The Problem With Orange
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. I do own a TV, so I watch them, instead. Please don't sue me.
Chapter 6: Breakfast With the Titans
Starfire crept to the edge of the hallway and then peered around the corner cautiously, sweat beading on her forehead. It was clear. She nodded at Raven, signaling her to come forward. They had been following the stranger, keeping their distance so the person didn't see them.
"Raven," Starfire said as quietly as she could, "I did not see if the intruder continued to walk down our hall or if they entered one of the rooms."
Raven's face blanked as she concentrated. "They're in Terra's room."
Starfire's face hardened. "I do not think our friend would appreciate that. Let us go kick the butt!"
Raven couldn't agree more. They crept to the doorway.
"Ready?" Raven whispered. "One, two, three!"
They burst into the room, Starfire with her emerald blaze already in her hands and Raven chanting. The intruder, who was in the middle of devouring a sandwich, looked up at them with a shocked expression, obviously unprepared to meet anyone. The moment the three of them locked eyes, Raven and Starfire stifled their attacks. The three stared at each other, stunned.
"Star? Rae?" the figure questioned.
"Terra!" the two other girls exclaimed.
- - -
"So, then I thought maybe I could try to sneak in, just for fun, y'know? Only, it was really easy--you guys had better get that checked out--and I raided the refrigerator. Then I came in here, since it's my room and all and I wanted to surprise everyone later but I guess you guys surprised me first, huh?" Somehow, the little blonde managed to say all of it in one breath. Starfire's head was spinning just trying to keep up with the fast-paced girl's story. Raven hadn't bothered--once it was clear that Terra was their intruder, she had stretched out on the other girl's bed and promptly fell asleep.
"So, Star, how come you're skin's all splotchy like that? Did you come down with something?" Terra asked suddenly.
"Come down with something? No, I have been on the ground this whole time," Starfire said with some confusion. Terra laughed.
"No, what I mean is, did you get sick?"
Starfire hesitated. "No, I do not harbor any illnesses. It is simply a condition of my people. It will go away on it's own eventually."
"Oh, okay," Terra said. Starfire was amazed that someone had finally just left it at that.
"Tell me again why it is that you have come back to us earlier than three months?" she requested.
"Well, what it boils down to is that there wasn't much for me to do anymore. We'd already excavated the whole site, so it didn't make any sense to stay. Why, didn't you miss me?" Terra asked, looking uncertain for the first time. Starfire immediately hugged her.
"No, my friend, I am quite happy to see you. And I know that the others will be joyful as well," Starfire said confidently. Shortly after, Starfire left Terra to her own devices, carrying the sleeping Raven to her bed. She thought about the Problem as she walked back to her own room--there had to be some way to control it. That was what she had heard on Tamaran, anyway. Unfortunately, Tamaranian females didn't talk about it openly, and certainly not with the younger girls. It was generally discussed when a girl had reached her sixteenth birthday, thus giving her a year or two to prepare. Since Starfire had left her planet at a fairly early age, she never received one of those famed "talks," and consequently had no idea what she was supposed to do.
"Why can you not simply go away?" she complained, sitting on her bed. She stared at her skin, willing the orange mottling to vanish. She thought about her skin as it should have been, unmarred by any sort of orange pattern. Then she closed her eyes, holding onto the thought and wishing desperately that when she opened them, the Problem would be gone. She opened her eyes. For a moment, her skin appeared to be untouched, perfect. Then, in the next blink, it was mottled again.
Starfire frowned. Had she imagined the change? Perhaps there was a way to control the condition after all.
- - -
He was dreaming. Two lights beckoned to him from the path he was following, one gold and one green. For a while they traveled together, hovering a little above him. Then suddenly they split, heading down opposite forks in the road. He stopped walking and stared down the two paths. Which one should he choose?
"Psst. Beast Boy." That wasn't part of the dream. As soon as the thought occurred to him, Beast Boy's eyes opened. There was a figure standing over him. Without thinking about it, he reached out and grabbed the person by the shoulders, pulled them onto the bed, and pinned them, his elbow pressed threateningly to the nape of their neck.
"You've got five seconds to tell me who you are," he growled, sleepiness making his voice even lower. The person under him flinched.
"Uh, Terra. Could you let me up? It's kind of hard to breathe from under here," the "assailant" said nervously. Beast Boy's jaw dropped, and he immediately released her, hand fumbling for the light switch. "You'd think that I'd have learned after the girls caught me the first time."
"Y-you're back," Beast Boy stammered as light flooded the room. Sleeping during the day had required all of the Titans to cover up their bedroom windows with thick curtains, melting sunlight into a dim memory. The only way to see was to have lots of lamps.
"Yeah. Sorry about sneaking up on you. I didn't mean to scare you like that. Hey, what happened to the bunk beds?"
"Huh? Oh, I got rid of them a year ago. I thought it was time for a real bed..." he trailed off uncertainly, a blush staining his cheeks. No need to tell her why he was thinking he should have a real bed...
"I like it. It's very, uh, bouncy," Terra replied, her own face beginning to color. Maybe she'd figured it out on her own.
"What are you doing here?" Beast Boy asked again, embarrassment turning into confusion and curiosity.
"Well, I was just...And then I was...It's like this...But aren't you...I mean, you did miss me, right?" Terra felt a little ashamed that she needed everyone to be deliriously happy to see her. But she'd missed them all so much! What if she'd been mistaken about coming back? What if they'd changed their minds about her, didn't want her around anymore? And why was he just sitting there?
"Totally!" Beast Boy scooped Terra up in a big hug that nearly crushed the air out of her lungs. She laughingly shoved at him.
"Beast Boy, I have to breathe!"
"Oh, right. Sorry," he said sheepishly. He drank in the sight of her for a moment. Her clothing was a little dusty--apparently she hadn't bothered to leave the desert behind in Arizona. She was so pretty, just as he remembered, with one exception. He couldn't quite put his finger on it at first. Then, after a moment, he gasped.
"What are you staring at?" Terra asked.
"You cut your hair?" he cried mournfully. The shining gold mane had been chopped to fall just above her shoulders.
"Well, yeah! I mean, it's super hot there. I had to do something about it. You like?" Terra turned her head slowly, showing off the new hair cut from all angles.
"I guess. I really liked it long, though," Beast Boy muttered. Terra winked at him, making him blush again. "But I guess I could get used to it. So, you never answered my question. What are you doing back here so early? And in my room?"
"Well, we finished up the project early, so I took an early flight and snuck in here. And then I just wanted to see you," she replied, ducking her face to hide another blush. At this rate, she was going to run out of blood for the rest of her body. Beast Boy grinned.
"Well, the feeling's mutual. It's really great to see you," he said softly, leaning in to hug her again, this time much more gently. Terra felt her heart leap. After a moment, she reluctantly pulled away.
"I should let you get back to sleep. I'm really sorry about waking you up so early. Or late. Or whatever. I'm gonna go...find something to do, I guess. See you tonight?"
"Yeah. Tonight," he replied. She threw one last glance at him as she exited the room. Beast Boy took a deep breath as she left the room. Things were certainly getting more complicated by the minute.
- - -
"Terra! You're back!"
"Whoa, I didn't expect to see you soon!"
"How've you been?"
"How was Arizona?"
"What's it like?"
"Did you see the Grand Canyon?"
"Find any cool rocks?"
"Whoa, whoa, guys slow down! I'm glad to see you too, but I can't answer--what was that, five?--questions at once!"
Robin and Cyborg exchanged sheepish glances. "Sorry, girl. We just didn't expect you back so soon."
"Yeah, it's kind of a surprise. But we need all the help we can get," Robin said. Actually, the truth was that it had been so quiet in the city that it was starting to make him nervous. After all, Murphy's Law would say something was bound to blow soon. Maybe everyone's banding together for once. If all of the villains fought on a united front, we'd be toast, Robin thought idly. The sound of the door opening had him looking up.
Beast Boy walked in, hair still damp from his shower. He glanced around the room, and met Robin's unreadable eyes only briefly before wandering over to the cupboards to start his breakfast.
"Beast Boy, did you see that Terra's back?" Robin asked his teammate, keeping his voice carefully neutral. He leaned back against the counter, coffee cup in hand. Beast Boy glanced at him, and then nodded.
"Yeah, I saw her earlier."
"Good."
"Good."
The door opened again. Raven stepped in, her eyes bleary with dark hollows under them. Cyborg opened his mouth, and Raven held up a finger.
"Nobody talk to me until I've had my herbal tea," she said flatly. Cyborg obligingly closed his mouth. Robin looked away to hide his grin, and met Terra's eyes as she did the same thing. They had a moment of perfect understanding and burst into laughter. Raven frowned at them, shook her head, and began making her tea.
"I guess the only person we're missing is Star. Anybody seen her?" Terra asked as she wiped her eyes. Everyone shook their heads. "Oops, I must've kept her up too late this morning. Or does that make it early?"
Just as she said the words, Starfire entered the room. It was getting quite crowded.
"Joyous morning wishes, friends!" she said happily. Raven glanced up from her kettle of hot water and nearly spilled it on herself. Starfire was in her normal attire, and not a splotch of orange could be seen. Did I dream up last night? No, Terra's still here, so it must have been real. But where did the Problem go? she wondered, picking up Starfire's habitual name for the condition.
"Morning, Star," Robin said softly, a smile playing around the corner of his lips. Starfire blushed and ducked her head, making her way over to the table. Beast Boy watched the exchange with interest. Just yesterday Robin hadn't even wanted to look at Starfire, and now they were acting like they had just gotten back from a date or something. Had Starfire told him the truth?
Beast Boy squashed a momentary pang of jealousy; he'd liked being in the minority of people that knew what was going on with her. Besides, that kiss felt kind of private now, like it was a secret that they shared. He glanced guiltily in Terra's direction. She was chatting gaily with Cyborg about sneaking into the tower. What if she found out?
Raven made her way over to the table, her hands greedily clutching her cup of tea. Oh, sweet caffeine, she thought with relish at the first sip. She sat at the table, trying to look casual as she leaned over to talk to Starfire.
"Star, where did the orange go?" she asked softly, motioning toward the other girl's arm. The Tamaranian grinned.
"I spent the day learning to control the Problem," she replied in a low voice. She closed her eyes briefly and brought her guard down; the orange mottling rushed up toward the surface of her skin. Then she clamped those guards back down again, and it vanished.
Raven was impressed. "Didn't you say it usually takes a year to develop that kind of control?"
"Yes. But in situations of desperation, I can be quite determined," Starfire replied happily.
"Are you sure you have complete control over it, though? I mean, it doesn't seem like one day could be enough time," Raven said worriedly.
"I will have many more days to practice it, will I not?" Starfire said cheerfully. She glanced around the room and saw Beast Boy, who was staring at her with wide eyed astonishment. The others were talking about way to improve the tower's security, but Beast Boy, at least, hadn't missed her little demonstration.
"So, what are you guys doing tonight? Who's on patrol? Can I help? I haven't busted more than a poacher since I was here last," Terra's cheerful voice broke through the room. Beast Boy looked away from Starfire's gaze and smiled at her.
"Cy and I are on patrol tonight. You could come with us if you wanted, though. Right, Cy?"
Cyborg nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, it's coo' with me." Then he stopped and thought for a moment, a grin stretching across his face. "Actually, why don't the two of you go alone? I've got some bugs to work out on the new tracking equipment, and this is a perfect night to work on it," he said, winking at Terra. She blushed, but gave him a small smile back. Beast Boy glanced between them; he was getting the feeling that he and the blonde girl were being set up. He couldn't keep the answering smile off his face.
"Great! When do we go?" Terra asked enthusiastically.
- - -
"Hey," a voice said behind her. A gentle hand grabbed her wrist, spinning her around and into waiting arms. Warm lips pressed to hers, making her jump a little.
"Surprise you?" Robin's laughing eyes met Starfire's dazed ones. She smiled.
"Yes, you did. I did not hear you walking behind me."
Robin grinned. "Well, you left breakfast so suddenly that I thought I'd see if everything was okay."
She had begun to feel a little dizzy in the kitchen/dining room. The strain of putting up a mental barrier to block out the Problem and the way everyone was so close together in the room, compounded by the fatigue she felt from the sleepless morning, had simply overwhelmed her.
"I was feeling somewhat claustrophobic," Starfire admitted. Robin leaned in to hug her. She had noticed the night before that he was suddenly taking every opportunity he had to touch her in some way; a pat on the shoulder, fingers smoothing her hair out of her face, or an "accidental" brush over the bare skin at her midriff. She found the subterfuge quite charming, especially since he didn't realize that he was being so obvious.
Starfire allowed herself to relax into his arms. They were so comforting and strong. Robin's fingers trailed over her spine, sending shivers racing through her. She suddenly wondered what it would be like to wrap herself up in that electric aura of energy he seemed to possess, to lose herself completely in his scent. The thought made her feel shaky and a little warm.
She could feel the walls that she had so carefully constructed around the Problem begin to crumble. With a hasty movement, she pulled back form Robin.
"I believe I shall go to my room and partake in a nap," she said hastily, and sped down the hallway, leaving a bewildered Robin in her wake.
End Chapter
Oh, good, another character for me to write for. What was I thinking?
Oh, and the grand prize goes to...Star and Robin 4 eva and Ulysses! You correctly guessed the intruder's identity! -Gives Star and Robin 4 eva and Ulysses big bouquets of roses- Good work. ;) SaR4e, I was thinking the exact same thing about the scene between Nightwing and Starfire. There was kissing going on there, I just know it!
To Brogramn: I know what you mean about reading and not reviewing...I do the exact same thing. Sometimes it's just too hard to think of something to say. And thank you so much for the compliment. -blushes- I must be doing something right.
To starfire ewing: Thank you for the feedback, but in the future, could you please not drop the f-bomb? I'd kind of like to run a clean review page.
To Darkmage: Oooooh, don't tempt me to try to make a believable pairing out of the two. ;)
To everyone else: Thank you so much for reviewing! It means a lot. I really am updating as fast as I can, I promise. The only other alternative is to put up chapters as soon as they're written and then edit them throughout the week. I don' think anyone needs to see what the first drafts of this stuff looks like--trust me, it's not pretty! I am trying to at least get one chapter out a week, though.
Oh, there are herbal teas out there with caffeine, right? Anyone?
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