Disclaimer: I DIS-CLAIM what I am writing. I do not claim Teen Titans.
NOTE: Whenever one of the girls is named it is referring to the body, otherwise the actual person may be specified in (these).
Chapter 3: Misfit News
Starfire sat on the living room couch, her leg bobbing in the same annoyed fashion that Raven had always taken up.
Raven sat across the room with Robin at her side while Cyborg paced and Beast Boy rummaged through the refrigerator.
"So what are our options?" Robin broke the silence.
Cyborg paced a few more times, no one spoke. "Well." Cyborg paused and pulled his arm forward opening the latch and pressing a few buttons. "We need to get this fixed as soon as possible, neither Raven nor Starfire will be able to function in the different bodies."
"Tell me about it." Starfire muttered under her breath. It had been that flaw in the body's powers that left her to get a ride from a suicidal driver. She couldn't work Starfire's powers as they fueled on emotions.
"Friend Cyborg, there must be a way to do the switch!" Raven shrieked again, a lash of black swept the room knocking over a few of the kitchen table chairs and melting down a few videodisks.
Starfire sighed and pulled herself up. "Breath Starfire, we've done this before. You need to concentrate before you bring the entire tower down."
Robin moved a little from his girlfriend, her erratic behavior and emotions were making her quite dangerous.
Raven, taking the instructions closed her eyes and took some deep breaths while the kinetic energy was pulled back inside. Robin let out a breath he didn't notice he had been holding.
"Raven, you said you had an idea?" Cyborg turned to Starfire who was still standing keeping a steady eye on her own body.
"Just a theory." Starfire turned sharply, and almost tripping in the foreign boots and moved over to the front window. The sun was setting leaving a strange orange glow over everything. Before turning she looked down at her glowing skin, she missed the pale grayness already…
"The last time this happened the Puppet King had the technology right?" Starfire started looking over each of them in turn.
"Yea and he's been permanently shut down." Robin added fidgeting near Raven. It was too weird for him to have Raven's body so close to his, regardless of who it actually was inside.
"Right, but he wasn't the only villain who was able to work with soul switching, remember Robin?" Starfire was now looking directly at Robin.
"Mad Mod." The name tumbled from his mouth.
"Exactly." Starfire turned her gaze to Cyborg ignoring the changeling who had just arranged a plateful of tofu and was downing the whole thing just behind the rest of them.
"You want to get the assistance of a criminal?" Cyborg looked astonished at Starfire, she looked commanding and fearsome in the bright orange silhouette.
"It's worth a shot."
"And how would we get 'em to talk?" Beast Boy finally broke into the conversation between large mouthfuls of processed tofu.
"Leave that to me." Robin finally stood. Raven (Starfire) had tried to move closer to him on the couch, still cloak-less it was…awkward.
"And if Robin can't break him, I surely can." Starfire added with a glare, no one felt like contradicting that statement.
"Come here Starfire," Starfire (Raven) called the girl over. Her body in just a leotard was quite distressing. "Let's get you fitted with another cloak." She led the girl out past Robin, ignoring the look he shot the two of them.
Starfire (Raven) had to admit it was strange the way he looked at his girlfriend now. She had noticed his unwillingness to be close to his girlfriend now that she was trapped within Raven's body. But it was a question to be pondered another day; she had more than enough drama for the day.
"Friend," Raven started timidly as they traveled toward Raven's room. "Do you think we shall linger like this?"
Starfire pressed the security code and slid her bedroom door open. "No, one way or another I'll make sure this gets fixed." She led the girl toward the closet where all her fresh clothes hung.
"I am vexed that Beloved Robin may not accept to me in this outward appearance." Raven bit at her lip making Starfire bristle.
"He probably just doesn't want to violate me, although it is you." Starfire grabbed one of her favorite cloaks and gave it to Raven.
"Oh," Raven sighed before wrestling with the fabric to try and get it to stay in place.
"Here," Starfire nimbly clipped the covering in place scowling all the while, she had to prance around in nearly nothing.
"Many tributes. I may retire to my own room for the night?" Raven asked while she fixed the garment as it had always been worn by Raven.
Starfire nodded and followed her body to the door. "Do not let the bugs of bed get you!" Raven called before she turned down the hall for Starfire's room.
Starfire leaned against her doorframe long after Raven had disappeared. What a hell of a day it had been. Yet there was no point in meditating, it would do nothing for her beside make her look idiotic, no doubt she couldn't even float in this body.
Just as Starfire was going to turn to retire herself a sharp flash of color caught her eye. "Raven wait!" Robin rushed up the hallway, a worried expression on his features.
"Yes?" Starfire's voice was a monotone as Robin stopped in front of her.
"I thought we should talk."
"About what?" Starfire brushed back some of the red hair that had fallen into her eyes, there was so much of it.
"This whole situation, I mean because you and…and then I…um." Robin paused and rubbed his neck unable to grasp exactly what needed to be said. "I have a bit of bad news."
Starfire (Raven) pressed her eyes shut a moment before moving from her doorway to invite Robin in. "Super."
Robin followed the taller girl inside nearly tripping in the unexpected darkness. Starfire moved across the room gracefully and lit a few candles sitting on her bedside stand. Robin fidgeted not wanting to press his luck by sitting.
"Well?" Starfire crossed her arms across her chest in a defiant measure that only reminded Robin who was actually inside the shell.
"I just got a call from the mayor, he saw us get rid of the tornado and Control Freak."
"And?" Starfire tapped her foot lightly.
"He's thrown a party in our favor, we're expected to attend. It's at the end of this month."
"Two weeks?" Starfire blinked a few times before the real reason for concern shot at her. "Oh."
Across the darkness the two looked at each other. "Let's hope we find a solution before then, because I sure as hell won't be your date, you seen what Star was like with Kitten."
"Yea…" Robin gave an internal shiver. "We still have to face the fact any public appearances-"
"Have to be done together, yes, yes I know." Starfire sighed annoyed. "I'm going to kill Beast Boy."
There was a silence before Robin ventured, "Am I that horrible to be around?"
Starfire took a few good breaths and sat down on her bed careful of the precariously short skirt. "No, but I hate having malfunctioning powers while she could blow up half the city with her untamed emotional boundaries."
"We could try and get a hold of Mad Mod tomorrow if you like?" Robin offered shifting slightly in the darkness.
"I suppose." Starfire looked around her room; it was so much harder to see through Starfire's eyes, they didn't adjust to darkness well. "You should go assure Starfire, I'm fine." Starfire turned so her back was to Robin; she so dearly wanted her cape to wrap around herself.
Robin paused to take quick inventory of her room before turning to visit his girlfriend; no doubt it would take a while to ensure her everything would be fine.After Robin had closed her bedroom door Starfire went to her closet and grabbed another cloak. Though it was a little small for her now longer legs she found it comforting familiarity.
Wrapping it around herself Starfire laid back on her bed watching the shadows fall across the ceiling.
Robin walked down the now empty hallways. His feet moved on their own ingrained coordinates of Starfire's room.
It took only two knocks before she answered. "Robin!" Raven stood almost eyelevel grinning at him. Before he could object to physical contact while in Raven's body she had pulled him into a fierce hug.
Being that close to any female was…over-whelming.
Taking a deep unsteady breath Robin managed to ignore the physical aspect and concentrate on what Raven (Starfire) was saying.
"Star?" Robin tried to loosen her grip when his nerves were just about shot.
"Oh?" Raven stepped back and clenched her hands in front of her with a small look playing over foreign features. "I apologize Dearest Robin, Friend Raven has explained the situation. I am under the standing."
Robin let a small smile fall into place. "I'm glad because I have a bit of...news."
Raven tilted her head making her short hair shuffle to one side. It glimmered strangely from the light that had woven into Starfire's room. Catching himself when he was borderline staring Robin turned his head slightly to the side, the switch was really getting to him.
"The mayor is holding a party in our honor."
"Glorious! And we shall be attending with the party of animals?" Raven's eyes had lit up at the prospect.
Robin smirked. "Sure, but you see Star if you and Raven aren't switched back by then..." He let the end of the sentence hang in the air.
"You would be going with me, but not with me." She scowled a moment which sparked Robin's attention. But the frown vanished almost immediately and Robin's allusion of it actually being Raven faded. "I am problem-less if you have to spend the evening with Friend Raven." Raven seemed to give a sort of half smile.
"That's great Star." Robin smiled thanking whatever forces had put a hand in for him.
"As long as no..." Raven blushed bowing her head slightly.
"Don't worry." Robin shrugged at his girlfriends mild embarrassment. "There will only dancing and holding hands, Raven wouldn't put up with any more."
It was only a millisecond later did the boy notice the ending of his sentence didn't sound quite right. But by Raven's still cheery disposition she hadn't caught it. Biting his tongue he leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek.
Only to pause when her smell reached his senses, it was lilac not cinnamon. "Um I really don't think I should." Robin stepped back again feeling warmth among his face, though the darkness hid it well.
Raven only nodded, her eyes downcast. "I suppose it is the chivalrous thing."
"We'll get this figured out." Robin carefully tilted her chin up so she would meet his eyes. "Very soon."
"I know." Her response was almost a whisper. Through his mask and the darkness he noted her eyes had a strangeness to them. The shade of her eyes fit neither herself nor Ravens.
"Sweet dreams." Robin pulled himself away before he accidentally did something that would have both the girls out for his hide.
"Pleasantest of nocturnal sleep to you as well." Raven gave him a last smile before closing her bedroom door for the night.
Robin wandered around long into the night.
Perplexing thoughts kept beating themselves against his secluded mind wanting attention. Depriving them of thought only made his curiosity arise as to why he would be having such an internal battle.
Pulling a hand through his hair the tired boy let out a long sigh. As tired as his body was his mind wouldn't allow rest.
The last time the two had switched there had not been the headaches to appear like now. Then he hadn't been going out with Starfire, and he had been in a puppet during the entire switch.
Now was different, so different.
He couldn't touch Starfire because it would be violating Raven's body and she'd surely beat him to the deepest depths of hell. Robin cursed himself for letting the news of himself and Starfire's relationship get out, now it was expected by the entire city. He had to play boyfriend to Raven while in public, something that would ultimately end badly.
He could feel it, he could practically taste it. He could make peace with one of them only while the other sharpened her knives.
Robin ended up looking up at his name engraved in his bedroom door. Tilting his head to the right he could just see the glimmer of Raven's door beside his.
Though Starfire's body was sleeping inside.
Robin felt like drugging his brain to shut it up, it was all too much.
Pushing in the code he dragged his heavy limbs into the room. It was time for another night of sleeplessness. A phrase used only a bit earlier popped into his head...
"I'm going to kill Beast Boy," He mumbled before stumbling into bed.
The morning came before anyone wanted to get up.
The cheerful sunlight that always woke up Starfire somehow barged into Raven's room waking the girl up. Grumbling to herself she stumbled out of her bed nearly tripping over the discarded boots that had been carelessly littered on the floor.
Grabbing her bedside mirror Starfire looked into the discontent reflection.
Starfire's hair had gotten knotted and frizzy overnight, her skirt was twisted and wrinkled to one side and her top had risen far too much up.
"Azar, what have I done to deserve this?" She mumbled before setting down her mirror and turning for the shower.
Then something struck her that she had seen in the mirror, something she had been so used to it took a moment to decide it didn't fit on Starfire's face...
Meanwhile Raven woke abruptly. But the moment her conscious caught up with her the terrible web of dreams she had been swimming through dissipated.
Though maybe the actual Raven was used to the dreams they had scared the wits out of Starfire, she couldn't bear the thought of sleeping again in Raven's body.
Pulling herself out of her backwards position on the bed Raven (Starfire) headed for her mirror. She was surprised to see the mess of hair she usually had to calm in the morning absent, Raven's sleek amethyst locks seemed perfectly in place.
Humming happily to herself she grabbed the cloak she had pulled off before falling into bed. Folding it in her arms Raven cast a last glance at the mirror, and the subtle change caught her eye this time.
She got a bit closer to confirm what she indeed saw. It clashed terribly with Raven's appearance.
Before she could stop herself Raven (Starfire) had thrown her bedroom door open in search of Raven.
Correct guesser of what they saw gets a cookie!
Anyway, much love to all for reviewing. I made this chapter a bit longer and got it out faster, so hope you enjoyed.
Review and let me know what you think!
Dragonslayer527