt the wobbly sensation in the pit of his stomach. He shook his head stubbornly. "Starfire, I need to ask you something."
"Anything," she whispered.
"Those flowers did something to me. They did something to all of us. What did you do, Star? I can't stand it anymore!"
"Those flowers," she said softly, brows furrowed, "are a special type of flower on Tamaran. It is against the law to use them there, but not here. So I thought that I could use them, just once, to get you to be happy… Why weren't you happy, Robin? Is there something about your birthday I should know?"
"I'll tell you after you finish telling me," Robin said firmly.
She nodded. "Very well. Those flowers infatuate people for a limited amount of time. The 'smeller' falls in love with the 'giver.'"
"That's why I…" Robin began, but quickly stopped himself. He wouldn't say it. He wouldn't. He shook his head. "But that doesn't explain why everyone attacked each other when the flower hit the flame."
"They got confused. They did not know who the 'giver' was. So they chose someone they already have an emotional attachment with." She smiled, bowing her head and tenting her fingers. It wasn't until later she realized she had revealed her deepest secret in that statement.
"This isn't good," Robin breathed.
"But what about your birthday?" she persisted.
"Right. Um… well…" Robin thought about it a moment, then said, very slowly, "I don't really know why I don't like my birthday. I guess it just seems like a giant shove ahead or something. I don't know…"
Starfire smiled. "That is alright. You can figure it out and tell me later if you wish."
"Thanks, Star."
There was a pause.
"Now get back to your OWN bed."
Robin woke the next morning to find with relief Starfire had, indeed, taken his advice and gone back to her own room. He sat up, sighing, and massaged his forehead. He felt heavy somehow… soiled. He decided to take a shower to clear his thoughts before he joined the team again.
Roughly five minutes later he stood in the shower, feeling the hot, steaming water pound against his head. He just stood there, unmoving, head bowed and eyes closed. One could have mistaken him for sleeping, but he was just deep in thought. Very deep in thought.
The pollen mishap was over, he was sure of it. Everyone had only taken a little whiff… not enough to make them fall in love for a YEAR, right? Right. It was over. But how would the Titans approach each other now? They had all been screaming their hearts out last night, and it probably wouldn't be easy for them to redeem themselves. They had been awfully cruel towards each other.
But then again… Robin still felt some sort of hold over him. Starfire kept bursting into his thoughts every five seconds. Could it be that the pollen's effects were still lingering? Could it be that the Titans still under its hold?
Well, if that was the case, Robin no longer felt secure in the tower. Cyborg was after his blood, he was sure of it, and Starfire was probably going to make it worse just by breathing.
Whichever way it went – the pollen still working or no – it was going to be a long day.
Sighing, Robin turned off the shower.
Robin strode down the hall towards the living room a short while afterwards with his head flooded with thoughts of Starfire. It irritated him greatly, but no matter how hard he tried he could not banish the thoughts from trickling into his brain. As if that wasn't frustrating enough, part of him actually enjoyed this wild obsession. The slightest thought of her would make him shiver, or his heart would stop, or something of the sort, so he was having small heart-attacks every thirty seconds. It made his head spin. Did he hate it, or did he love it? A conundrum, perhaps… an enigma of emotion? Pfft…
Finally he came up with one slightly irrelevant conclusion: If he saw Starfire when he walked into the living room, his head would explode.
He stepped through the door, taking a deep breath, and found with relief that Starfire had not woken up yet.
The scene he was greeted with upon entering the living room was a comical yet depressing one. Beast Boy stood behind Raven, massaging her shoulders while she sat on the couch, staring dreamily at Cyborg, who was busy writing love notes to Starfire. No one said a word as they continued on this way, and Robin got the inkling they had not heard him come in at all.
It was then he decided that the pollen had, indeed, not worn off one bit. Everyone was still head-over-heels in love with a teammate, including Robin himself.
But before he had time to mull over this problem, Cyborg caught sight of him.
"Robin!" he called. "Come here! I need to talk to you!"
Warily, Robin made his way over to where Cyborg was sitting. The memory of their argument last night was still fresh in his mind, so he kept his guard up.
"Cyborg?"
"Robin," Cyborg sighed, shaking his head sadly. "I wanted to talk to you about last night."
"What about it?" Robin hissed, suddenly feeling rather panicky – like a deer standing frozen in the middle of the road as it's bathed in an oncoming car's headlights.
"Well, what you said… What I said… It was utterly barbaric. Childish, even. I don't know what came over us."
Robin raised an eyebrow, suspicious. "What are you getting at?"
"We were both total idiots," said Cyborg. He held out a hand. "Truce?"
Robin blinked. Truce!? Was he kidding!? But Robin couldn't bring himself to argue, so he shook Cyborg's hand good-naturedly. "Truce."
Cyborg smirked. "Sucker!" he crowed, and stood up, his hand still clasped tightly over Robin's.
Robin's eyes widened as Cyborg began to turn, swinging Robin around. Robin stumbled alongside, trying with all his might not to let Cyborg throw him. But it was no use – in a moment Robin was airborne, whooshing along so fast it was amazing his eyes didn't sink into his head. Using Robin's momentum against him, Cyborg let go, sending the Boy Wonder hurtling through the air.
"Fly, birdie, fly!" bellowed Cyborg, grinning.
Robin screamed, too stunned to help himself, as he soared right towards Starfire, who had come in just as Cyborg pulled his dastardly prank.
Robin crashed into her full-force.
The two went tumbling backwards, screaming. They bounced a few times, then skidded to a stop at the wall. Cyborg watched, mortified, as the duo untangled themselves. When they succeeded, they sat facing each other, groaning in pain.
"Starfire!" cried Cyborg. "Oh, great. Are you okay?"
"I am undamaged," muttered Starfire, standing up. "Robin, you are well also?"
"Yeah," breathed Robin, rubbing the arm Cyborg had used to turn him into a human slingshot. "I'm fine."
Starfire heaved him to his feet, smiling, then turned to give Cyborg an expectant look.
"Um," said Cyborg, his face a mixture of guilt and embarrassment. "W-Well… um…"
Robin narrowed his eyes darkly. "Well?" he demanded icily. "Aren't you going to say something for yourself?"
Cyborg was through with being timid. He sneered. He muttered something obscene under his breath, then, looking up to glare icily at his friend, he said, quite clearly, "Girl-snatching man-slut." Then he marched off, looking rather livid indeed.
Robin, shocked, could do nothing but watch his long-time friend walk away. He swallowed repeatedly, but no matter how hard he tried to speak he remained utterly mute.
Beast Boy, who had been eavesdropping the entire time, gaped at Cyborg's retreating back.
"Dude, that was so not cool," he squeaked.
Raven stood up, shaking her head. "But it was justified," she whispered. She called out to Cyborg to wait for her and chased after him. Beast Boy instantly followed without hesitation.
Robin and Starfire were left standing alone, staring into space with empty hearts. After a long, long silence, Robin found the strength to speak. He didn't look at her as he talked.
"I can't believe he just did that," he whispered.
"Nor can I," replied Starfire, her voice heavy with sadness.
"What did I ever do to him?" Robin demanded from no one.
"Robin," Starfire whispered.
"What?"
Robin felt her brush up against him and grab his gloved hand. He frowned and refused to look at her, and instead he stared straight ahead at the TV. He felt her warm breath in his ear, and he clenched his teeth together tight. She was leaning against him now, putting all her weight on him. The mere closeness of her made Robin want to shout, to push her away, to embrace her… all at the same time…
He turned to look at her, to tell her to stop, and found himself caught in a heated kiss.
He jumped, but their lips didn't part. He felt panicked, unsure of what to do. His head was reeling… this was too much, to fast… He closed his eyes tight, trying to shut out the rest of the world with them.
Starfire was persistent. She pressed against him harder.
Robin shivered. The pollen tugged at him, and, very slowly, he began to kiss back.
Mistake.
He brought his hands up and clutched her shoulders firmly. His senses were a jumble, and all he could do was cling to her as if she were his last lifeline.
Inside, his mind was a raging war between his emotions and his common sense.
'This is wrong. We shouldn't be… no, this isn't right. We're under the pollen's effect. This isn't real. We're only hurting ourselves. Stop… stop!'
'No, I won't stop. This is wonderful… heaven! I love her! I won't stop… this is ecstasy. I'll die if I let her go…'
Instantly Robin was whisked into a whirling frenzy of passion. Impossibly, he moved even closer, digging his nails into her arms, pressing his own lips harder into her round, soft ones. Starfire shuddered. This egged on both his common sense and his emotions again.
'See? This is so very wrong! I need to stop! STOP!'
'NO! No! I won't stop! She likes it! I like it too! No, I love it!'
'But it's WRONG!'
'Bliss doesn't even come close to what I'm feeling. I'm NOT giving this up!'
'Stop it! STOP RIGHT NOW!!!' (A/N: Gollum, anyone? [snickersnort])
'Never. Never ever. I love her…I won't ever let go…'
'Do it. Let go. This is wrong. Let GO!'
Robin gasped, his eyes snapping open, and he pushed her away. He stood there, panting for breath, still gripping her shoulders tightly. How long had this been happening? It felt like hours he'd given in to the overwhelming power of her kiss… but (he hoped) it was only a few minutes at most.
"Robin…" Starfire moaned desperately.
"No," he gasped, his voice barely above a whisper. "No, Star. This is wrong… so very wrong…" He shook his bowed head slowly.
"No it is not," mewled Starfire. "Robin, I love you!"
"Oh, Starfire," he groaned, "don't…"
"But it is the truth! I love you! I need you!"
"Please…"
"I love you!" she screamed, throwing herself into his arm and burying her face in his chest. When she spoke again, her voice was muffled. "I love you! I love you!"
Robin moaned, his heart and his mind torn in two. "Star, I love you too. But I can't. I shouldn't. It's not right…"
"But it is right! So very, very right!" she insisted, gazing up at him through wide, pleading eyes.
His heart, his stomach, and his throat all knotted up at the same time, and it took all of his willpower not to kiss her again.
God, how he loved her.
NO.
He didn't love her. It was all an illusion. He needed to remember that.
But, ah, what a wonderful illusion…
"I need to think," Robin said weakly, and raced to his room. He needed to think, true, but he also needed to get away from Starfire, who was becoming a major threat to his sanity.
Meanwhile
"Cyborg," whined Raven, "please, just listen to me!"
Cyborg sat, brooding, on the edge of the roof. His legs dangled down the side of the building and, his eyes venomous, he had his arms folded stubbornly over his chrome-plated chest.
"I bet Robin doesn't even love her," muttered Cyborg bitterly. "It's just that dumb pollen. And he's probably trying to keep her from me, just to watch me squirm. That dirty little…"
"Ever think that the only reason you're so upset is because of that pollen?" demanded Beast Boy. "Think about it. Logically. Maybe you don't love her at all, but because you breathed in that pollen like the rest of us, you've gone all loopy!" He leaned against Raven. "Not like Raven and I. Our love is real."
Raven made a face, pushing him away. "In your dreams."
Cyborg huffed.
Thinking quick, Raven came up with a plan. "Cyborg, I have an idea. Because I care so much about your feelings, I'll help you win Starfire over. Want to know how?" The way she saw it, this way she could Cyborg, and Cyborg could get over Starfire. Pure genius. "Well? Do you?"
Cyborg, indeed, was rather interested. He turned to look at her, eyes wide, trusting, and inquiring all at the same time. "How?"
"We'll make her jealous. Oh so very jealous…"
Back to Robin
Robin sat on his bed, his head in his hands, his thoughts going a mile a minute.
What had he just done? It couldn't be what he thought it was. Could it? It just didn't compute. No way. To actually think he had – even supposedly – done… it was almost laughable.
Almost.
Kissing Starfire? His long-time fantasy come to life? No, it couldn't be.
But it was.
Thinking back, he tried to come up with a reasonable explanation for his actions. The only one he came up with he could not accept: He loved Starfire.
Robin knew that what had come to pass was beyond the pollen's reach. He had long lost the belief that this was entirely the pollen's doing. At this point all of the destruction… all of the carnage… was his fault and his alone.
And that alone was hard enough to accept without having to think of the possibility that he MIGHT ACTUALLY love Starfire.
He knew that the reason being with her felt so right was not only because of the pollen, but because of something he had felt before. Before the entire incident before, not just before they'd kissed.
Kissed.
The word stung his tongue like hot acid. He didn't know why, but the thought of that word becoming an action made him feel hollow inside, and it made his head buzz like a hive of angry bees. Robin had been unable to control himself – and he'd wasted Starfire's first kiss because of it. Great. Now not only he confused and angry, he was guilty too.
Where were all of these random conclusions going, anyway? Why did he even CARE?
Frustrated, he threw his face into a pillow and tried to sleep. Even though it was a weak escape from his fate, it was one that would have to do for now.
Author's Notes: Robin and Starfire are so pathetic. --;; I wish I could say more or, better yet, fix their stupid dialog, but I'm afraid that's the best I can think up. Forgive their mushy Romeo-Juliet behavior, and… um… review. XD
Also, once again, I HAVE NEVER KISSED in my ENTIRE LIFE. I want to make sure you understand that. Okay. LOL... If my parents find this post I'm dead... --;;