Wow, I'm kind of disappointed that so many of you figured out that Star wasn't in her bed…oh well…here's Chapter 3, and I hope you're liking this so far.
Chapter 4 is loooooooooong….I'm not kidding. Could take awhile to type.
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. And I can't think of anything clever to say right now…
Robin thought that the great dustfall in Tameran was probably nothing compared to the enormous mess they'd made of Starfire's room. Fluffy white feathers littered nearly every inch of the carpet and the previously immaculate bed. A rose-colored seahorse lamp, originally one of Starfire's favorite possessions, lay in several pieces on the floor (Robin had knocked it over with his pillow, but when he'd tried to apologize Star had simply laughed and whacked him over the head again with her pillow). One of the curtains had been torn raggedly from its rod when Robin grasped it for balance. The plush toys in Star's stuffed animal collection were strewn all over the room, having been used as artillery after the pillows were destroyed. When two teenage superheroes of above-average strength and agility decided to have an impromptu pillow fight, damages were bound to be extensive.
Robin and Star lay sprawled on the floor, facing in opposite directions with their heads close to each other, both clutching the empty purple shells of Starfire's throw pillows. They had fallen that way, amidst a thick carpet of downy feathers, after Starfire had felled Robin with a killer blow to the backs of his knees (he assumed she had taken her cue from one of the martial arts maneuvers he had taught her). He'd gone down, his legs swept out from under him, and she'd followed soon after, collapsing due to uncontrollable laughter.
Robin couldn't remember ever laughing so much in his life. In fact, he couldn't remember laughing much at all before; he figured Starfire just brought it out in him. He chuckled softly, realizing anew that it was the middle of the night, and hoping that they had both managed to muffle their laughter enough so that no one would have heard them. Every so often, during the battle, they had paused and buried their faces in their pillows, attempting to stifle their giggling.
He rolled over onto his stomach and leaned on his elbow, looking fondly down at his fallen 'adversary,' who was lying with her legs bent to the side. One slender arm was thrown straight out, while the other lay across her stomach. She brought one hand to her chest, which was rapidly rising and falling with every pant of exertion. Hundreds of feathers stuck to the blue flannel of her nightgown, as well as in her hair. Her braids were in complete disarray, with nearly half of her hair falling our around her face in a wavy cloud. Her face glowed pink through her orange complexion, a thin sheen of sweat glistening a little on her skin. Her appearance was entirely chaotic; he thought she looked beautiful.
"You're a mess," he informed her, the warmth in his tone not quite matching the less-than-flattering statement. She snorted in mock indignation and rolled over as well, so that they were facing each other.
"You are not looking especially tidy, yourself," she observed with a grin, lowering her chin to rest on her crossed arms as she looked up at him. Her eyes looked tired, but they were shining so much they almost burned. Laugher always did that to her eyes; it deepened their color and got them sparkling like jewels. But Robin thought he had never seen her eyes look as beautiful as they did at that moment. He guessed it was because they were framed by those rosy cheeks and that wild hair; or maybe it was because she was so close to him. He found it hard to breathe, suddenly, with her looking right at him like that. Struggling, as he always did, against his alarming reaction to her, he told himself that his irregular breathing was from the exercise.
"Robin?" Uh oh. Had he forgotten to answer her? "Your mouth is hanging rather oddly. Did I injure you in any way?" The concern-line was back in her forehead, and he was disappointed to see her fire-lit eyes fill with remorse at the thought that she had hurt him. "I did try to avoid your face; but perhaps I have dislocated your jaw?"
He snapped his jaw shut, giving her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "No, not at all, Star," he told her, moving his mouth into clownish expressions to demonstrate. She giggled, and the fire spilled back into her eyes. He sighed almost audibly, as if they were giving him physical warmth. Perfect.
Oh, boy. He had to act fast, or he would lose himself in her again. Abruptly, he fell backwards and lay on the floor. Smiling at her shocked expression, he began sliding his arms and legs back and forth through the blanket of feathers. Understandably, Star was a little confused.
"Robin?" He didn't answer; he just started singing "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" under his breath. "Robin, what are you doing?"
"Makin' snow angels…I mean, feather angels," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He continued singing, moving his limbs in the rhythm of the song. When he got to the second verse, however, he started to forget the words.
"Gone away…something something…in the lane…rhymes with bluebird…"
Star was laughing again. "I cannot believe you are unable to remember the words. Beast Boy has been playing nothing but Christmas music on his stereo for two weeks. Even I have memorized them all by now."
Robin mock-glared at her. "I don't do a lot of singing, is all," he explained, sitting up carefully from his feather angel so as not to disturb the outline. "I'm…terrible at remembering songs." He blushed, realizing how infrequently he admitted to being terrible at anything.
Star grinned. "So that is why you never sing. I have always assumed you found singing to be 'uncool.'"
"It is," he insisted, still a little embarrassed. He stood up all the way, pointing down at the shape he'd made in the feathers on the carpet. Star gave a small delighted laugh.
"Oh, I see…angel," she said, nodding.
"You're supposed to do them in the snow," Robin explained. "It's a pointless thing, really…kids like to do them…"
"But not you; you are far to mature for things of such a trivial nature," Star said, smiling knowingly.
"Well, normally…yes," Robin agreed, looking a little surprised at himself. In the past hour, he'd started a pillow fight, started to sing for no reason, and made a snow angel in a layer of feathers – things that pretty much defined triviality. He couldn't figure out what was happening to him; it was as if he had temporarily picked up on Starfire's carefree enthusiasm and impulsiveness. In any case, he wasn't willing to relinquish this new side of himself; he was enjoying it too much. He began singing again, softly, but loud enough for her to hear.
"Oh the weather outside is frightful…but the fire is…orange…" he sang, wanting to make her laugh again. She did, holding her stomach as it shook her body. He supposed all the laughing they'd done that night was starting to take its toll on her. "But since we've no place to go…take it, Starfire!"
"Take what?"
He chuckled. "The song. I meant take it over."
"Oh! Um…Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"
"Whatever you say!" He grabbed a handful of feathers, throwing them into the air. They rained down on the teenagers, catching in their hair and on their clothes, swirling gently to the floor around them. "Oh it doesn't…something, something…but I brought some…eggnog and…pretzels…when the lights are turned way down low…" Robin flipped her main light switch, leaving only the faint glow of a bedside lamp, combined with the moonlight from outside her large window. He pointed at Starfire. "Let me hear it!"
"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" she sang, giggling as she spun around and around through the feather-snow.
"Dance solo!" Robin announced, gesturing at Star while humming the song in an upbeat swing rhythm. He continued to throw handfuls of feathers into the air, and she laughed in delight, holding her palms up to catch the 'snowflakes' as they fell around her. She continued to spin, her arms up over her head, sweeping around the room in wide circles. She stopped near Robin, who watched from the edge of the room while making the 'snow' for her. She swayed gently, bringing her arms down across her chest and holding her shoulders. Her eyes were closed and her face was tipped up; Robin smiled, thinking that she must be imagining that she was dancing in a real snowfall.
She's so beautiful.
The thought came unbidden, and certainly unwanted. But now, as he watched her dancing in that baggy blue nightgown, feathers clinging to her messy red hair, her face illuminated by the moon and glowing with joyful mirth as she swayed…he couldn't get it out of his mind. He was so focused on it that he almost didn't hear her calling his name.
"Robin! Why do you not answer me?"
"Oh…I'm sorry, Star. What is it?"
"I said, it is your turn," she repeated, smiling as she dragged him to the center of the room.
"Oh, no way. I don't do dance solos."
Her face fell for a second, and then brightened again. "So dance with me," she offered, holding out her hand.
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To be continued…sooner that last time, I promise. It's all written in my notebook, and everything. Plus, the next chapter is like twice as long as the others, so bonus for you. If Robin seems OOC…yeah, well, I can't really explain my reasoning for this. I think I'm tapping into the part of him I know exists, but that he doesn't show often. You know, like Star's assertiveness or Raven's need for acceptance. I feel that if anyone can bring it out of him, Star can. Plus, it's the middle of the night, and he's with someone he trusts. Perfect chance for him to let his guard down. But I don't need to justify myself…well, yes I do. I'm sort of insecure about this. Anyway I hope this didn't suck! Happy New Year!