The Problem With Orange

Disclaimer: My story, not my characters. Don't sue me.

Chapter 2: A Little Friendly Competition

The truth was, a certain redhead with pretty green eyes and an affection for purple clothing was what Robin was concentrating so hard on. He sighed as he slipped into the indoor pool. This was the room he came to most often to think. The room was located in the cross of the Titan Tower, and had a Plexiglas roof that was tinted just enough to keep the most blinding of the sun's rays out. Sometimes he would just float on his back and watch the clouds roll by, although he was in the pool more often by starlight.

Today, however, Robin had too much energy to laze around, and began to swim furious laps around the pool. His lithe body cut through the water with practiced ease. Despite his smaller form three years ago, Robin had managed to grow enough to tower over everyone but the massive Cyborg. And true to Starfire's brief contact with the future, he had begun to let his hair grow out. Now it touched his shoulders in an ebony wave, not looking the least bit girly.

He came up for air and floated on his back for a moment, staring up at the stars. For years, he'd been happy with the strange, highly affectionate friendship that he and Starfire had developed, but lately it didn't seem to be right. I've gone through this before, he reminded himself. The timing's just always been off. One of us would be seeing someone else, or the team was neck deep in villains. It was true; there had always been something in the way, but this time the feeling had come upon him when they were both single. The city had even been relatively quiet, with the exception of the occasional common robbery. It seemed like the perfect time to give the matter consideration.

But now this whole orangey-skin business had him worried. He believed in the explanation he'd given to the other boys, but if it was about her period, why would she have to stay away from guys specifically? It just doesn't make sense, he finally thought with resignation. Maybe now just wasn't the time to bring up their relationship. With that thought in mind, Robin began to push himself ruthlessly in his laps to block out further thinking.

- - -

"Hey, Star, wanna test out that new chess board again? I'm not so good at chess, but I can play a mean game of checkers," Beast Boy coaxed his red-haired friend. She had been sitting on her bed and staring out the window every time he'd poked his head in her room for the last day and a half. He wasn't used to a lifeless Starfire--it seemed obscenely wrong for someone as kindhearted as she to be so depressed about a sudden epidermal color change. He had also worriedly noted that the orange had darkened on her skin. It had settled into the sort of pattern that water threw on the bottom of a pool when the sun was on it. Starfire had actually changed out of her normal attire and into jeans and a long sleeved green shirt just to keep most of her skin from showing. While the green was flattering to her hair and eyes, it also made the visible skin stick out more. But he wasn't going to be the one to tell her that.

"Beast Boy, I do not wish to play with you today. Tomorrow, I may--" she began, but he cut her off.

"No way, Starfire," he said in an unusually stern tone. "You've been feeding that same line to everyone since this whole thing started. You're gonna have to accept it sooner or later. Now, are we gonna play, or what?"

Starfire buried her head in her knees. "No Beast Boy. Not today."

He sighed and threw his hands in the air. "All right. I'll be downstairs in the main room with the game if you change your mind."

Starfire waited a moment, and then turned to see if he was still there. He was not.

"Perhaps I am being silly about this. After all, aloneness is quite lonely," she murmured to herself. Since she had holed up in her room, everyone except Beast Boy had honored her need to be alone. But how could she face them? The urges had already started. Just this last sleep cycle she had awakened from an unremembered dream filled with such need that she had nearly set out for the nearest male to take care of it. Luckily, the only person she'd bumped in to was Raven, who had simply said, "Dreams like that are a problem for every teenager, Star. At least you know we all share that part."

Starfire failed to see the helpfulness in that comment.

She had managed to go back to sleep, although the dreams still plagued her. This was not something Starfire was used to. Her dreams were filled with wondrous things, like beautiful places, cute animals, and lots of bright colors. They were certainly not filled with the delightful things a man and a woman could do together. And definitely not one certain man in particular, dark hair spilling around his shoulders and a willingness to hold her the way she wished he would hold her, kiss her skin, bring her to ecstasy...

Oh, dear.

Starfire's breath was coming much faster now, and it seemed like there was a fire slowly baking her body in the most delicious way. She flopped back on the bed, breathing deeply to clam herself.

"It may be more dangerous to keep to myself," she said aloud slowly and a little breathlessly. "If I am out there, I can distract myself from what is happening to my body. But if I stay in here..."

She didn't even need to finish the though; her mind was more than happy to supply more misty images from her dreams. Finally reaching a decision, she bolted form the room in search of her green-skinned friend.

"Glad to see you out of that room," he grinned from where he was sitting. True to his word, Beast Boy had set up a checkers game in the middle of the couch. Surprisingly, no one was pounding the life out of a controller or watching a movie just then, so they could sit on either side of the game and still be on the huge sofa.

Starfire smiled back at him, and tried not to notice how much she was noticing him. Unlike Robin, Beast Boy hadn't gotten much taller over the years, but muscle rippled under the tight costume whenever he moved. Starfire blushed when she realized she was picturing him holding her up with those strong arms as they...

She shook her head rapidly to clear her mind. Perhaps this was not a good idea after all.

Even as she turned to go back, Beast Boy's hand reached out to snatch her arm.

"Oh, no you don't. Get over here," he said in that same stern voice. She found this sudden show of command oddly sexy. He was usually so laid back.

Definitely a not a good idea.

"C'mon, Star. Nothing's so bad that you have to lock yourself away for it," his voice softly pleaded. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"I will stay. But I will only play two or three, possibly four, games with you, and then I will go back to my room," she said in what she hoped was tone that brooked no argument.

"Deal." he grinned at her again, and suddenly she could breathe again. She smiled back and sat down across from him.

Starfire had loved chess immediately after Robin had begun teaching it to her, partly because it was a game they shared and partly because she found it fascinating. Checkers, however, was not her favorite--unless she was playing with Beast Boy. That was because he made up his own running commentary as they attacked each other with the little pieces. By the end of each game, they were both always playing quite badly because they were laughing too hard to play the game properly anymore.

"Oh, no, Miss Star, you can't possibly want to move to that space," Beast Boy said in a comically high-pitched voice. "That would ruin all of Hunky Mr. Beast Boy's plans!"

Starfire giggled as she promptly took out four of his pieces, much to his surprise. He'd only been bluffing!

"All right, that's it. No more Mr. Nice Guy," he grumbled in his normal tone. Then he reached out, firmly took one foot, began to tickle her.

"No, no, no!" Starfire managed between fits of laughter. "You are cheating, Beast Boy! I call this an unfair game!"

He laughed, but kept on attacking her feet. "Hey, when I'm getting beaten this bad, there's no way I'm gonna play fair!"

There was only one way to fight back. Her other foot had already kicked the game to the floor in an effort to kick Beast Boy's hands away, so now she lunged at him and began assaulting his ribs. He howled with laughter.

"Hey, no fair beating a guy at his own game!" he managed to gasp out. Switching tactics, he grabbed her arms and wrestled with her until he managed to pin her underneath him. Then he frowned, not quite sure what to do next.

Two things occurred to Starfire once she was trapped. The first was that the Problem, which had died down during their playful game of checkers, was intensifying, as was that needy feeling she had hoped to leave behind in her bedroom. The second would have been difficult to miss even if he hadn't been pressed so close to her; he was hard against her. And it felt good. He seemed to realize it as well, and, blushing profusely, started to scramble his way off of her. And then Starfire, without even thinking about it, raised up on her elbows and kissed Beast Boy for the first time in her life.

At first it was a bit awkward; he was in a half push-up, trying to get off of her, so it put his arms at a strange angle. The kiss surprised him, and after a few moments, the arms couldn't take his weight anymore and he pitched forward. Starfire took the opportunity to place her arms around his neck and pull him down more firmly on top of her.

This was all so wrong, but she couldn't seem to help herself. But maybe if she fed the desire a little bit, it would slacken a little. Do not move, Starfire pleaded with her hips as she combed her fingers through Beast Boy's hair. It was soft to the touch, more like fur than normal hair. His lips were soft and anxious against hers, a lifetime of boyish hormones rushing out for that one moment. It was her tongue that struck out first, coaxing his out of its shyness. They danced in and out of each other's mouths as their legs tangled together, and his knee ended up pressing against a very sensitive spot on Starfire's body. Heat flared up through her as she moaned at the touch.

It was that sound that finally brought Beast Boy back. With an oath, he jerked away. The movement lost him his balance, and he tumbled of the couch in a tangle of limbs. Starfire was left to stare at the ceiling, her mind still caught up in the feelings the other Titan had brought to the surface. Out loud, she said in a shaky voice, "Did I not say this would be a very bad idea?"

Beast Boy let out a shaky breath from the floor and sat up. "Well, yeah, but I didn't think it was that kind of bad idea. More of a I'm-gonna-scream-or-cry kind of bad idea," he exclaimed in a breathless sort of way.

Starfire sighed and hid her burning face with her arms. "I apologize, Beast Boy. I had hoped I could control myself, but it appears that I was wrong. I should be exiled to one of the planets of the Glaarg system! If you do not wish to speak with me again, I would understand," she said in a voice very close to tears.

Beast Boy rubbed his suddenly pounding temples, and then turned to Starfire. If he pried her arms away so that she would look at him, would she try to kiss him again? The teenage boy in him shouted for joy at that prospect, but the rest of him shuddered at what Robin would do to him if he found out about the first kiss, let alone a second. In the end, he poked at her arm until she peeked out at him.

"Look, I'm not mad. It's not like it was your fault anyway. I'm the one who started the tickling match, remember? If anyone's to blame, it's me. 'Sides, we're almost adults, right? We can handle a little accidental kissing."

Starfire sat up shaking her head and pulling up her sleeve. "I am afraid you do not understand what is happening, Beast Boy. The fault is comes from these patterns on my skin," she said earnestly, extending her arm for his examination. He glanced at it briefly and then frowned at her.

"Star, why are you blaming your orange skin? It's not like it has a mind of its own."

Sighing, Starfire finally explained the situation to him, using much the same explanation she gave Raven. Beast Boy's mouth dropped open. Then, when the full implications of what might have happened between them sank in, he began to blush furiously.

"So, that's why you wanted to stay locked up in your room," he muttered. He risked a quick glance at her, and then darted his gaze away as the embarrassment attacked him again. "Um, don't you think the other guys should know about this? I mean, you've pretty much told half the team now, so shouldn't they know too?"

Starfire shook her head so hard it made her head hurt. "No! I do not wish to discuss it any further with anyone else. You and Raven know, and that is sufficiently embarrassing enough. Cyborg is like a big brother to me; I would not want him feeling so uncomfortable around me by knowing where my mind is. And Robin...well..."

Beast Boy definitely didn't want to think about Robin at the moment.

"Hey, don't you care about how uncomfortable I'm going to feel?" Beast Boy asked in an outraged sort of tone.

"I did not want you to feel that you were responsible for the kiss. Especially since Terra is coming home in a few more months," Starfire said gently. He hung his head.

"I was trying not to think about that," he muttered darkly. Terra had been in Arizona for the last year studying geology. She had felt that by learning more about the different types of rocks on the earth she would learn more about her powers, and ultimately more about herself. And Beast Boy, who had been smitten since the day they had met, still hadn't found the courage to ask her on a proper date by the time she finally left. Now, guilt laid as heavily on him as it seemed to on Starfire.

"How about this," he said after a moment. "Let's just pretend it didn't happen. After all, we both have our eyes on other people, and it never would have happened if it weren't for...well, you know."

Starfire nodded. "Agreed." They started to shake hands, but it was still too soon. The physical contact sent a shock up both their arms, and they jerked away and hurriedly began cleaning up the game pieces scattered on the floor. Neither noticed the figure on the stairs who had stared at them in shock a moment before. The person slipped away, on silent feet, leaving behind the two shaken and completely unaware teens.

End Chapter

I just want to thank those people that commented: Thank you so much! You made my day, seriously! Oh, and I'm sorry I caused so much confusion with Robin's comment near the end of the first chapter. I hope everyone was clear on his intentions by the beginning of this one. Of course, as you can see, I'm messing with the pairings anyway--it's just more fun that way. ;)

And now for some bad news... Updates will probably slow down from now on since school's finally started for me. Please don't get too frustrated with me! I'll update as often as I can, I swear.

Fairyhome2000