A/N- Hi people! Sorry for the lame title, I couldn't think of anything else. Anyway—enjoy, and don't forget to review! Oh yeah… and please tell me if it's too long and/or boring.
Please Be My Valentine
By The Silver Phoenix
Summary: Starfire wakes up on Valentine's Day to find a box of chocolates and a bouquet of roses addressed to her from a certain Richard Grayson. Confused, she seeks Robin's help. But little does she know that he has a surprise in store for her… RobxStar hinted BBxRae
Disclaimer: Blah… I do not own the Teen Titans and/or any related characters
Part the First: Chocolates and Roses
The simplest things in life are sometimes the most beautiful ones. There is a subtle beauty in the simplicity of the smallest things in life. In its simplicity, there is something which surpasses the majesty of greatness… something wonderful, which can only be felt by the heart. A simple word of thanks and gratitude; a rose from a loved one. Small yet wonderful gifts.
Love is one such example. The ability to love is perhaps the greatest gift of all. It opens our eyes to the world, allowing our hearts to see beyond what our eyes witness. Opening our souls to the world around us. Without it, we would live in a world of bitterness, hatred, sorrow and pain. A colourless world without life, and without love or compassion, where there is no joy and no hope; where bitterness rules supreme, a world that is a grey and lacklustre existence without meaning.
And so, the ability to love—such a simple yet beautiful thing—is perhaps the greatest gift of all. As our two favourite Titans are about to find out.
Starfire slowly opened her large jade-green eyes, and was immediately greeted by a sea of pink and purple of all shades—the somewhat girlish but nonetheless homely décor of her room was a comforting sight for sleepy eyes. Early morning sunlight streamed into the room through the gap between the curtains. A shaft of golden light felt on lavender bedcovers, millions of tiny dust particles dancing in its beam of light.
Starfire's crimson hair was laid out on the pillow, and she fingered the strands absently… today was Valentine's Day, she remembered. The day when Earthling lovers celebrated their romance and friends exchanged flowers and chocolates…
Flashback
There had been no avoiding the subject, really. It had only been a matter of time before she voiced her curiosity. Shop windows all over the city had been decorated with pink and red hearts, and signs proclaiming 'Happy Valentine's Day'. With a light dusting of fresh snowflakes slowly thawing out on the pavement, Jump City really looked like a red and white wedding cake… complete with icing.
The Teen Titans had gone to the Pizza Palace as usual for lunch. Sitting between Robin and Cyborg, the alien princess had finally mustered the courage to ask Robin about this approaching 'Valentine's Day'. Starfire fought against the chilly February wind that whipped her hair into her eyes, and casually brought up the subject. "What is this Valentine's Day that appears to be imminent, Robin? I wish to be enlightened on the subject and seek your help on the matter."
If Robin was surprised at her question, he hid his surprise well. And besides, whilst some may call Starfire 'overly inquisitive', she was his best friend, after all, and he never grew tired of explaining new things to her. He would never grow tired of seeing that radiant smile of understanding light up her face. But it just had to be this subject, of all subjects, didn't it? But anyway… "Well… Valentine's Day is on the 14th of February every year. It's the day when couples give each other gifts like chocolates and flowers—roses, specifically—and, uh, if you really like, or love, someone and you want them to know then you can send those gifts to them and a Valentine, like a love poem. Don't you have some sort of similar festival on Tamaran?"
She paused for a minute to ponder over this morsel of information. "Indeed, but it is more of a wedding anniversary, primarily to honour the love of married couples… but it is not received with much joy, as you may have guessed, because many marriages on my planet are arranged by the bride and groom's parents. But tell me more of this Day of Valentines, please. Why is it called the Day of Valentines?"
"Well, um… it's named after Saint Valentine, who lived a long time ago, in ancient Rome, I think. He helped many couples marry covertly, in secret ceremonies," Robin explained to the best of his ability. "People in ancient Rome believed in arranged marriages, which is why many young couples who were in love decided to elope and marry."
"I see…" Starfire said slowly, thoughtfully devouring the knowledge. 'Perhaps we should have such a festival on Tamaran. This Saint Valentine was very kind…' she thought, reminded of a certain incident when she had been forced into an arranged marriage. The groom had been far from her idea of a dream husband.
Then Starfire remembered something she had meant to ask Robin before: "Robin, when a girl likes a boy on Earth, is it customary for her to tell him—"
But she never received a reply, for at that moment the waitress arrived with a large Hawaiian pizza, and the hungry friends, with the exception of Beast Boy of course, dived into their meal.
End Flashback
Starfire sighed. She knew she would not be receiving any 'Valentines' today; she was still alien on this planet—I always will be, she reminded herself—and seen as naïve in the eyes of many. The only greetings she would be getting today would be the ones from her friends.
And on the subject of friends… there was Robin, her best friend and her secret 'crush', as was customary to call someone you fancied, here on Earth. She had hoped and prayed everyday of the past week that he would send her a Valentine, but as the day drew nearer, her hopes grew steadily fainter. Robin showed no sign whatsoever of particular affection towards her. The 'looks' he gave her, the looks that Starfire had been so certain she had witnessed were probably nonexistent. And the late-night conversations they had frequently on the rooftop, the ones she had cherised so much… so they meant nothing to him, either. In fact, Robin had been so preoccupied in the past week that he had not even had time to talk to her, unless it was during training or giving out instructions in a battle—and even then, he had seemed distant and distracted.
Perhaps Robin loved another girl. This thought brought tears to Starfire's eyes, and she desperately fought back, willing them not to spill. Do not cry, Koriand'r. You are a warrior. Do not cry. Could this be… jealousy? Envy is my enemy… I shall not succumb to it. Words from her warrior upbringing came to mind. But even as she mouthed the long-forgotten words again, she knew that she was falling into the clutches of the green-eyed monster: jealousy.
Starfire prepared to get up, get washed and get dressed. As she proceeded to do so, however, her eyes fell upon a surprising group of items by her bedside: a heart-shaped box of chocolates, a bunch of fresh roses, and a Valentine's Day card.
Starfire immediately sat up, and picked up the objects for examination. The box of chocolates was pink and heart-shaped, tied with a silky red ribbon. There was a bunch of blood-red roses, almost identical to the colour of her hair; the Tamaranian girl held the bouquet close to her and breathed in its lovely scent. As for the card, it was a simple collage of pink, red and purple, and on the inside was a delightfully composed poem:
Dearest Starfire,
I often lie awake at night
And think of your emerald eyes so bright
No other beauty can with yours compete
Without you, my life would be incomplete
Please accept these small gifts of mine
And on this day, be my Valentine
With all my love,
Richard Grayson
Starfire gasped with delight. I have a secret admirer! I must tell friend Robin of this wonderful news! Immediately, she sat up and clambered out of bed. Racing into the bathroom, she picked up a hairbrush and slowly began coaxing the knots out of her long crimson hair, all the while humming to herself. Perhaps today would not turn out so bad after all.
A/N- Well, that's it for now. It's not yet finished; I'll try to update tomorrow or the day after if I can... rest assured, it will be finished ASAP! So... please review. I'd like some feedback so I know what y'all think ofit! Thank you/gracias/merci/grazie/danke, whatever your language is ;)
-TSP