The Problem With Orange

Disclaimer: If you haven't noticed the first four, they say that I don't own the Teen Titans. That's still true.

Chapter 5: Didn't We Get Rid of That?

Robin hesitated outside the door. His hand was half-lifted to knock, but he couldn't make himself do it. C'mon, don't be such a wuss, he thought harshly to himself. He knocked. No one answered.

Cautiously, he stepped into the door sensor for it to open. With a soft whoosh it lifted. The room was dark. It was only four in the morning, and the sun was still a long way from waking up. The moon cast dying silvery rays through the room, draping shadow over the furniture like heavy blankets.

"Star?" he asked the air, wondering if she'd moved to a different room. A sleepy murmur told him his first instinct had been right. She sat up in the medical bed, stretching like a cat. His night vision was good enough to know that she wasn't wearing much under the blanket. He was suddenly glad for the darkness--it hid his blushing face.

"Uh, how are you feeling?" he asked a bit distractedly, trying to keep his eyes off her torso as she, too, realized it was mostly bare. With a hasty swipe, she wrapped the blanket more firmly around herself.

"I am feeling much better. The pain in my arm is bearable, although not pleasant," she said quietly. There was something terribly intimate about talking with the quiet moon spilling into the room. It made them both speak in hushed tones.

"Glad to hear it," he said with a heartfelt grin. "But if it still hurts, we could probably find some meds to take the pain away."

"That is not necessary," she said quickly. She only vaguely remembered what happened after Raven had given her the first drug, and she knew that it was nothing she wanted to repeat. Although it had been quite pleasant to feel that safe and happy.

"What ever you say," he replied agreeably. Silence filled the room, and Starfire felt his change from relaxation to seriousness and something else she couldn't quite identify.

"Robin?"

"Yes, princess?" he asked, the nickname slipping out unbidden. It had started out a joke after the disaster that was Starfire's betrothal and the startling revelation that she was, indeed, a princess. It had stuck over the years; now it was something he called her when they were alone because it pleased her, although she was too embarrassed to admit to it. It was one of the few guilty pleasures he allowed himself.

"Why have you been engaging in the avoidance of me?" she asked.

Damn. He hadn't expected her to come right out and ask.

"You said we were supposed to avoid you," he replied evasively. He could tell by the set of her shoulders that she wasn't buying it.

"Yes, but that request ended when the orange coloring on my skin disappeared. You have been--what is the word?--dodging me for many days now," she said, not without heat. "I wish to know the reason for this."

"It's complicated," he said with a sigh, moving to flop onto the bed next to her. The fight he'd had with the his door earlier had stolen the rest of his rage. He knew that he had acted foolishly, and that he'd treated Beast Boy badly. Part of him was even sorry for it. But worry, doubt, and misery had pushed everything else away but Starfire. How was he supposed to explain that to her if she didn't feel the same way about him? What if she didn't...love him back?

"I do not care if it is more twisted than the mazes on the Keld-Nlarin moons! Why have you been behaving in this manner?" She asked the question with intensity, turning to put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her earnest face for a moment, then out the window.

"I saw you and Beast Boy on the couch." He said the words quickly, as though it would make them hurt less. It didn't. Her soft gasp cut through his heart.

"You saw...? Robin, you must know that Beast Boy and I--" He cut her off.

"You don't owe me any explanations, princess. I can see where I stand," Robin said unhappily. Her hand crept out of the dark and into his, squeezing gently. Startled, he looked up into her face. Some trick of the moonlight illuminated her, making her eyes sparkle and her hair shine.

"Robin, where you stand is in my heart," Starfire said, very softly. "What happened with Beast Boy was an unavoidable accident--which I will explain later," she said quickly as his mouth opened. "He is one of my dearest friends, and I regret putting him into that position. Not the least because at the time I was wishing he was you."

Robin felt like he's been hit in the head with a hammer. Him? Really?

"Me? Really?" he asked dumbly. She laughed, and the sound chased away the rest of his doubts. So what if she kissed Beast Boy? She was going to explain it later! What mattered now was that a foolish grin was splitting his face in two.

"So, you said it's safe to be around you again, right?" he asked after a moment, his voice taking on a mischievous quality.

"Yes," Starfire replied warily.

"Good," he said, pulling her toward him. His arms crept around her waist, pulling her toward him. "'Cause I've been wanting to try this."

He bent forward and kissed her lightly. Starfire jumped a little, but then melted into him, pressing her lips more firmly to his. The kiss was long, sweet, and a little damp, and the two of them were gasping for air by the time they pulled back.

"Willyougoouttodinnerwi'me?" Robin asked in a rush. Starfire blinked rapidly at him, the pace of conversation changing too fast between talking, non-talking, and questions. After a moment, she pieced together what he was asking her .

Grinning, she said, "I would be quite happy to go to dinner with you."

- - -

They stumbled, just barely making it through the door. Her shirt was already missing, the skirt rapidly following suit. The shirt he'd changed into earlier was unbuttoned, and she was working steadily at the jeans. Then time seemed to jump; now they were both naked, and somehow they had managed to find the bed. He was touching her in ways she'd only dreamt about, and she did her best to do the same.

She made a small noise of pleasure as he took her breast into his mouth, rolling it around with his tongue until she thought she would burst. She slid her hands down to grip his backside, making him break contact with her skin long enough to moan. He nipped at her stomach, hands sliding up her thighs. Her own hands tangled in his long hair, using it like a lever to pull him back up to her so she could kiss him.

"Robin, I cannot wait much longer!" she cried, breaking the kiss.

"I know, princess, me either," he groaned back. He brought his face up to hers, capturing her mouth, and shifted until he was between her legs. Then, suddenly, he was inside her, and it felt good. With a moan, she thrust her hips toward him, and he eagerly accepted the invitation. He moved with a preciseness that drove her insane; a true perfectionist.

With a sudden impish grin, she ducked her head to take one of his nipples into her mouth, biting down. It made him cry out and loose that control, until he drove them both into oblivion...

Starfire awoke with a jerk, nearly tumbling off her bed. She looked wildly around, half expecting a naked Robin to materialize in front of her. Not that it would be such a bad thing, with the way her hormones were racing.

What had they done?

The last thing she remembered was the medical room. She and Robin had kissed for the first time--the thought sent a flutter through her heart--and then had talked for hours. They had decided to go to dinner (or breakfast, rather) on Tuesday. Then she had gone to bed; which meant it had been a dream. She and Robin hadn't really gone out to dinner and then back to his room after all. The knowledge was comforting; after all, in the dream, he hadn't even bothered to remove his mask!

Starfire frowned. Why had she been dreaming about Robin like...that? The only time she'd dreamt about that was...

Uh-oh.

She flicked the switch on her lamp. Light flooded the room, blinding her momentarily. When she could see without having to squint, Starfire pulled back the sleeve covering her good arm.

There it was. The Problem, laughing back at her.

Starfire suddenly had an urge to go back into time and kill whichever Tamaranian was responsible for passing this particular gene down through the generations. Of course, that would change history.

And they couldn't have little red-heads running around and changing history, now could they?

I need something to throw, she thought grimly. Pulling on a pair of sweat pants and an old gray shirt--she told herself it was for comfort, but it was more because she couldn't stand to see the Problem floating on her skin again--she started for the training room. There had to be something there that would make a satisfying crunch when she threw it.

- - -

Raven blinked tiredly at the clock. It was two pm, way too early for her to be awake. What had awoken her?

A barbaric shout dimly echoing down the hallway let her know. Was that...Starfire? Frowning, she donned a robe--a velvety midnight blue--and stepped into the hallway. The first thing to do was decide where the noise was coming from.

There it was again, accompanied by the loud crash of metal on metal. That sounds like weights...The training room! Raven realized.

- - -

"Arrrgh!" Starfire shouted, hefting another weight across the room. She had started out with the smaller weights, not wanting to hurt herself, but now it was more convenient to just pick up whatever was next on the rack instead of retrieving the ones she had already thrown. She picked up another one, and was just about to throw it when the door opened.

"Starfire, what are you doing?" Raven asked in amazement, staring at the chaos around her. Starfire guiltily dropped the weight she was holding, nearly hitting her own foot. She looked like a small child caught with daddy's power tools. Raven continued to stare, waiting for an explanation.

"Uh, practicing for the tournaments on Penaffa Prime?" Starfire replied hopefully. Raven gave her a look. "No? Then, perhaps this is merely a bad dream you are experiencing. Any moment now you will be waking up in your bed--"

"Cut it out." Raven waved the false explanations away. "Now, I'm just curious. Is this your idea of taking it easy on the bad arm? Because if it is, your priorities need to be sorted out."

Starfire at least had the grace to look embarrassed. "I did not use the damaged arm in order to throw those objects. It is too pained to use in that manner."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you were using some form of reasoning," Raven muttered, rubbing her temples. It was too early for this--she just wanted to go back to bed. "Star, why exactly are you throwing weights around the training room in the middle of the day?"

"Raven, this concern for my well-being is very kind, but it is beginning to aggravate my nerves. Could you not just accept that I wished to throw things around the room of training because--"

"Is that what I think it is?" Raven interrupted. She was staring at Starfire's arm as though it had turned into a spider. A nasty, dog-sized spider. Starfire glanced down, knowing that she would only see the Problem, but one could never be too careful about nasty dog-sized spiders.

"The Problem has resurfaced," she said. She was almost successful in making the words sound bland, but a tinge of heat laced through them, betraying her temper.

"Didn't you say it wasn't supposed to come back until next month?"

"That is what I said. I believe the condition was not listening at the time, so it must not know that it should not be present at this time." Raven didn't know what stunned her more, this second returning of orange skin or that Starfire had actually used sarcasm correctly . She pinched the bridge of her nose, willing the headache that was beginning to form away. She had a feeling she wouldn't be going back to bed any time soon.

"How about this? I'll help you clean the room up, and you repay me by telling me what's going on. Deal?" Raven didn't like that it was like pulling teeth to get Starfire to divulge information lately; it was too much like having conversation with herself.

Starfire bit her lip, obviously wanting to accept the invitation to talk, but still unsure. "And you will not say anything to anyone?"

Raven gave her a look. "Star, have I ever told any of your secrets?"

The other girl shook her head, a smile finally breaking over her face. "No, you are a true friend to me, Raven. Very well, I will accept your offer."

- - -

A figure crept along the side of the tower, tiny next to its immensity. It slipped by all of the security cameras and traps, seemingly knowing exactly when to wait and where to step. It reached the front door and began disarming the alarm at an frightening rate.

"This is almost too easy." The figure's murmur carried into the airy afternoon, holding a flavor of disgust. It was broad daylight, for cryin' out loud; it shouldn't be this easy. Within minutes, the door was opening, and the individual slipped inside, unnoticed by all.

- - -

"You kissed Beast Boy? On the lips?" Raven asked incredulously.

"Well, at the time I believed that perhaps if I gave the Problem a tiny amount of what it craved, it would recede. But in practice, the opposite happened," Starfire replied, chagrinned.

"No wonder he's been so twitchy lately. But seriously, Beast Boy? And on the couch. I don't think I can sit on it now that I know that the two of you have made out on it."

"Raven, I do not think you are concentrating on the correct portion of this story," Starfire said a little peevishly. They had moved to her room after cleaning the weights up since the living room was too bright--it was three o'clock, and the sun was beaming cheerfully at the world.

"I'm sorry, go on," Raven said, shaking her head to clear it.

- - -

The figure crept like a cat through the living room and into the kitchen. It opened the refrigerator and food began disappearing into the ratty knapsack sitting on the floor. When the overworked rag was bulging, the figure stepped back and admired it's handy work. A job well done. It began stalking through the house, heading in the general direction of the bedrooms.

- - -

"You kissed Robin, too? Along with flashing Cyborg? I never pictured you as the brazen type, Starfire."

"F-flashing? That is an activity in which someone exhibits his or her private parts for the viewing of all, yes?" At Raven's nod, Starfire let out a displeased squeal. "I do not remember flashing anyone! Are you certain it is me that you are speaking of?"

"Yes. It was while you were on the medication; you didn't really know what you were doing," Raven explained patiently. "But what I really want to know is, what does all of this have to do with the orange?"

Starfire suddenly seemed to be very interested in her hands, and fidgeted with them in her lap. "Perhaps I failed to mention that occasionally in the first months of the cycles the Problem occurs more than once?"

Raven sighed. "Yeah, you forgot to mention it. Any idea how often or--" She stopped talking abruptly, eyes alert. "Wait, did you hear that? I think someone's moving around in the hallway."

"It is most likely Robin, Beast Boy, or Cyborg, is it not?" Starfire whispered. Raven shook her head.

"No, I reached out to the person with my powers. Whoever it is feels familiar, but it isn't one of the boys."

"Then perhaps we should engage in the checking out of this intruder," Starfire said forcefully. Raven agreed. If someone was attacking their home from the inside, they would pay.

End Chapter

It's been a while, hasn't it? I did warn you that schoolwork would interfere, though!

Robin and Starfire finally kissed! Yay! I'm so happy. Because now I get to make even more complicated. -evil grin- Besides, they deserve kissing. I'm just curious: Any guesses as to who the intruder is? Also, that was my first sex scene, so I'd appreciate feedback even though it was a dream sequence.

To AnimeHimeko: Thank you so much for giving me some criticism I can use. That's exactly the kind of thing I need! -sunny smile-

To Evil-Queen-Sab, about Terra: I did see that episode. I'm not operating in an alternate universe where that didn't happen--I have another story, Unpetrify, that deals with it. So, I guess it's kind of a prerequisite? Anyway, read it if it keeps bothering you. And thanks for the criticism; like I said, I need it!

To Lexon: I'll keep it in mind, but probably not in this story. But be on the lookout for the next one I'm writing.

To A Tumor Named Marla: Thanks so much for the complement. It means a lot that you think so highly of my writing. -blushes-

To YumiOrrick4ever: It was a flashback. Sorry about the confusion.

See you in Chapter 6!

Fairyhome2000