Gone Away
I don't own Teen Titans or White Houses by Vanessa Carlton.
Starfire followed the others into the large building. She couldn't believe this was happening. She jumped when Robin spoke.
"It's too late to decide where everyone is sleeping I guess we can all crash in here." Starfire gazed around. For unpaid superheroes, their place was massive and luxurious. She looked around at the four people she had met that day. Strange, but no more so than she herself. She smiled. Beast Boy, a small green boy darted around messing with things like an over excited child. Cyborg was hunched over his arm setting up security.
He and Beast Boy had met each other first. Realizing how much good they could do as a team, they searched out Robin who had been a new arrival in Jump City. Starfire searched them out on her own, seeing a newspaper add the day after they formed. They'd all met Raven by chance the next day. By this time, of course, the three room apartment would be too small.
Only four days later, the tower was finished and everyone was moving in. Now it was nearly ten. Everyone thought Starfire was thin and made jokes while getting her to try every food they could find. Being teenagers, they stayed up late, drinking lightly sometimes, and life was good. Raven was secluded, but everyone made it their mission to open her up, despite her occasional 'power surges'.
Crashed on the floor when I moved in
This little bungalow with some strange new friends
Stay up too late, and I'm too thin
We promise each other it's till the end
Raven shared the memories as well. It had been years as a teen titan. They were all going to part at the end of the summer. In truth, Raven was more open than when they had all met. People always came and went, but the five teens stayed together. Drinking at night was more and more. They threw frequent five person parties and toasted to the past. Tonight, they even played spin the bottle with an empty beer bottle. Starfire and Robin had broken up, but there were no awkward times. Girls often chased the titans boys, even Beast Boy had matured and grown. Raven smiled a secret smile thinking about how much taller he was than her now.
Now we're spinning empty bottles
It's the five of us
With pretty eyed boys girls die to trust
I can't resist the day
No, I can't resist the day
Starfire sat down next Robin in the circle. She giggled when it was her turn to spin the beer bottle.
"Ooh! I've got Beast Boy!" She laughed. Her speech had improved. "C'mere!" She darted through the air and mashed her lips to his. No one even minded though. With a case of beer each (except Raven who was proud to say she only needed half as many beers to get as drunk as the rest) what could you expect? They just laughed as beast Boy blushed. Everyone knew he had a girlfriend who worked at the pizza place. Raven laughed loudly and stood up.
Jenny screams out and it's no pose
Raven now had full control over her powers and owed this to her friends. Starfire and Robin had come home late from a date (when, of course, they still went out) and only Raven remained awake. She wasn't even sure what came over her, but a song came onto the radio and Raven dropped her book and began to dance. She mixed ballet, jazz, and things she herself made up into a graceful dance. She'd only danced before in her room alone, but now, she thought she was alone. She didn't even hear the door open, or see two of her friends watching her from the doorway, shocked into silence by Raven's grace and strength.
She danced even long after the song ended, and when she dropped to the couch, worn from dancing, she nearly suffered a heart attack as the two clapped. Even though she'd felt so much joy and danced through her heart, her powers hadn't been unleashed whatsoever. Raven had a way to express herself.
'Cause when she dances she goes and goes
Raven began to dance now, but only was up for a moment when Cyborg shouted something about a dancing 'Timid' that made Raven snort beer through her nose and promptly attack him. Starfire was pumped with adrenaline.
Beer through the nose on an inside joke
I'm so excited, I haven't spoken
And she's so pretty, and she's so sure
Maybe I'm more clever than a girl like her
Starfire wondered which who was the more clever girl, but didn't dwell on it long. Raven hadn't changed much except that she'd let her hair grow to her waist and usually held it in one long braid down her back. Starfire's hair had been cut to her shoulders and it naturally flipped out. Beast Boy was lying on his back, chugging beer straight from a bottle while Robin, Cyborg, and Raven cheered him on. Starfire joined in without hesitation.
The summer's all in bloom
The summer is ending soon
Raven laughed as Beast Boy choked on the beer and dropped the bottle. She'd only had two beers and was tipsy enough. Only a week until they were all gone. Robin would return to Gotham and Dick Grayson would be running Wayne Enterprises. Cyborg would be going back to his last year of high school. If he made good marks, he would be going to Harvard or Yale. Beast Boy would also go back to school, but he didn't plan on going to College right away. He was going to study abroad in Africa for a year or two first. Starfire had a career lined up in inter-galactic relations. She was already taking weekend classes. Raven herself would be joining a dance company, who had accepted her at an audition even though she had never taken a lesson in her life. They would be split up. The summer was ending all too soon.
It's alright and it's nice not to be so alone
But I hold on to your secrets in white houses
Maybe I'm a little bit over my head
I come undone at the things he said
And he's so funny in his bright red shirt
We were all in love and we all got hurt
I sneak into his car's cracked leather seat
The smell of gasoline in the summer heat
Boy, we're going way too fast
It's all too sweet to last
They would all miss each other. Starfire remembered when she and Robin had gone out. She smiled at him and he returned the smile. No one could be sure why the two had split except them. Cyborg ran swerving violently into the kitchen for more beers. Everyone promised that this week, they would lighten up and not worry about anything. It was entirely possible they'd never see each other again. Starfire hated to think about that and quickly jumped up to help Cyborg. Robin was already there and they locked eyes, but only for a minute. They were still in love, but both refused to get back together. She considered him as her first mistake anyway.
It's alright
And I put myself in his hands
But I hold on to your secrets in white houses
Love, or something ignites in my veins
And I pray it never fades in white houses
My first time, hard to explain
Rush of blood, oh, and a little bit of pain
On a cloudy day, it's more common than you think
He's my first mistake
Exactly seven days later, the five friends stood in an airport. They could no long be the teen titans anyway. They'd been calling themselves the titans for the past ten months when Beast Boy turned 20. The last one to do so. Starfire was openly crying as she squeezed each person to death. Even Beast Boy's girlfriend. In her erratic excitement and sadness, her speech was constantly reverting back to the early teen titan days but no one corrected her or asked for air in her grip.
Starfire squealed when Cyborg's plane was called first. She hugged him one last time as he picked his carry on and left. Everyone yelled and waved good-bye. Almost immediately after, Robin's plane was called. He turned to leave and got no more than twenty paces away before Starfire, on impulse, ran after him, and kissed him before darting to her cheering friends. Robin just stared back at them shocked until his plane was called again and he ran off for fear of missing it.
Starfire's plane was next. This was one of the most enthusiastic good byes, as Beast Boy and his girlfriend, Jamie, threw mustard at her when she almost missed her plane from giving hugs and saying goodbye. Raven and the two lovers had a long laugh afterwards. Beast Boy and Jamie kissed, and Raven snuck a piece of paper into his carry on just as she had the others.
Maybe you were all faster than me
We gave each other up so easily
Starfire boarded her plane just in time, though splattered with mustard. A taste for which she had outgrown, but her friends made fun of her for it anyway. How easily they had given each other up, she wondered whether they would see each other again. The plane took off and she looked, one last time, at the only city she had known on earth. Against the horizon, she saw a tall t-shape glaring white against the sun. No longer her home, it seemed to be just a big white house.
These silly little wounds will never mend
I feel so far from where I've been
So I go, and I will not be back here again
I'm gone as the day is fading on white houses
I lie, wrote my injuries all in the dust
In my heart is the five of us
In white houses
Raven was the last to leave. She boarded her plane and already felt far away. She, like Starfire and all of her other friends, wondered if she would ever come back to this place. From the sky, she saw rows and rows of mostly white, tiny houses just outside the city. She smiled slightly and knew she would. She rubbed her thumb over the edge of a photograph in her hand and stared out the window as everything faded away.
And you, maybe you'll remember me
What I gave is yours to keep
In white houses
In white houses
In white houses
Review and guess what... The epilogue will be chapter two! yay!And if I get enough good reviews asking for it, there will be a sequel. Thank you! Good bye for now! (And Chapter two won't be a song fic unless I find a song that fits what I'm already doing)
& Wild Spirit &