The Young and the Hopeless
Chapter 2: Common Ground
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Starfire sat on the edge of her circular bed, her bright eyes staring blankly at purple walls. She felt like Raven had treated her like an infant, sitting the alien woman down and slowly explaining her relationship to the changeling. It wasn't that Starfire didn't know what sex was, that was commonplace enough on Tamaran, it was just that Earthlings had quite a round about way of getting to it. So, if Beast Boy and Raven weren't actually mating and they weren't performing a courtship ritual, then what exactly where they doing?
"Oh, X'Hal, why does everything on this little planet have to be so confusing?"
The redhead's shoulders slumped forward and she suddenly became interested in the hem of her skirt. A soft noise brought her out of her thoughts, causing Starfire to nearly jump out of her skin. Jumping up, fingers running through her hair before clasping behind her back, she cocked her head to the side and locked eyes with the intruder. Robin stood, leaned up against her doorframe, one arm behind his head. And while he looked poised, polished, and calm, the young man was anything but.
"Oh, Robin, what brings you to my room? I do believe Raven said it was time to retire. Should you not be in your own room?"
Robin paused, not knowing what to do with his body. He could step forward into Starfire's room, or he could take a step back, but either movement could be taken badly by the Tamaranean. So, instead, he just stood there, face becoming red and lips tripping over the words he'd rehearsed coming down the hall. The whole thing was becoming very difficult.
"Well...I...um..."
"Oh, are you going to be sick? Do you need to lie down? Can I retrieve a glass of water for you?"
"No, seriously Star, I'm fine. I thought we should have a talk, about...things."
He finally had the courage to walk over and reach for her hands, which were inconveniently clasped behind her back. Leading the rather confused, and flushed, Starfire to the edge of her bed, Robin sat down beside her and took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, briefly imaging what Bruce Wayne would do in such a situation, he opened them and turned to the innocent in question.
"Starfire, what are 'courtship rituals' like on your planet?"
Green eyes blinked for a moment, pink lips turning down into a small frown, and the young woman strained to think for a while. She knew exactly what went on, having seen such rituals a thousand times before, but it had been so long that she was having a difficult time finding the words to explain things to Robin. Sighing loudly to break the long, uncomfortable silence, Starfire placed a hand on Robin's thigh and bit her bottom lip.
"Well, the male would usually approach the female's parents first and if they approved the match, the female would approach the male's parents. Then they'd been seen in public three times, the female would be presented with a wreath of flowers, and then couple would marry."
"Wha...wait...so there's no kissing or touching involved in this whole thing?"
"It is not required you be married to do such things. Tamaran is a place of love and of joy, only the courtship is formal. All Tamaran's play before finding their match."
The Boy Wonder's jaw was slack and it took him a minute to regain his composure. Surely Starefire, sweet, pure, innocent Starfire, hadn't 'played' with any Tamaraneans. Not that he had any right to feel possessive, but when it all came down to it, she was still his girl.
"But no one behaves like Raven and Beast Boy and that is why I am so confused. Raven's father is evil and Beast Boy's parents are dead, how could their parents approve the match?"
"Oh, Star, they're not getting married! Beast Boy and Raven were just messing around. I mean, sure, they're together, but they're simply acting like normal, healthy..."
Relief washed over Robin's body for seconds and then he felt like crawling into the hole he'd just created for himself. He couldn't help but notice that he was in Starfire's room, alone; on Starfire's bed, also alone; and clutching desperately to Starefire's hands, in an attempt to explain how such things worked on Earth. Suddenly the redheaded alien jumped up, her face bright with understanding.
"So you're saying that on Earth, two people who are not married can partake in marriage acts?"
"Yes, that's usually what boyfriends and girlfriends do..."
"Glorious!"
And as Starfire was jumping up and down, clapping her hands together, Robin felt like he'd stepped into another world. Bringing a hand up to scratch the back of his head, he was startled to find orange tinted legs straddling his lap and a rather ample chest pressed against his own. Quickly bringing his hands up, pressing on Starfire's shoulders to widen the gap between their lips, Robin attempted to stutter out something coherent as tears welled up in the pretty green eyes of the young woman positioned against him.
"But...I do not understand. Is there not a mutual attraction between us? Are we not a boy and a girl and are friends?"
Robin could feel her shift in an attempt to move off of him and in a quick moment of thinking one could only attribute to his former mentor, the still very shocked young man closed the gap between him and the alien princess by resting his forehead against hers. Hands moved from her shoulders to snake around her back, squeezing the whimpering Starfire against him.
"Boyfriend and girlfriend is a little different than just friends, Star. It's like...a pre-marriage situation. It isn't just about 'playing,' it's about really feeling something for another person and sharing your life with them. But yes, I like you...and more than as just a friend."
His eyes flicked down to gage her response and the masked young man was pleasantly surprised to find his body pinned between Starfire's bed and Starfire's body. Lifting his head up slightly, his eyes closed as their lips connected. Even as he felt her toned body lowering further down on his own to deepen the kiss, Robin was shocked out of his moment of tranquility to find Cyborg standing outside the door. As quickly and as gently as he could, Robin detangled himself from the rather absorbed alien and shot a death glare in his friend's direction.
"I knew it! Oh, you dog you, shacking up with Star and you haven't even had your first date."
Half expecting Starfire to send a starbolt in the direction of a rather obnoxious heap of metal, both young men were shocked when she simply turned and grasped Robin's hand. Pouting for a moment, the young woman rocked back on her heels and looked up at her new 'boyfriend' with a pair of puppy dog eyes that would have put the resident changeling to shame.
"Now that this courtship matter is understood can we partake in the same activity as Raven and Beast Boy? From the way the television exploded, I would think that Raven was enjoying herself very much."
"Uh, Starfire, let's take this one step at a time."
Cyborg took that as his cue to retreat from the doorway, a huge smile plastered on his face as the metal doors slid shut. Chuckling softly, one would almost be tempted to say that the cybernetic man was skipping down the hallway. Stretching his arms out and cracking his knuckles, he shot one more glance at the revamped t.v. screen before sinking down to enjoy a much deserved video game. Shaking his head as the start screen popped up, he sunk back into the previously deviled couch cushions and began mashing down buttons.
"Looks like I'll be doing grocery shopping on my own..."
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Quick Note: Eck, sorry, I think this chapter ran a bit long...but I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Hope everything turned out okay. There will be a slight shift from all this romance to some actual plot gasps but in the end this is all about my two favorite pairings. Like it, love it, hate it? Feedback is much appreciated.