"IF I TOLD YA ONCE I TOLD YA A THOUSAND TIMES BEAST BOY…NO TOFU!" Was all that could be heard from titan's tower that morning. Beast boy was trying, as he tried to do every morning, to get the rest of the titans to eat tofu, a rather disgusting meat substitute. "I want REAL meat and eggs! You, Veggie boy, can take your meat substitute and go eat it in the deepest, darkest hole I can find!" Cyborg screamed, and then he went to get a glass of orange juice. On his way there, he slipped on something and landed right on his face. Beast boy erupted with laughter at this sight and ran over to help his cybernetic friend.
"Dude! Are you alright?" Beast boy said, still chuckling.
"Yeah, I'm fine. What the heck did I slip on?" Said Cyborg, sitting up and rubbing his head.
"Uh…dude?" Said Beast boy pointing down to the floor.
"Alright, now that's just lame…"
"Tell me about it. What a stupid thing to slip on."
"What is all this racket?" Said another voice. It belonged to Raven.
"Morning Raven." Said BB, showing one of his goofy smiles to her.
"Yeah, whatever…uhh, why is Cyborg on the floor?" Asked Raven.
" Cyborg totally wiped out on a banana peel! Of all the things it coulda been…a banana peel!"
"Corny." Said Raven, rolling her eyes.
"Any sign of Star or Robin?" Said Cyborg. Raven answered him.
"No, as far as I know, they're still sleeping." Raven said. She was thinking to herself as she said that. It really was unlikely for Robin, or even Starfire to sleep this late, it was almost 11:30. Was something wrong? She decided against it and went to go referee the fight between Cyborg and Beast Boy. Elsewhere in Titan's Tower, another member was awakening. His jet-black hair was all that could be seen under the pile of covers on the bed. (Think of how cute that would be. Just think about it!) Groaning and stretching, he got out of his bed and went over to the mirror. His masked face and untidy hair made him chuckle. "Its gonna be a pretty normal day." He thought to himself. Changing and running some gel through his hair, he went out of his room.
"Dude it's about time you woke up! It's almost lunchtime! Beast boy said.
Robin looked at the clock…he had slept late this morning, but thankfully they hadn't gotten any calls while he was asleep. He laughed and looked around at his friends, but he soon noticed that one of them was missing. It was Starfire, the one he secretly had feelings for. He would never tell anyone, mainly because Cyborg and beast boy would never let him live it down. He would tell Starfire when the time was right...but that was the only problem, finding the right time…
"Dear journal of thoughts, Starfire wrote into her diary. Robin had given her the diary as a gift and told her only to put her most treasured thoughts in it. "Today is a glorious day. The sun is shining, and I can hear my friends already arguing about lunch. However, that is not the only thing that makes this day so wonderful. Exactly one month ago, my dear friend Robin presented me with you. He said for me to lock away all of my most secret thoughts within you, the ones I wouldn't dare to tell anyone, and also the ones I treasure the most, but to tell you the truth, journal, the thoughts I treasure the most are my thoughts of him. Never in my life have I been filled with more joy than when I am around him. He gives me the feeling of butterflies in my stomach as they call it on earth. I think I may even like him as more than just a friend but what if Robin doesn't share my feelings? I can't even begin to describe how I would feel if he were to reject me. I think about this every day, and sometimes I even lose sleep over it I wish there was a time to tell Robin of my feelings but how can I find it? Maybe I will know in time. Oh well I guess I will now go out and join my friends in the argument over lunch. Maybe Robin will already be awake. Good bye for now journal of thoughts." Starfire closed her diary and walked out of her room. All of her friends, including Robin were out in the main room arguing.
"Dude! Would you at least try some tofu? Beast boy said, shoving the plate of tofu-dogs in his friends' faces, which were now turning green from the smell.
"NO way! When have you ever tried meat? Right Raven?" Cyborg yelled a triumphant grin on his face.
"Sure. Why not?" Raven said, an absolutely emotionless look on her face.
" Uhh, guys?" Why don't we do what we do every morning? Said Robin, bracing himself for the reaction.
"WHAT?" Beast boy and Cyborg screamed. Raven had floated back a bit to avoid possible injury. "Why doesn't Beast boy eat his tofu and the rest of us can have real food." Beast boy's jaw dropped to the floor, as did Cyborg's. Both were amazed at Robin's sense of logic.
"Dude! How do you think of these things?" B.B exclaimed. Robin sweat dropped.
"Because it's what we end up doing every morning." He was about to continue but a voice interrupted him. He knew instantly who it was. His palms started to sweat, and his heart was beating so fast that he could've sworn his ribs were cracking. He tried to keep a calm look on his face, and so far it was working. He would survive as long as Beast boy and Cyborg kept their big mouths shut. "I seriously need to work on the whole keeping my cool around her thing it's gonna kill me one day."
"Good morning friends! Is today not a most wonderful day? What shall we do? We could watch movies or we could go to the park and Silkie and I can play on the gym that is located in the jungle! Or maybe we could even take a trip to the mall of shopping and buy useless things that we don't need and throw it all away within a week!" As she rambled on and on, Starfire's face was beginning to turn blue when she was on a train of thought, she intended to express the whole idea…whether it included breathing or not. "Breath Starfire!" Shouted Robin, putting both hands on Starfire's shoulders in an attempt to get her to inhale and relieve the blue color from her face. His gesture was followed by a huge gasp from Starfire. The color returned to her face again. "Good morning, friend Robin. How are you today?" She said, completely recovered from the lack of air. He was almost sure he was blushing. Uh, I'm fine how are you? Starfire smiled. I am fine thank you for asking. Starfire was grinning from ear to ear Meanwhile, completely oblivious to the two lovebirds. The other three titans were scheming…save Raven, who was just willing to go along with whatever Cyborg and B.B could come up with.
" Oh man…they're having a moment again." B.B stated
"I can see that, tell me somethin I don't know!" Said Cyborg
" Uhhh…I've got an idea?"
"Definitely didn't know that! Let's hear it."
"Yes, let's hear what Beast boy's brilliant plan is this time. Said Raven, rolling her eyes once again.
"Thanks Raven." Said Beast boy, a storm cloud forming over his head." Ok, so these two over here (B.B points to Star and Robin, who are chatting about nothing in particular.) Are absolutely head over heels for each other, but they're totally oblivious. So, what if we play a little matchmaking game?" Said beast boy, happy with his plan.
"Aw man! Rae, B.B, and Cy's matchmaking plan has just been hatched!" Said Cyborg, also happy with Beast Boy's plan.
"Uh…just to point something out, we don't have a plan, just an idea. Now Cyborg and B.B both had storm clouds over their heads.
"C'mon Raven, why do you have to be like that? Said B.B. Raven answered him in a monotone voice.
"Look, I'm not trying to dash anyone's hopes; I'm just saying we need a better more elaborate plan. Both Robin and Starfire are smart and would easily catch on to anything we try to pull off, so were going to have to think of something totally original if were to fool either of them." Raven said.
"Wow, you're smart Raven, I never woulda thought of that!" B.B exclaimed
"I know…" Raven stated flatly
"Alright you two, stop gabbin and help me think of a plan! We could always try to set them up on a date."
"No way Cy, those to are way to smart to fall for that old trick, and even if they did, Starfire might unintentionally rat us out."
"Beast boy's right, we need something that hasn't been done before, something that will take them both by surprise."
"How bout a game of mini-golf?" Cyborg suggested. Raven shook her head.
"Oh, you mean the one where they all go to mini golf, and the girl, clueless about how to play, asks the boy for help. Then, he begins to show her by wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her hands? It's been done a lot more than you think. Raven said. Listen. Tonight, when both of them are asleep, we'll have a meeting in my room, and both of you better be there." Raven sad, a determined look on her face.
"Jeez Raven, I've never seen you this enthusiastic about one of me and Beast boy's schemes... come to think about it, I've never seen you so enthusiastic about anything… What's the deal?" Cyborg said
"Hey, I wanna see these two together as much as you and Beast Boy do. Its killing me how they both are head over heels, but neither of them is making any sort of move. So are you two boneheads in or out?"
"Were in!" B.B and Cyborg said in unison. "Uh, Just one question." Beast Boy said. "What?" Raven was awaiting this ingenious question. "Can we bring food?" Beast boy asked eagerly, holding up a bag of his favorite chips. Raven said nothing, but just rolled her eyes, she was quite fond of doing that. The little huddle finally broke up, and all three schemers had almost unreadable expressions on their faces when they realized that Starfire and Robin had been talking, more or less flirting, the entire time they were scheming. The titans regrouped once again and began to think of a plan for the day. After about twenty minutes of debate, they decided to go to the park.
At the park, Raven was sitting cross-legged on a blanket they had brought reading her favorite book. B.B and Cyborg went to play some football, which after a while turned into game of "Beat the snot out of Cyborg and keep the ball away from him at all costs." In the long run, no one was hurt. However, Cyborg wasn't too happy about the name and renamed it "Xtreme Keep-Away." Starfire and Robin were, of course, together. They were sitting next to one another on the swings, and Starfire was having trouble comprehending how to swing. Robin, after showing her the proper technique, went behind her and began to push her. Before long, she had discovered the art of swinging and was squealing with happiness.
"Look Robin! I am doing the swinging!" She shouted happily.
"That's great Starfire!" He shouted back to her. He loved to see her happy. While he was thinking to himself about this matter his attention was so divided that he didn't notice Starfire shout "Look out Robin!" and her foot soon collided with his mouth. Robin flew backwards onto the ground, and in an instant, Starfire rushed to his side. "Robin! Are you okay? Are your teeth still intact? Are you dripping blood anywhere? Forgive me Robin! Robin?" Robin, still in shock from the fall, could only babble. "Yes aunt, Brunhilda, I'll go fetch the pinecone from the goat clippings." Starfire shook him again; he came around this time." Star…fire? What just happened?" He shook his head and Starfire gathered him up in one of her trademark bone-crushing hugs. "Oh Robin! You are all right! I tried to warn you, but you didn't listen and my foot hit you in the mouth." Forgive me, Robin. She loosened her grip on him, but still refused to take her arms off of his neck until she received the word that he was ok. "I'm, fine Star, really." He said, meanwhile he was running his tongue through his mouth checking to see that all of his teeth were still there. While the two…once again got into a conversation. Beast boy, Raven, and Cyborg were all watching them; the huddle had formed again.
"Ugh, I think I'm going to puke."
"Right behind ya Raven." Beast boy said.
"We gotta do something about all this. B.B, Rae, we really need to think of a good plan, I don't know how we've even put up with all of this so far."
Cyborg, B.B, and Raven were all sitting on the blanket. Raven was seriously starting to look sick from all this, Beast Boy was staring at the lovebirds, and Cyborg was thinking. Overall, the huddle was pretty quiet. Then, Beast Boy chimed in with another brilliant plan.
"Hey, Raven, Cyborg, I've got another idea.
"Oh my god! Let's have it." Raven said, intrigued.
"Ok, were gonna leave the park soon right? Well, those two are too caught up in their conversation to notice me leave. While I'm gone, I'll fly over to the video store and pick up the saddest most depressing movie I can find. Then, when we get back home, we'll put it on and make sure that Star and Robin sit together, it shouldn't be too hard; and Starfire hates sad things right? So she may cry and Robin totally melts whenever Star is sad…so? Do you see what I'm sayin?"
"Wow Beast Boy that is the best idea you've had since…um…well…" Raven said, trying to think of one of Beast boy's better ideas, there obviously weren't too many.
"Alright Beast boy! Another home run. You're on fire!" Shouted Cyborg
"Ok, Beast Boy, You should leave now, I will go with you and help you pick out a movie, and you need help when it comes to sad and depressing. Raven said
"But how? They'll notice if both you and B.B are gone at the same time." Just then, Raven began to glow black, and a small black bird appeared on Raven's left shoulder, and it began to talk.
"I never said I was going with you, this bird is a portion of my spirit, it can talk to you and help you pick out a movie, but be discreet about it. People will think you're crazy if they see you talking to a bird, especially since you and Cyborg are the only ones who can hear it." Said the bird.
"Alright, let's go!" Beast Boy morphed into a seagull and soon the two were off to the video store, leaving Cyborg and the real Raven behind. So far, the plan was going quite well. Robin and Starfire were trying to teach Silkie how to Jump through a hoop, and so far they weren't having much luck. Starfire was doubled over in laughter while Robin tried to demonstrate the trick to Silkie; it resulted in him getting his head stuck in the small hoop. Getting fed up with the hoop, he threw it behind him, where it whacked some random kid in the head. They were now just simply playing with Silkie. He would roll up into a ball and they would roll him back and forth. However, neither of them took the time to notice a black bird and a green eagle carrying a video in its talons fly down into the bushes. Beast boy morphed into his human self again, and the black bird dissolved into Raven's shoulder.
"So far, so good, what did you guys find?" Asked Cyborg. Beast boy held up the video. It was called Carnival. It was about a couple who met at a local carnival, and to meet their doom at the same attraction years later. The day had soon passed, and the titans departed for their home. When they reached titans tower, Beast Boy insisted they watch a movie. Hey guys, let's watch a movie! I've heard really good things about it. It's called Carnival. I'm not exactly sure about what kind of movie it's supposed to be, but the lady at the video store said it was supposed to be really good. Beast boy said, looking at Raven, who gave a smirk in response.
"Alright, I'll go make some popcorn." Robin said, walking into the kitchen.
"Yes, and I will go fetch some beverages from the refrigerator." Starfire said. The three schemers looked at each other and gave a mutual eye roll.
"There they go again, it's like they don't have any other life outside of following each other." said Raven.
"Dude, tell me about it, they're making me sick. I've got all of the food for tonight ready Raven." Said Beast Boy.
"SHHH! Don't say it too loud!" Said Raven, clapping a hand over Beast boys mouth.
Pretty soon Robin returned carrying a huge bowl of popcorn and Starfire was close behind with two six-packs of soda. The titans found their seats on the couch, so far the plan was going well. Starfire and Robin were indeed sitting together, and the other three were grouped a little farther away from them on the couch. Beast Boy hopped up form the couch and popped the movie in. The screen turned black for a minute and then the movie began to play The movie was a horror, romance type movie. It had most of the titans in suspense, including Raven, being that this was her kind of movie. Beast boy and Cyborg had fallen asleep, and Beast boy's head had found its way to Raven's lap, and it was her kind of luck that he was drooling. Pushing him off of her lap, he moved over to the sleeping Cyborg and began to drool once again. The plan was still running smoothly, and Raven took it upon herself to wake the two idiots so that they could see their success. Robin and Starfire were intently watching the movie. Robins arm had somehow found its way around Starfire's shoulders, and she was leaning into his chest. Raven, Cyborg, and Beast boy were silently congratulating each other, they were about to high five when a loud noise emitted from the TV, It made Starfire jump and cling to Robin. It was a loud explosion; the main character had just perished in a Ferris wheel accident. The wife of the main character was in mourning, and Starfire let go of Robin again and returned to her comfortable position on his chest. She began to whisper to him.
"Robin, I do not think I like this sort of movie. May we please leave? Starfire said, tears forming in her eyes, they threatened to fall if she watched the movie any longer.
"Sure Star, where do you wanna go?" robin said, his concern growing
" Anywhere but here." And with that, Starfire fled the room crying. With Robin close at her heels. The three schemers ( if you couldn't tell, Im calling there little group that for the time being.) High-fived each other. Raven soon began to glow black and grabbed B.B and Cyborg's hands. She had cloaked all of their bodes so that they could be free to eavesdrop on the two. They floated up onto the roof and began to listen to the two. Star! Are you alright? Robin yelled out to Starfire. I am fine Robin…everything is wonderful. Star said, turning her head away form Robin.
"Yeah? And I'm the king of the world. What happened in there? And why are you crying?" Robin said. He walked up behind Starfire and put his hand on her shoulder, she sank to her knees and broke down into tiny sobs.
" Oh Robin, you are right, everything is not fine. I guess I do not favor those sort of movies, it filled me with sadness and fear, and I thought that you would all laugh at me if I started crying during it, and I felt…embarassed."
"Why should you be embarrassed? Crying at a movie doesn't make you weird. It just means that you show compassion and are not afraid to express fear. You are one in over a billion people on this earth that cry and get scared when watching a movie." Robin said.
"Really? On my planet crying is something that if displayed by anyone, would result in ridicule."
"Well, not here on Earth. Crying is just another expression. It can represent many things." Robin said, both upset and slightly amused over Starfire's naive nature.
"Like what?"
" Lots of things, Fear, sadness, pain, anger, and even happiness."
"So many emotions, but most of them are bad. How do you live on a world where there are so many bad emotions? It seems as if you have little room for happiness." Starfire said. Her head drooped slightly.
" Trust me. We all try to be happy as much as possible. That's the thing though, it isn't possible. If you were happy all the time, well, you miss out on a lot."
" That is… hard to believe."
" Not really… Take authors for example, some of the greatest writers in history got their ideas when they were sad, or even angry."
" Yes, Raven told me of such writers. Like the man you call Egger Mallet Poke?"
" Uh, you mean Edgar Allen Poe?" Said Robin.
" Yes! Raven told me about him, and might I add that he was not the happiest person I have ever met." Said Stafire, shaking her head.
"Darn right he wasn't… well, It is almost midnight, When do you think we might get to bed?" Robin asked, yawning.
" That is starting to sound like a good idea, I have grown exhausted over today's events." So, the two walked down the stairs into titans tower. Saying goodnight to the other three members, they each departed down the hall for their bedrooms, which were right across the hall from each other.
" Good night, Robin, and thank you."
"For what Star?" Asked Robin, confused.
"For all that you have shown me tonight, I value your encouraging words more than anything else in the world." And that was enough said. Starfire had wrapped her arms around his neck, and he put his arms gently around their waist. Robin absolutely melted into her embrace; he hadn't expected her to be so blunt about it. When they finally broke apart, the said a final goodnight and went into their bedrooms. Little did they know that the three schemers had witnessed the whole thing.
"OK, that is the last straw, these two are seriously going to make me puke." Said Raven, looking nauseous once again.
"Raven's right Hey Raven, is the meeting still on?" Asked Beast boy.
" You're an idiot if you think I would cancel." Raven said, earning a sigh from B.B and a chuckle from Cyborg. Raven also gave a small chuckle.
After about a half-hour when they were sure that neither Robin nor Starfire would wake up, she motioned for Beast boy to go into the kitchen and get all of the snacks, she and Cyborg shut everything off in the living room. When Beast boy returned, carrying twice his body weight in food, they went down the hall into Raven's room. Raven's room was the best place for a secret meeting, much to her objection. Her need to meditate regularly was a good thing because the walls of her room were basically soundproof. The three went into her room, closed and locked the door, Beast boy deposited the snack cargo, and they all sat in a circle on Raven's bed.
"Okay, I officially call this meeting to order. Operation: Lovebirds is in effect as of now." Said Raven, grabbing a grape soda.
"Ok...uh…any ideas? Beast boy said, chugging a root beer and diving into the chips.
" Got me, how bout you Raven?" Said Cyborg, grabbing a cola.
" Not yet, like I said before, we need something totally original, something that neither of these two would suspect." Raven said, going into a state of deep thought. This silence lasted for at least an hour, each titan determined to get their friends to realize their feelings. Ten sodas and Two giant bags of chips later, Cyborg spoke
" I GOT IT! Cyborg screamed. Raven jumped and gave a soft scream, and Beast boy fell off the bed. We'll go camping!" Cyborg said, earning weird looks from his friends.
" Camping? what kind of dumb idea is that?" Beast boy said waving his arms around. Raven could only stare, waiting for an explanation.
" Aw come on ya'll, it's a great idea. The titans have never been camping, so Robin will love the idea, and Star has no idea what camping is. We bring two tents, each built for two people and two people only, I drag out the tiny cameras to put anywhere we think Robin and Starfire will be, and we let those two do the rest." Cyborg smiled triumphantly. Beast boy jumped for joy.
"Dude! Cy, you are a genius!"
" Hehe, I know!" Cyborg said.
"But how exactly are we going to pull it off without Robin or Starfire getting suspicious?" Said Raven
" Easy, the whole camping thing should go well, I'll stay back and guard the tower, and that should be OK. The whole camera bit should be a piece of cake too, cuz tomorrows my day to do laundry. I can look for them while I'm down there."
" All right Cy! Beast boy shouted. They turned around to find Raven twitching madly.
" I …am not…sharing a tent…with Beast boy." Raven said with black flames in her eyes.
"Aw! Come on Rae! Won't it all be worth it in the end? Think of Rob and Star!" Beast boy said putting on a pair of his cutest puppy dog eyes.
"Ugh…I guess, but if you annoy me even the slightest bit…" Beast boy cut her off
" No sweat! Beast boy smiled, earning another groan from Raven.
"Alright ya'll, I'm beat. I'm gonna hit the hay, tomorrow is when the fun begins." Cyborg said, giving a great yawn and exiting the room.
"Cyborg's right, I'm gonna go to bed too, g'night Raven."
" Night." Raven said, she switched off the light in her room and crawled into bed, she fell asleep almost instantly.
The next morning, all of the titans awoke around the same time. Breakfast was made and all of the titans sat at their table. Beast boy happily munched on his tofu…concoction, and the rest of the titans decided on pancakes. Everything went smoothly, Robin, starfire, Raven, and B.B all agreed to go camping, and as planned Cyborg would stay behind. Cyborg went down into the basement and was rummaging through a box when B.B found him.
" Whatcha lookin for Cy?"
"Those tiny cameras I told you about, they're around here somewhere…Ah! Here they are." Cyborg hold up a bag in front of Beast boy's face. It contained about five black specks that resembled chocolate chips.
"Woah! Can I eat them? They look like chocolate chips!"
" Only if you want us to see the inside of you, these are some of the smallest cameras around. Just put these all around your campsite, and I can watch these two right from the tower. It'll be sure to record anything that you and Raven'll wanna see. This is gonna be great!" Cyborg jumped into the air but came down fast to give Beast boy a word of caution. "Now listen carefully, cuz if anyone screws this up it'll be you B.B. These things are adhesive, so just stick them to whatever, and Robin knows what these things are, so a word of advice, DON'T GET THEM WET! If you get these babies wet, they'll spark, and lover boy will know what we're doing." Cyborg said, a serious tone in his voice.
Beast boy smiled and took the bag out of Cyborg's hands, earning a power-noogie from him. Beast boy went out of the basement and up to his room to pack his bag…that is, after he managed to find it. It was a green duffel bag, his favorite. His search brought him to his closet. He opened the door, and quicker that he could blink his eyes all of the closet's contents now rested on top of him. Pulling a pair of boxers off of his head and spitting out a yo-yo, he found his duffel bag and stuffed the avalanche back in his closet for the next unsuspecting victim. He opened his bag and put the cameras into the very bottom, followed by clothes, a bathing suit, a comb, his communicator, and his teddy bear. He never slept anywhere without that bear, and none of the other titans knew about it, it was his little secret. Zipping his bag shut and grabbing his sleeping bag and pillows, he went out into the main room and put it in the corner along with the two tents.
Starfire was in her room packing as well. Her yellow duffel bag (coincidental how they all have their favorite color duffel bags huh?) had a few more items than Beast boy's did, but her's was neater and closed easily. She packed clothes, her favorite bathing suit, a hairbrush, her diary, some sunscreen, her communicator, a canteen, and her pillow. Grabbing her sleeping bag off of the top of her closet shelf, she closed her bag and went out into the main room.
Robin's sleeping bag and pillow were already set. His red duffel bag contained His clothes, a comb, some hair gel, his communicator, his bathing suit, a canteen, a compass, and a digital camera He closed his bag and put his things by all of the others. Raven was floating in the middle of her room, and everywhere drawers and door were glowing black and flying open. In her purple duffel bag, she put some clothes, her hairbrush, her communicator, her favorite book, and her pillow. She closed her bag and also threw it in with the other bags. Along with the individual bags, another large bag was packed. In it went some marshmallows, some chocolate, graham crackers, some matches, some flashlights, a deck of cards, all of the food they intended to bring, four fishing poles, some extra blankets, and anything else they could think of that they might need. Cyborg and the others decided to get a good night sleep, they would leave bright and early tomorrow…
That morning, the titans ate breakfast and loaded their bags into the T-car. Cyborg drove them to the woods nearest Titans Tower. The four got out of the T-car and unloaded their stuff. Each titan carried their own bag and robin and beast boy carried the large bag. After about a half-hour of hiking through the woods, they found the perfect campsite. It was in a little clearing, with a stream about a two-minute walk away. Trees on all sides secluded it, and also about a ten minute hike away was a beautiful cliff that had a great view of the woods below. Robin and Beast boy were pitching the tents while Starfire and Raven went to fill up the canteens. Beast boy had just whacked Robin in the head with a tent pole.
"Ouch! Beast boy! Watch where you're swinging that thing."
" Sorry dude! I've never pitched a tent before! Now where do all these doohickeys go?" Beast boy said, holding up the tent stakes.
"Those are tent stakes Beast boy, we put those in the ground to hold the tent up."
"Okay…so, what about this cord thingy?" Beast boy held up a long rope. Robin sighed
"Just follow my lead, you'll catch on… I hope…"
Before long, Robin's tent was neatly assembled…while Beast boy was having some difficulties. His tent had a gaping hole in the back and the rope was sticking out on all sides. Robin shook his head and ran over to help Beast boy just as the girls came back with full canteens.
"We have filled these containers with fresh water, Robin. Are there any more tasks you wish for us to undertake?"
"That's it for now, Star. I just have to help Beast boy with his tent and then we can set up." Starfire smiled at she and Raven sat down and began to make a stone circle for a fire pit. Before long, Beast boy's horrific excuse for a tent was as neat as robins and the fire pit was ready.
"Please, friends, what shall we do on this camping excursion?"
"Well, we can go swimming in the lake not too far from here, or we can go hiking, or fishing!"
" Woah, Beast boy… let's get all of our stuff unpacked first." Robin said, silencing Beast boy's ramble.
"Yeah, Robin's right…although, wouldn't it be hilarious if a big bear walked off with Beast boys stuff?" Raven said
"Yeah, I guess Raven's right, but uh, one question…who sleeps with who?" Beast boy said, looking at Raven
" Won't we just do girls in one tent and boys in another?" Robin said nervously.
"Yeah, but Raven promised me that she'd teach me to meditate, I wanna figure out why she does it so much…"
"Yep, so I guess I'll room with Beast boy." Raven said trying to hold in a twitch. "And that leaves you and Starfire…" Raven gave a death glare to Beast boy, who was almost breaking out in laughter. Then she looked back at Robin. His palms were sweatier than ever…he and Starfire? In the same tent? It was almost as if he had died. His heart and his head had begun to fight.
IN ROBIN'S MIND
The announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeaker.
" In the love corner, we have Robin's heart! Fighting in the name of love!" the crowd cheered wildly.
" In the logic corner, we have Robin's brain! Fighting in the name of logic and levelheadedness!" The crowd cheered halfheartedly. The two lunged at each other, exchanging punches and screaming at each other. Each one was trying to prove that his way was the better choice.
"You are such a hothead!" Screamed Robin's brain, throwing a left hook at the heart in front of him.
"You would be hot too if you pumped blood all day, cauliflower head! Why can't you just admit that my way of doing things is better!" His heart yelled, throwing a blind barrage of punches at the brain.
"Because it isn't! Think of Starfire! What if she doesn't feel the same way about you! You would lose all of the friendship that you had, why can't you just go on as you are!" Yelled the brain, easily dodging the hearts blitz of punches.
"Because I love her!" The heart said, tackling the brain. The referee ran over to the two, as he was counting down from ten, the brain was screaming at the heart.
"You're making a mistake! You should be happy with the bond that you and Starfire already share"
"I already told you, I love her!" The heart screamed one final time, and the bell rung. The battle was over; Robin's heart had won.
OUTSIDE
"Yo! Robin, snap out of it!" Beast boy screamed.
"Huh? What? What were you saying?" Robin said embarrassed.
"I wasn't saying anything, we've decided that you, Star, and Raven are gonna go down to the lake."
" What about you?"
"I've been meaning to explore the place, and I'll gather some firewood while I'm at it. We can make S'mores when you get back, I'll catch up with you later."
"Robin, why are we going to make noises that one utters in their sleep?"
"That's a snore, Star, you'll find out what a S'more is later."
"I shall look forward to it. Starfire said, still confused about what a S'more was.
With that, the three departed for the lake, and Beast boy dug the cameras out of the bottom of his bag and began to pace them. He placed three around the campsite, one by the stream, two out on the little cliff, and he put one in his pocket. He whipped out his communicator and called Cyborg.
"Cy, come in Cy, you there?"
"Yeah, right here B.B, what's up?"
"I've placed the cameras, can you see the spots?"
"Yeah, I see 'em, good job B.B, these two'll never suspect a thing. Woah, you gotta watch that one by the stream, remember, don't get it wet!"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it, I'm gonna go catch them at the lake now, over and out." He put his communicator away and changed into his bathing suit. When he was done, he grabbed his towel and headed down for the lake.
At the lake, Raven sat on the shore, reading a poetry book, and the two lovebirds had gotten into a splashing fight, and it was plain to see that Starfire was winning.
"I am winning, Robin, are you sure you still wish to challenge me in the splashing of water?" Starfire asked, grinning triumphantly.
"Oh yeah? Well, take this!" Robin had put one of his exploding discs into the water, and a huge wave crashed over Starfire. She had survived it, but she was squealing when she came up.
" EEP!" Starfire shrieked.
" Starfire! What's wrong?" Robin asked, running up to her.
"What is this thing that is on top of my head!" she screamed, Robin looked to see what it was, and laughed when he saw her. A gigantic piece of seaweed had wrapped itself around starfire's neck and was stuck to her face.
" It's just a little seaweed. Star, lemme help you." He walked over to her and began to unwrap the weed from the poor girl's neck.
"His hands, they are so soft." She thought to herself. When he was done, the two smiled at each other, but a volleyball to the side of Robin's head interrupted their moment.
"Oops! Sorry Robin! Hey, now that you've got the ball, how bout servin' it up?" Robin rubbed the side of his head.
" Uh, sure Beast boy."
Glorious! May I join you in the volleying of the ball?" Starfire asked with her hands clasped.
"Sure, Star, you can be on my team." Beast boy hit the ball, and the heated game began. Robin and Starfire against Beast boy, the game was at a stalemate, that is until Beast boy morphed into a gorilla, Robin decided that he had met his match and he and Star threw the game.
The titans got out of the water after that because the sun was going down. The three soaking titans laid their towels out on the dock and were bathing in the last rays of the sun. While they were drying off Robin stretched his arms out, only to come in contact with the hand of another titan. He looked over to his side and noticed that it was Starfire's, he blushed redder than a prize-winning tomato and snatched it away.
When they were finally dry, they started to walk back to the campsite.
"Finally we're back! Robin, help me start a fire and we can make popcorn and roast marshmallows!"
"Uh, Beast boy?" Robin said.
"Yeah?"
"Shouldn't we get changed first?" Robin said as he and the other titans looked down at their bathing suits. Beast boy laughed.
"Yeah, I guess that would help." The titans laughed…save Raven, who was just sitting there, and changed into their normal outfits, and went to join beast boy out by the fire he had built.
" Okay now that we're all ready, what first? Popcorn? S'mores? Scary stories?" They all decided to make S'mores. B.B went into the large bag and took out two huge bags of marshmallows, two boxes of graham crackers, and about twelve bars of chocolate.
" But how is this a S'more?" Starfire asked. "When I see only bars of chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows?" she tilted her head in a way that made Robin's insides squirm. He chuckled and grabbed a stick.
"Well, it's not a S'more yet Star, first, have two graham crackers ready." He took out two graham crackers. "Then, put a piece of chocolate on the first one." He broke a square of chocolate off of the bar and put it on the graham cracker. " Now comes the fun part, you have to roast the marshmallows." He put the marshmallow on the stick and put it into the fire. Starfire eyed the marshmallow curiously. "But won't it become burnt? It would be most unpleasant eating a burnt marshmallow." Robin chuckled again and took the stick out of the fire, yielding a perfectly toasted marshmallow. Which is why you have to take it out of the fire before it burns. He carefully took the marshmallow off the stick and squished it onto the first graham cracker. "And that, Starfire, is a S'more." He said, handing the sweet sandwich over to Starfire, she took a bite out of it, and her face lit up with glee. "Mmm! Most delicious! Thank you Robin! May I try now?" "Sure Star, here."
He handed her the stick and she put a marshmallow on it, but the thing was, she was afraid that she was going to drop it into the fire. Robin, seeing this, wrapped his hands around hers, and lowering the stick to the fire. Starfire started to blush, but leaned into Robin as he helped her to make the S'more. Before long, they were resting comfortably in each other's arms, and they had no idea that their marshmallow had fallen into the fire along time ago. Back at the tower, the two had no idea that Cyborg was watching them. "Aw man! Gold! Pure gold...let me just zoom in a bit and…there! This is too good!" Cyborg yelled, and then went back to his campsite vigil. At the campsite, Beast boy and Raven were watching the two.
" This is too sickening, if I barf, will you cover for me?" Beast boy said.
"Only If I'm not puking with you. What are you waiting for? I don't wanna watch this all night! Say something!"
"OK you two!" Beast boy shouted, making the two jump and fly out of each others embrace, blushing so red that blood looked pale. "Time for my ultimate scary story!" Beast boy said… "Oh no! Not another scary story what if I embarrass myself in front of everyone again? But…Robin said It was okay to cry…if that is so, then why does it always feel so horrible?" Starfire thought to herself as she stared down into the fire. "Hey, is everything Ok Star?" Robin asked, bringing her out of her trance. "Yes, Robin, everything is wonderful, let us listen to the tale of horror that Beast boy has to share with us."… "Ok, so it all started…"
Beast boy went into the gruesome tale, Raven was enjoying the story, and The couple were resting their heads on each others. Two S'mores later, Robin noticed that Starfire's whole body was trembling. She was so paralyzed with fear (keep in mind this is only a story) that she couldn't even eat the S'more that she was holding. It fell to the ground and she grabbed a hold of Robin's arm, shutting her eyes tight. Robin looked at Raven, who gave him a "go before she has a meltdown" look, and he led Starfire into the woods, heading for the cliff. Beast boy took out his communicator and called Cyborg again.
"Cy! Are you still there?"
"Right here B.B, what's up?"
"They're headed for the cliff!"
"Alright, chill, I'll start recording soon, but give 'em a little privacy, besides, I gotta go feed Silkie. Starfire would flip if I killed him. Where does she keep those Zorka berries she's always givin him?" Raven answered him.
"On the left shelf in her closet."
"Thanks Rae, over and out."
After a while, the fire was slowly dying, and Raven had dozed off with her head on Beast boy's shoulder. If he could see past the little hearts in his eyes, he could've seen that she was smiling slightly. He decided to wake her up so that they could go to bed. Raven went into the tent first, and Beast boy tended to the fire. He threw some dirt on it, but kept it burning bright enough so that Starfire and Robin could see when they came back. He finished that and went into the tent after Raven, and zipped the flap behind him. At the cliff, Starfire and Robin sat on the edge, looking at the stars. Starfire's head was hung dangerously low and her beautiful hair covered her face, partially so that Robin couldn't see the silent tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Starfire, what's wrong? Talk to me, please." She still refused to pick up her head, but spoke in an almost inaudible voice.
"Oh Robin, why am I so different?"
"Different, what makes you different?"
"The fact that I am ashamed of crying. It makes me feel so strange when everyone else accepts the fact that crying is normal, but I fear I cannot." The tears came faster.
"You're just not used to it, where you're from, crying isn't looked at the same way. Here, it's okay to feel things other than happiness. It's not weird, in fact, it's more normal than blinking and breathing are."
"You are honest?" Her voice was beginning to sound more and more like her old self.
" As honest as it gets." He took his hand and brushed the hair away, revealing her tear-soaked face. He wrapped his arms around her waist and slowly guided her head over to his chest, where she let out a sigh of contentment, finally at peace with herself.
"I feel… normal again. However, I may still be a bit ashamed of crying. I have been jeered at many times for my tears, and it has scarred me for life, but I did not cry without a reason. Trust me, if you knew Blackfire, you would know why I was crying." Starfire sat up, and clasped her arms around her stomach.
"Yeah, I can kinda see where you're coming from, Blackfire was quite the character." Robin said, unaware of how close he was to Starfire. As if by magic, their faces inched closer and closer until the gap was closed. Robin liquefied at the feel of Starfire's lips on his own, and he reluctantly pulled away from her. She was smiling again, and he was happy about it, but her face turned to a look of seriousness.
"Something wrong Star?"
"There is just one thing that would make this complete, make me complete." Her hand reached out to touch the right corner of Robin's mask, but when she touched it, she felt his hand grab hers lightly.
"You sure you want to do that Star? You may not like what you see."
"I am sure Robin, I want to see you face, untouched by a mask."
And with that, their two hands both revealed Robin's right eye, it was the most dazzling turquoise she had ever seen in her whole life, but when she reached the left eye, she let out a tiny gasp. His left eye showed only white, and a three-inch scar cut right through the middle of it. Before he could say anything, Starfire had wrapped her arms around his neck. "My Robin… What has happened to you?" He replied to her, but his tone was surprisingly upbeat. "It's a long story, I'll tell you some day"
He put his mask back on. She smiled at him, and once again leant in for a passionate kiss, just as the moon was in the center of the sky. They pulled apart again and Starfire laid her head on Robin's chest.
" I love you Starfire." She smiled and her eyes began to water again.
" I love you too Robin." He looked down at her and noticed her tears.
"See? I told you that crying can be out of happiness." She laughed at his statement.
" Oh really? And how were you to know that I was not sad? Or angry?" He looked at her as she said this and smiled again, taking on a sarcastic tone. Oh, I see, so on Tamaran they laugh when they're sad or angry?" Robin said. Starfire jabbed him playfully and closed her eyes and, without saying a word, they both agreed that they would not need the tent tonight. They would stay right there enjoying each other's company, with the watchful eyes of the moon as their night-light. "That's…so…BEAUTIFUL!" Back at Titan's tower, Cyborg had flooded the room with his tears. He was squeezing the life out of Silkie, forgetting that the little larva was filled with organs, not stuffing. Thankfully though, he had started the tape again just in time so that Robin's secret would not be revealed, only to the one he loved.
The next morning, all of the titan's awoke, and regrouped again. They packed up their things and headed for home. Back at the tower, when all of the things were unpacked. Robin, Beast boy, and Cyborg were lounging on the couch. Raven was sitting on the other chair reading a book when Starfire came up from the basement.
" Friend Cyborg?"
"Yes 'lil lady?"
"Might I inquire as to why all of the security cameras are on? And why do the pictures they show all resemble our campsite?" Cyborg had no expression on his face, but when he silently went down to the basement, a loud "DANG IT!" could be heard. Thank goodness he had turned off the camera showing the cliff. Beast boy and Raven looked at each other, but said nothing. The titans decided to brush it off and go out for pizza. Bringing Silkie along, Starfire flew after her friends, laughing all the way…
A/N- well, that's the end of my first teen titans fic. All criticism is welcome, but if you do flame, try to take it easy. This was a heap of fun to write, I adore the rob/star pairing. So, any comments/questions/concerns/ Rambles that you have, you can e-mail me at