A/N- A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed—I'm absolutely thrilled by all the wonderful reviews! So here it is: the third and final part! It seems unfair to dedicate it to any one particular person, so this fic's for ALL OF YOU RobStar lovers! Yay! I hope you like it, and I hope it's as good as the first two parts... enjoy
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: I don't own the Teen Titans. It's not even funny!
Part the Third: Kisses and 'I Love You's
Beast Boy punched the 'down' button and leaned against the wall, stifling a yawn. It was past 9 p.m. and he needed a late-night snack. Valentine's Day had been unlucky for him—he'd hit the town at noon, hoping to find some romance along the way but when Beast Boy had returned that evening even more dejected than he'd been that morning… not to mention exhausted. His stomach issued a growl at that moment, as if to emphasize this point. Food… it was all Beast Boy could do to prevent saliva from dribbling from the corner of his mouth at the thought of tofu dogs…
There was a quiet ding and Beast Boy looked up. The elevator doors slid open to reveal—Robin and Starfire heatedly making out.
"DUDE!" the changeling yelled, goggle-eyed at his two team-mates' passionate public show of affection. "Do us all a favour and GET A ROOM!" But the two lovers remained seemingly oblivious to all the pointless screaming; Robin hit the 'close' button and the doors closed again. Oh crud, thought Beast Boy. Looks like tofu's going to have to wait for another two minutes.
The noise and commotion had also brought another personage to the scene: Cyborg. "Ahem," the half-robot coughed to announce his presence.
Beast Boy whipped around. "Dude! You saw them, right?"
"Yes I did, and you know what that means." Cyborg smiled, folding his arms, as the green changeling blanched, his skin losing the usual greenish tinge and acquiring a rather distinct white hue.
"W-What does it m-mean?" Beast Boy stammered.
"It means, Beast Boy, that you lost the bet. If you recall, I said they'd get together before the end of Valentine's Day." Cyborg extended a large robotic hand expectantly. "Fifty bucks, if you please. We agreed and you lost." He deliberately stressed the last word, maximising the painful effect that the prospect of losing had over his little friend; Cyborg certainly enjoyed taking his time to gloat over Beast Boy.
The latter paled further and squirmed uneasily. The imposing six-foot half-robot sometimes had that effect on the guilty—especially if they were two heads shorter than him. "R-really?" Beast Boy stuttered, finding that his usually relentless flow of speech was suddenly reduced to a mere dribble. Wow, Cyborg marvelled, Beast Boy and speech-impaired in the same sentence? I never thought I'd live to see the day. "I-I thought w-we agreed on forty." Beast Boy laughed feebly and started to sweat.
"Well, you know…" Cyborg said eventually, "If you're going to argue, I suppose you could go for the alternative."
"Sure," the changeling readily agreed, having spent his last $20 for the month on buying roses, one thorn-ridden stalk of which had been shoved up his left nostril. He had run away before the attractive but furious blonde could push another one somewhere where it would really hurt.
Cyborg pretended to ponder over this deal for a moment, as if seeking a punishment worthy of the $50. In reality, he had thought this over many times and the answer had dawned on him in less than ten seconds. This just gets better and better, he thought. "Aw, man," he drawled out at last, "you don't even know what your punishment will be. But if you're really keen on doing it, then… I suppose you kissing Raven wouldn't hurt. After all, Valentine's Day still has three hours left."
Three minutes later, a howl of rage echoed and reverberated through the Tower. Cyborg winced as the door to Raven's room flew open and Beast Boy tumbled out, his body curled in a ball and enclosed within a circle of dark energy, still sizzling as the infuriated Azarathian vented her rage on her unfortunate team-mate. As Cyborg stepped closer, the unmistakable odour of burning and singed fabric reached his nostrils, and only then did he realise… Beast Boy's boxer shorts were on fire.
The dishevelled Beast Boy flashed two fingers held in the Victory sign, at his friend. This was accompanied by a toothy grin as he declared, "I made it, Cyborg! I totally kissed Raven, and it might not look like it, but she so loves me!"
I must admit, it was a bit impulsive… Richard playing up and taking over Robin. No—'a bit impulsive' is a vast understatement. Richard made a surprise attack on Robin, throwing all of the latter's carefully and meticulously drawn up rules about no relationships straight out the window. And Richard took over for Valentine's Day. That's weird… I thought Richard got left behind in Gotham City, along with the discos and nightclubs and Bruce's parties. Apparently not.
I'm going to have to watch out for that. I can't risk turning back into Richard. No matter how much I want to, no matter how much I feel like it, I simply can't. I'm Robin now. Richard Grayson is no more.
Part of me—no, most of me—just wants to be with Starfire. To hold her in my arms for ever and ever. She is my strength; she's always been there for me, to keep me in check when I get out of control, to catch me when I fall. She's my best friend, and I am glad for her friendship; glad that I can confide in her. She knows me better than anyone else, and our friendship has stood the tests of life many, many times. Her friendship is more than I could ever wish for… and far more than I deserve to get. I don't deserve this—any of it. A mere smile from her means so much to me—and I know that with her encouragement I can pull through even the hardest of times, with her by my side. And I'll never tire of teaching her new things… and then I realise that she's also teaching me about life. About the things I could never learn from textbooks or encyclopaedias. She's teaching me about life… and about love. I've never been extremely religious, but I know she's an angel, descended from Heaven. My very own guardian angel.
But she's also my greatest weakness. If our enemies—my enemies—found out, they might use her against me, or threaten her life to get through to me, to obtain their target, and then… God forbid. I don't even want to think about it. I don't know how I can live without her. To be honest, I don't know how I'd even manage to survive a day without her any more. It's like I'm addicted to her; I can't get enough, and I can't survive without it. For that reason, she is my greatest weakness. If we go on like this, pursuing this wonderful relationship I can't refuse, I know she'll destroy Robin eventually. That character, so carefully created—like a mask I've put on that has grown to fit my face, my body, and eventually my soul, over the years. And just being with Starfire contradicts everything that Robin lives for. She's shattering Robin into a million pieces and bringing out the old me. The carefree 16-year-old Richard Grayson
I'm torn, and I'm so confused. I don't know what to do; I have to be Robin, but I also have to be with her. And I can't accomplish both at the same time.
So on second thoughts, maybe I can let Richard take over once in a while. When we're alone, that is, just me and her. Of course, I'd still be in control—I've been Robin for far too long, I just can't go back to Richard. It's just going to be… my other self. The teenage me, not the superhero me. Nothing to worry about, no war to fight, no world to save… just Richard and his girlfriend. Me and my girlfriend.
So Richard can come up and play… Just occasionally, like now, when we're alone in the TV room. Starfire's lying curled up in my arms, and I'm having a hard trouble focussing on the football match I'm supposedly watching on mute, on TV. Tiny figures race along the length of the pitch and back again, chasing after a ball. Very exciting, judging from the crowd's reaction as they erupt in cheers and leap to their feet. Someone's scored a goal, I think. But I'm not watching; I don't even pretend to.
I turn my attention back to the girl by my side. She looks positively captivating when she's asleep… of course, she's always this breathtaking. I'm very lucky to have met her; to have her in my life. Her hair is so silky and glossy and the strands are tickling my arm gently. Her skin is so soft and smooth, and the regular rhythm of her warm breath on my skin sets my heart thumping and adrenaline racing in an instant. From the tranquil expression on her face, I can tell she's drifting off to sleep, the smile on her face a telltale sign that she's basking in pleasant dreams. I think she's reliving the moment when we first kissed… so am I.
"I love you, Starfire," I whisper as I lean down to plant a quick kiss on her cheek. She turns her head up at the last second so that my lips touch hers instead. Starfire, you vixen. I love you. I love you so much. My princess.
"I love you too, Robin," she murmurs and sighs blissfully, contently, leaning back. She shifts her head slightly to find a more comfortable position for her head to rest on my shoulder. After a moment, she's satisfied and settles down to sleep—for real this time. I wrap my arms around her, tight, not wanting to let go. Not wanting to lose her. I wish we could stay like this forever.
I can still hear Robin's voice in the back of my head. Unemotional, responsible, mature, workaholic Robin, speaking for all the training sessions that await, the dishes that need to be washed, the chores that need to be done around the Tower… but I ignore him. I'm not going to worry about him now. The Richard Grayson in me is taking over for today.
FIN.
So… that's it. The end. I hope it met your expectations…
Now the questions: Were the characters OOC or in character? Do you think it's a bit awkward that the last part was told in Robin's POV? Or was that OK? Hehe… just imagine him. Robin, spokesperson for the UODTNTBW—the Union Of Dishes That Need To Be Washed. lol x1000
Well, there's always room for improvement… in other words, REVIEW! Comment and review! Any suggestions you have, go ahead and name them. Flaming will not be tolerated! Thanks everyone.
-TSP