10 Leisurely Days
by Blue Ten
Summary:
Robin finds out that Starfire will be leaving for Tamaran in 10 days. Keeping his discovery a secret, he has a little over a week to give her a reason to stay. But when things keep getting in the way, will he even get the chance? RobinxStarfire
Disclaimer:
I do not own Teen Titans.
Day 4, Part Two: A Nightmare and a Dream
Robin watched with curious eyes as Cyborg and Beast Boy jumped for joy at his acceptance of the movie; Raven stood behind them, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. Wondering why they had avoided saying it was a horror movie, Robin figured they were trying to keep Raven from knowing about it; after that 'Wicked Scary' incident, she probably never wanted to see another horror movie again... but then, why would they want to chance creating another situation like that? Turning his attention to Starfire, he saw that she had somewhat joined in on their victory dance by clapping along with their jumping. He knew he didn't have to worry about Starfire getting scared during the movie, as she had enjoyed Wicked Scary just as much as everyone else.
"So, when is it?" Robin interrupted the victory dance with a question.
Cyborg stopped moving, but Beast Boy, with his eyes closed, continued to jump up and down. "Uh, it's at eight--" Cyborg grabbed Beast Boy's shoulders and pressed toward the ground, halting his dancing, "tonight." he finished, letting go of Beast Boy who then eyed him angrily.
"Great, that leaves us about twelve hours..." Robin immediately turned to Starfire, as though ignoring the existence of the other Titans, "So, have anything in mind for today?" he asked quickly.
"The mall of shopping?" she replied just as fast.
"Alright then, let's get going." he said optimistically. Standing up and walking to the main doors, Robin and Starfire exited in a speedy fashion, like they were trying to run away from the others. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven stood in the dining area of the common room, blinking.
"Um... Do they even need our help?" Cyborg queried, pointing through the open doors.
"Hey, a little extra persuasion never hurts." Beast Boy defended the relevance of his plan, still staring at the empty doorway.
Cyborg cupped his hands around his mouth to amplify his speech, "You realize I'm not gonna let you drive the T-Car!" he yelled. Robin and Starfire's hurried footsteps came to a stop before they could reach the elevator; the rhythm of their returning footsteps almost sounded embarrassed.
"Heh, right." Robin poked his head around the corner, nervous beads of sweat forming on his forehead, "...You coming?" he asked with a humiliated grin.
"Well, yeah, if that's alright with you." Cyborg responded, almost mockingly. With that, Robin ambled back through the doorway, feeling like his shoulder muscles would snap from the tension; Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven followed, surprise and amusement painted on their faces.
- - - - - -
The mall, or as Starfire called it, the mall of shopping, was reasonably empty in the early hours of the morning; it would soon be populated by the youth of Jump City, but for now, the Titans had it all relatively to themselves. The mall was separated into four massive hallways, each with two floors, the sides of which were decorated by every store one could imagine; the halls met in the center around an excessively large water fountain decorated by various tropical flora, where one could find a map of all the shops, with a little 'you are here' symbol to keep people from getting lost in what could only be described as a labyrinth. Much of the ceiling was clear glass and let the sunlight pass through to illuminate the interior, which was a good idea, considering how much it would cost to light the entire place otherwise. With so few people walking around, the cavernous building seemed to echo with every step made on the brown and white tiled floor.
True to their competitive nature, Cyborg and Beast Boy immediately made their way to the massive arcade upon entering, where they would waste countless quarters defending their high scores. Raven, on the other hand, retreated to the opposite end of the spectrum, the book store; here she planned to spend the entire time, using it as a library. Starfire, who never got tired of all the new things that seemed to pop up in this place over night, walked along the galleries, window shopping; the mall was the embodiment of everything that made humans human, so she enjoyed using it for learning experience as well as leisurely activity. Robin on the other hand, rarely ever came to the mall, and hardly considered it his favorite place in the city; although reasonably familiar with the building, he stuck close by Starfire to keep himself from getting lost, and to answer any questions she would most definitely have... among other reasons.
Walking along the northern hall on the second floor, Robin stayed a good distance behind Starfire, keeping an attentive eye on, and often becoming amused by, the curious things she was interested in. They continued to move along until Starfire stopped and, with a gasp, nearly pressed her face up against a window, her eyes sparkling as light was reflected on to them. Curiosity peaked, Robin shifted his position to see what she was looking at; Starfire was peering into the window of a jewelry store, her attention focused on one piece of adornment in particular. After a few moments, Starfire reluctantly turned away and continued to examine the windows further down the way. Making his way to the window, Robin took this opportunity to closer inspect the object that had captured her attention so. Off to the side of the more extravagant jewelry, was a modest silver necklace, the main part of which was bejeweled by a small blue gem in the shape of a teardrop; this was what Starfire had her eye on. Ironically, at a grand total of forty five dollars, it was the least expensive piece of jewelry in the window.
'It's perfect.' Robin thought; looking intently at the shimmering necklace, he knew if he gave it to her, she would see it as a true symbol of his affections, 'Or, something to remember you by.' Robin's doubt betrayed his optimism. 'Shut up!' he thought, hating how he always managed to contradict himself; he now wondered if that dream wasn't too far removed from reality.
Turning his eyes to look down the walkway, Robin saw that Starfire was paying attention to other things; forgetting about his doubts, he stealthily snuck around and entered the jewelry store before Starfire could notice he wasn't following her anymore.
Several minutes later, Robin emerged from the store, holding a small blue velvet box in his hands. Taking his eyes away from the necklace and closing the box, Robin looked up to see that the mall had become crowded by what seemed like the entire population of Jump City. 'Oh crap...' he cursed inwardly, believing that Starfire might think he had abandoned her... she was nowhere in sight. Robin scanned the massive sea of people, searching the crowd for a beautiful red-head; without any luck, Robin sighed and walked into the swarm, hoping he would run into her eventually.
"Robin?" he heard Starfire's voice call out above the collective voice of the multitude, "Have you become lost?" she asked.
"Star!" he waved a hand above the people's heads, as he was almost too short to be seen amongst them.
"Where are you?" she called once again.
"I don't know." Robin chuckled. Tiptoeing, Robin was able to see a bit of raspberry red standing outside the current of rushing people. Falling back below the crowd, Robin walked in the direction he thought he had seen her until he broke through the crowd onto a bridge that connected both sides of the floor. Finally feeling as though he could breathe again, Robin let out an exhausted sigh. Looking up as Starfire began to walk toward him, Robin quickly hid the box behind his back.
"What happened?" she asked, looking confused, but smiling nonetheless.
"Um, I guess I got lost when the crowd moved in..." Robin said, embarrassed that he had come up with such a lame excuse. As he felt her gaze shifting, Robin hurriedly stuffed the box into his pocket, wondering why he had bought it if he was too afraid to give it to her. But, if he was going to give her the necklace, he knew he had to wait for the right moment, and this definitely didn't seem like the right moment.
Starfire sensed from the tone of his voice that Robin was embarrassed he had gotten lost in the crowd, "Worry not, I was disoriented by the crowd as well." she admitted. "Now that the mall has become overpopulated, perhaps we should relocate to--" Starfire stopped as she heard Robin's stomach growling loudly, which made her realize her own hunger.
Robin looked down, as if scolding his stomach for interrupting, "Heh, how about the food court?" he suggested.
The food court, of course, was on the polar opposite end of the mall, making for a long trip. At the notice of her own hunger, Starfire placed a hand over her stomachs, attempting to quell the rumblings. "It is quite a long way to the court of food, so let us make haste!" before Robin could protest, and why would he, Starfire grabbed his hand and lifted him high above the crowd; with an enormous smile, she proceeded to fly southward to the food court. Robin tried to ignore the stares they were getting from the people on the ground; he didn't want to tell Starfire not to fly, that would be like telling a human not to breathe. As much as the staring people were drawing his attention, Robin found it hard not to focus on the box, which he hoped wouldn't fall out of his pocket and into the crowd somewhere so some guy could open it and yell, 'Hey Robin, you dropped your necklace!'; he shuddered at the thought of Starfire finding out that way.
Several seconds later, another star struck crowd watched as Robin and Starfire descended to an empty table in the food court. Adding to the already massive amount of stores strewn about the mall, the food court had just about every popular fast food joint in existence, as well as many other lesser known restaurants. Before the two could choose one of the many places, they saw Cyborg and Beast Boy moping toward them.
"Hey, I thought you guys were gonna spend the entire time at the arcade..." Robin said, sounding disappointed.
"They kicked us out." Cyborg said, glumly.
"Yeah, they said we were 'taking the games too seriously' or something like that." Beast Boy added, quoting the mall security guard's words, "I swear, break one little machine and everyone's against you." he finished, leaving Robin and Starfire wide eyed and wondering what in the world Cyborg and Beast Boy had done, and whatever it was, would the Titans be paying for it?
About to sit down at Robin and Starfire's table, Beast Boy was immediately caught by the neck of his uniform, "Uh, wouldn't you rather sit over there?" Cyborg pointed in a random direction.
Beast Boy squinted across the way, "What, next to Mega Meaty Meat?" he asked; Cyborg slapped his own face, wondering if he should blame himself for pointing at it, or Beast Boy for pointing out that he pointed at it. "Why would I want to--" Beast Boy turned one eye to Robin and Starfire, "Oh--yeah, I love that place..." he said. Cyborg shook his head and pulled Beast Boy along by the collar.
"I thought this was supposed to be your plan... You're lucky you decided to let me in on it, 'cause if I wasn't here, there would be no it." Cyborg complained under his breath.
"Hey, you're the one who pointed at Mega Meaty Meat. Nice job with that by the way." Beast Boy whispered sarcastically as they moved further away.
"Will you both be quiet and just sit down already?" Raven's deadpan voice turned Cyborg and Beast Boy's attention to the table next to Mega Meaty Meat, where she had sat down while they were arguing. With clouds of dark energy, Raven forced the two into adjacent chairs.
"I know I am the one here from another planet but, they can be very strange sometimes..." Starfire commented, watching as Cyborg and Beast Boy struggled against the energy bonds.
"You have no idea..."
- - - - - -
After a long day at the mall, the Titans returned to the tower to spend the remaining hours waiting for the movie to start. Robin spent a while explaining what 'you have no idea' meant after Starfire had taken offense to it; but it all ended well enough, if apologetic giggles and a bone crunching hug can be seen as a good reaction from Starfire.
Standing alone in his room next to a drawer, Robin stared at the open box in his hands; the cleaved surface of the blue gem held many reflections on it, but all Robin could see was Starfire's face. 'You idiot.' he thought to himself, 'Do you want to scare her off?' he sighed. 'What was I thinking?' Robin questioned, 'If I gave this to her, who knows how she would feel about it?' he continued his examination of the situation, 'If I don't give it to her, I'll never know...' Robin nodded in response to his own thought. 'But when? I've gotta choose the right time.' Robin placed a hand on his forehead, thinking intently, 'The day before she leaves. At least then I won't have to worry about it so much, and even if she leaves... she'll always have something to remind her that I'll be here for her, no matter where she is...' Robin cringed at the thought of Starfire being so far away; it made his heart feel as though it had stopped beating.
Suddenly, Robin's door slid open with what sounded like a violent metal scraping in comparison to the silence; Robin tensed his shoulders. "Hey Robin, the movie's about to start, we better get going." Cyborg spoke from the doorway.
Quickly, Robin closed the box, and shoved it into the drawer, thanking his luck that he was facing away from Cyborg. "Uh... Yeah." he replied, trying to keep the distress from seeping out through his voice.
"You okay man, you sound--"
"I'm fine." Robin said, walking past Cyborg into the hall. He still believed that the others were better off not knowing, and he would try, as hard as it was, to keep it that way. Without saying anything else, Cyborg waited until Robin was out of sight before he began walking to the living room.
As Robin entered the common room, he saw that Starfire and the others were already waiting by the door. Breathing deeply, he let some of the tension leave him, as he realized he had nothing to worry about for a while; calmed, he walked to the doors and turned back to the hall, waiting for Cyborg. Poking his head around the corner, Cyborg looked kind of agitated, feeling as though he might have pissed Robin off; but under closer inspection, Robin looked a lot happier now that he was standing next to Starfire.
With a well placed 'phew', Cyborg walked over to the doors carrying a newly renewed grin on his face, knowing that his addition to Beast Boy's plan would soon come to fruition.
- - - - - -
Realizing that 'Space Beast 2' was a pretty big premiere, Cyborg drove the T-Car to one of the largest theatres in town; over ten screens on two floors. After all, the smaller theatres would be overcrowded, so Robin and Starfire wouldn't be guaranteed a seat next to each other, and Cyborg's scheme would be ruined. As he pulled the car into a parking spot just outside of the building, Cyborg chuckled at his own brilliant thought process; Robin, who was sitting in the front-passenger seat, saw this and looked at Cyborg with a confused expression.
Cyborg put a hand in front of his mouth and coughed loudly, attempting to mask his amusement, "We're here." he said, swallowing one last chuckle before he opened his door and got out. Robin shook his head, an action which he didn't know was being mirrored by Beast Boy and Raven. Leaving the car, the Titans stared at the large theatre in awe; they normally would have gone to a smaller place, out of the way and discreet... they were superheroes after all. Nonetheless, Cyborg and Beast Boy were excited about being able to see the movie on such a large screen; the thought of advancing their plan suddenly took a backseat to the prospect of being scared out their minds in full surround sound, 'YES!' they thought in unison. Raven, indifferent, couldn't really care less about what they were doing at this moment; she had long since gotten over her reaction to 'Wicked Scary' and decided to use the movie as a way to prove that fact to a certain someone. Robin, who enjoyed horror movies just as much as the others, didn't mind the thought of seeing one; however, he was a little uneasy because he felt there were better ways he could be using this time. Starfire, still oblivious to the movie's genre, was just glad that she was going to see a movie with her friends... and Robin; seeing her happy and positive, Robin decided that maybe this was a good way to spend the time.
Luckily, the Titans arrived after all the sci-fi horror fanatics had already bought their tickets, which was made clear by the relatively short line to the counter as they entered through the doors.
Kathryn, at her newly acquired job, looked up to see the Teen Titans, with Starfire near the front, approaching the counter where snacks and tickets were sold; her counter. Quickly, she ducked below the desk and tried to sneak away, unwilling to deal with the girl she seemed to have angered so much before. As she attempted her escape, Kathryn stepped on someone's foot. Looking up, she saw a young man with short black hair behind his employee's visor and a slight goatee on his chin, several piercings adorned his ear; he stared down at her with confused brown eyes.
"Ow! Kat, what're you doing--" asked the fellow employee, pulling his foot out from under hers.
"Shh! Can you get this one for me Alex?" she asked, motioning a hand at the group that was walking to the counter as she leaned back against it.
"Well, why can't you--Whoa!" he exclaimed as he saw a tall red-headed girl amongst the Titans, "Can do!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, running up to the counter.
"Thanks."
"Yeah sure, whatever." he responded impassively, keeping his eyes fixed on the enchanting girl who had walked in. Kathryn continued to move away, but stopped when she reached a wall she could hide behind; standing up, she kept an attentive ear focused around the corner.
To Alex's disappointment, Cyborg walked up to the counter first, nearly blocking Starfire from his view. "Five for Space Beast 2 please." Cyborg requested, eager to see the movie.
"Uh, it's PG-13, you sure you're all old enough to see that movie?" Alex questioned, looking at Beast Boy.
"I'm older than 13! We're not called the Teen Titans for nothing!" Beast Boy growled, feeling like he had been handed the children's menu at a restaurant. Hearing a stifled chuckle, Beast Boy turned an accusing eye to Raven who gave him a guilty 'it wasn't me' look.
"Alright, I believe you." said Alex, holding his hands up in defense. Reaching below the desk, he tore five tickets from a sheet and handed them to Cyborg, "It's on screen four, up those stairs and to the right." he pointed up a curved and carpeted staircase to his side as Cyborg handed him the money. Tickets in hand, the Titans began to walk away with Robin and Starfire at the back of the group; suddenly, Alex spoke up again, unwilling to let the girl of his dreams leave so soon. "Can I get you anything?" he directed his question to Starfire, quiet enough that the others wouldn't hear; However, Robin heard, and stopped along with Starfire, detecting a peculiar tone in the guy's voice.
"Oh yes, the snacks." Starfire spoke loud enough that Cyborg could hear.
"Right. Star, could you guys get that?" Cyborg asked as he walked up the stairs with Beast Boy and Raven, wanting to get to the theatre room as fast as possible.
"Of course." she replied, turning around to look at the items and prices listed on the banner above the counter, "Um..."
"Star, huh?" Alex inquired, "That's an interesting name." he said. Standing behind Starfire, Robin tightened his hands into fists and narrowed his eyes at the young man, feeling his blood begin to boil; he knew what the guy was doing, and it made him... jealous.
"It is short for Starfire." she said cheerily.
"Starfire. Heh, I'm liking your vibe." he said, smiling at the name and Starfire's jovial personality; but he had mostly become entranced by her obvious hotness. Still listening from behind the wall, Kathryn rolled her eyes at Alex's idiotic line, 'Oh jeez...' she thought; she had known him for quite some time, and not once had he ever spoken like that. Robin felt his fingers digging into the palms of his hands, as his breathing became more frequent and angry through his clenched teeth; he thought he might hyperventilate if this went on any longer.
"Please, what is this vibe, and where is it located?" Starfire asked, examining herself.
Alex stood still and blinked momentarily, before shaking the confusion from his head, "So what'll you be having babe?" he asked, hoping to sway the conversation away from things that confused her; this didn't work, because she seemed puzzled by the word 'babe'. That sentence was the breaking point for Robin; the fire was now coursing through his veins and he was about to blindly rush up to the counter, but stopped when he heard Starfire's voice.
"Oh, Robin?" she turned around, much to Alex's dismay. "I am not sure what the others would want." she said, masking slight embarrassment.
Robin quickly unclenched his fists and attempted to calm himself before she could notice, "Don't worry..." Robin stepped up to the counter, angry eyes focused on Alex who backed away slightly, "I'll get it." he spoke through his teeth.
Alex chuckled fearfully, realizing that the girl he had been attempting to hit on this entire time, must be Robin's girlfriend. "So, uh... what'll you be having?" he asked, stepping farther away from the counter.
"Two large buckets of popcorn and five sodas." Robin, through a pseudo-calm demeanor, spoke what seemed to be more of an order than a request. Starfire, who was unable to see Robin's facial expressions from where she stood, still heard his tone of voice, and wondered what the guy had done, 'Perhaps speaking of this vibe was a form of insult... is Robin defending me?' she wondered, flattered by the notion.
"Um... What kind of... sodas?" he asked, feeling as though Robin would leap over the counter and strangle him at any moment; though he was significantly taller than Robin, the glare he was receiving made Alex feel a lot shorter.
"Surprise me." Robin lowered his voice. Without delay, Alex speedily filled two buckets and five cups with the proper contents, placing them on the counter. After Starfire picked up a few of the items, Robin reached into his pocket and slammed a few bills on the counter, "Keep the change." he said, picking up the remaining items. Watching shakily while Robin and Starfire walked away, Alex exhaled as they both disappeared from view up the staircase.
"Jackass!" Kathryn whacked Alex on the back of the head with her visor, "That was the Boy Wonder's girl! You got a death wish or something?"
- - - - - -
Entering the darkened theatre room with Starfire, Robin scanned the seats for the other Titans as he attempted to juggle the things he carried. The enormous room was set up like a giant staircase, with several rows of seats descending to the bottom of the screen; the kind of theatre where no one had to stare at the back of someone else's head. A Line of dim orange lights across the walls added vague illumination to the shadowy area. The room was filled to the edges with people seated in nearly every chair; though the others would be easy to spot, they were nowhere to be seen.
"Took you long enough." Cyborg said, walking up to Robin in the entrance to the room with Beast Boy and Raven following him, "We were just about to go back for you."
"The guy at the register was... talkative." Robin explained, trying not to sound too angry. Robin was surprised at his own reaction to things back there; and after all this time fronting himself as someone who never lost his cool...
Cyborg took a bucket of popcorn and three cups from Robin and Starfire, handing two drinks to Beast Boy and Raven, "What, no candy?" he asked.
"Hey, you wanna deal with the guy, be my guest." Robin said, pointing a thumb back down the hallway.
"Ah, forget it. The movie's gonna start in a few minutes anyway." Cyborg said, "Come on, there's an empty row near the middle." he said, pointing down the walkway. As the Titans began walking to their seats, the lights faded and the previews began to play. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven, followed by Starfire, entered the row first; without paying attention to where the others were, Robin sat down in the first seat, next to Starfire.
Looking down the row, Robin saw that the others were sitting on the opposite end, "Why are you sitting all the way down there?" he asked. Cyborg responded by gesturing to his ears and the screen, 'Can't hear you over the previews.' is what he seemed to be saying, with a crafty grin on his face. Robin grimaced; he almost felt like thanking them.
"And now, our feature presentation. Please be sure to turn off cell phones and pagers during the movie." said the standard narration.
After displaying the production company screens, the picture faded slowly into a panorama of a solar system. A large red planet loomed in the in the starry blackness; slowly, the crest of a bright blue star emerged from behind the body, washing out the area in radiant luminance. The camera panned away from the star, bringing the attention to the vastness of space beyond the system; a large wispy violet nebula was held within the banner of stars. Suddenly, a rumbling noise from the speakers filled the theatre, shaking the seats as a large cargo ship came into view on the screen, the bright white light of its engines pulsed while it traveled off into space.
Robin looked to Starfire; she seemed entranced by the seemingly beautiful imagery the movie was displaying.
After the ship moved away, the camera cut to what was assumed to be the ship's interior. The sound of someone's footsteps could be heard tapping against a steel grated floor and echoing across a dark and gloomy metal corridor. A man came in to view, armored in a green militaristic space suit on which was printed the word 'marine', the tinted glass mask of his helmet reflected the light that came from further down the hallway; he carried an elaborate gun in his hands which had a flashlight at the end, holding it up to light his way. Hearing another set of footsteps around the corner, the man quickly shut off his light and pressed himself against the wall, watching as a shadow grew progressively from the ground. The man breathed in deeply, and jumped around the corner, holding his gun at the ready.
"Whoa!" exclaimed another guard in a similar but blue colored suit, "Hold your fire!" he yelled with his hands in the air.
"Oh, rookie." the green guard lowered his weapon, "Sorry, been a little jumpy since the lights went out."
"I told you, my name's not rookie, it's Frost." said the blue suited man, pointing to the name tag on his uniform.
"Well rookie, Sarge says were switching patrols." he responded arrogantly, "I'll be taking over watch of the cargo bay, you're heading up north."
"Hmph, alright." grunted Frost. As the marine walked past him, Frost looked back, "I'd be careful if I was you, that thing's freaking out down there... You don't think it could--"
"You're just being paranoid." he cut in, continuing away down the hall.
"It's your funeral." Frost joked under his breath as he headed in the opposite direction. Having walked several feet down the hallway, Frost heard a loud crash from behind him; quickly turning around, he watched as the light down the hall flickered and shut off, but not before he noticed strange movement in the shadows. Switching his light on, he ventured in the direction of the noise, attempting to keep the light steady as he held it up.
"...Evans?" he called out the other marine's name, "What happened?" he asked, hoping for an answer as he focused his light on the ground. Hesitantly walking down the corridor, he stopped and shined his light further down the way. Catching several dark puddles in his spotlight, Frost fearfully aimed his light at the end of the hall; near the far wall, in a pool of what appeared to be blood, the green boots of a lifeless marine on the ground was all he dared to shine his light on. "Oh god..." hearing a metallic thumping noise from above him, Frost pointed his gun upward.
"Robin... what kind of movie is--" Starfire stopped as she watched two enormous claws erupt from the ceiling, pulling Frost through the vents; his screaming was violently cut short, and dark liquid began pouring from the ceiling. "Eep!" she squeaked, grabbing Robin's cape and hiding behind it. Robin, who had been holding the bucket of popcorn, spilled some on the floor as Starfire pulled his cape; he turned to her, looking worried.
"Star, I... thought you knew." he said. His mind had been so preoccupied with other things, that he forgot to explain the movie to her; it made him feel immensely guilty. "It's a horror, like Wicked Scary." he explained.
"Oh." she let out a sigh of relief, "Then you will not mind if I..." she tugged slightly at his cape.
"Of course not." Robin chuckled, "Popcorn?" he asked, holding out the bucket.
Further down the row, Cyborg and Beast Boy who had both been watching, laughed hysterically under their breath, congratulating each other with a well placed high five; Raven, sitting between them, shot them a penetrating glare as their hands covered her sight of the screen.
"How about you not do that again?" she said irately, pushing their hands away, "I was just getting into it." she looked back to the screen, eating a small handful of popcorn.
- - - - - -
"The special effects aren't bad, but that acting was terrible, and those costumes were obvious Master Chief knock-offs." said a stout man in the front row as he shoved another handful of popcorn into his mouth; he appeared to be somewhere in his middle ages, with his slightly balding orange hair that fell below his shoulders and connected to his plump jaw with sideburns. He wore a long black trench coat with strange silver shoulder pads reminiscent of some form of armor, under which he wore a tan robe-like tunic, and brown pants. In his free hand he held a strange looking remote control, the front of which looked like the face of some black demon with glowing red eyes. "Overall, very disappointing. I'll only see it two more times... today." he said to no one in particular, watching the screen intently with the least prominent feature on his face, his beady blue eyes. This man was known, to the few who knew him, as Control Freak.
"Quiet!" said a guy in the seat next to him. Control Freak eyed the man angrily, but slumped back down in his seat and twirled his remote in his hand.
Suddenly, a young man walking by tripped and dropped a soda on to Control Freak, splashing his remote with cola. "My REMOTE!" he yelled, standing up and shaking the soda off.
"Hey, isn't that--" hearing the commotion, Beast Boy stood up and squinted at a figure in the front row.
"Shh! Sit down." said Raven, pulling Beast Boy back into his seat.
Hearing a familiar voice, Control Freak ducked his head below his shoulders, letting the boy who dropped the soda run off; Control Freak turned around to seek the origin of the voice. "The Titans..." he said, examining the seats several rows above his, "They must have known I was going to be here. I wasn't even going to pull anything today and they still come to foil my plans. Well, I'll put a stop to that." he said, self indulgently. Laughing maniacally, he took his remote in hand and jumped up on the seats, facing the Titans, "Well, if it isn't my arch nemeses, the Titans!" he yelled, pointing at them. Several people in the audience could be heard slurping soda and coughing. Seeing this, Robin slapped his hand against his face, and all the Titans' facial expressions faltered.
"See, I knew it." Beast Boy said, directing Raven's attention to the man standing on the chairs, "Hey, he actually said it right that time... right?"
"Down in front!" yelled a man from somewhere in the audience.
Control Freak dusted off the mediocre reaction to his presence and continued his ramblings, "And just when I thought it was safe for guys like me to walk the streets again!" he said.
Robin stood up and took out his staff, ready to finish this quickly, "What do you mean safe?" he asked, wondering what Control Freak meant. The other Titans reluctantly stood up, hoping that if they took him out quickly, then they could still catch the rest of the movie.
"Let's just say it's been getting a little crowded on the dark side." he replied.
"Yeah, well let's just say I'll kick your fat butt myself if you don't sit down, doughboy!" yelled the same man from before.
"Urk. Who said that!" Control Freak demanded.
"Me." said the man defiantly, standing up and pointing to himself.
Sneering at the man, Control Freak took out his remote and pointed it at the screen. "Then I hope you all like this movie, 'cause I'm about to give you..." he paused, taking time to push a button on his remote, "The extended version!" he cackled. The Titans suddenly became worried as all the people in the theatre were now in serious danger. With a small electric fizzle, Control Freak's remote shorted out and did nothing.
"You suck!" the man insulted Control Freak. The Titans tried in vain to hide their faces, embarrassed that they knew a villain of Control Freak's caliber.
Shaking his remote in frustration, Control Freak glared at the audience, "If this thing was working, you'd be running for your lives right about now!" he threatened. Suddenly, the screen turned pitch black and a large claw emerged from it, as though through some magic portal; at this frightening sight, all the people in the audience began screaming and scrambling for the doors. "Yeah, just like that, only I haven't done anything yet! Come back so I can trap you in the movie!" he shouted, oblivious to the scene that was unfolding behind him. As the rest of the audience left the room, except for the astounded Titans, who remained staring at the screen, the beast emerged fully, revealing itself to be a hulking pale behemoth; the creature stood on all fours, dripping drool from the razor like teeth on its elongated face where any other features, such as eyes, were non existent.
"Uh... C-Control Freak..." Cyborg stuttered, pointing to the screen.
"What--" as soon as he turned around to examine what Cyborg was pointing at, Control Freak was struck on the side by a massive arm, sending him flying across the room where he slammed against a wall, dropping his remote on impact.
"This just got serious." Robin said, extending his staff, "Titans go!"
Despite feeling a little threatened by the look of the enormous monster, the Titans rushed into battle. Cyborg started by blasting at its face with his sonic cannon, causing an explosion to erupt from that position; when the smoke cleared, the beast was now facing Cyborg, undamaged and seemingly angrier than before. The monster began charging at Cyborg, but was met halfway by a barrage of flying theatre seats encased in dark energy; thumping harmlessly against the creature's hide, the chairs fell to the ground around it. Turning its attention now to Raven, the beast growled menacingly and jumped at her. Beast Boy, in gorilla form, leaped in the way, caught the creature, and successfully threw it at the opposing wall, where it hit the floor with a ground shaking thud.
"Cut that out!" Beast Boy yelled angrily at the creature as he reverted back to human form. Even after that attack, the monster stood up and faced Beast Boy, arching its back, "Oh... no." he gulped.
"Hey, ugly!" Robin called, throwing several exploding balls at the beast; much like during Cyborg's attempt, the explosion cleared to show the enraged monster, unharmed and selecting its new target. Robin readied his staff as the creature began to charge him.
"Stay away from him!" Starfire yelled. With the whistle of multiple starbolts, the space beast was struck on the side, turning itself to glare up the seats at Starfire in response; quicker than it had done before, the creature leapt up the rows at her. Before Starfire could react, the look of the monster flying at her triggered something deep in her memories; frightened, she dropped to the ground and attempted to hide below the chairs. Landing above the seats, the monster followed after Starfire as she attempted to crawl away, slashing its claws through the small opening between the chairs which it was too large to fit through. Turning her head to look at the creature, Starfire found herself frozen with fear at the sight of it; her breath became caught in her throat and she began to inhale and exhale shallow breaths. "NO!" she screamed; snarling violently through the opening, the creature slashed once more, this time striking Starfire across the shoulder. Staring in horror at the bleeding wound on her arm, Starfire found herself unable to use her powers, "Robin! Help! I cannot!" she cried. What had seemed like a long time to Starfire, had all happened in an instant and the others were only now reacting to it.
"Starfire!" Robin called, hearing the distress in her voice. Letting pure emotion take control of his actions, Robin leapt across the chairs and threw himself under the creature, barring its jaw with his staff before it could lunge at her while he strongly held his position between it and Starfire. He looked down to see Starfire huddled on the floor, holding her shoulder in pain, pure fear in her eyes; suddenly a thought occurred to him, "Control Freak!" he yelled. Hearing his name, Control Freak stood up with a hand on his head, turning his attention to Robin. "You brought this thing here, GET RID OF IT!" Robin growled at him as the other Titans arrived and attempted to push the beast away.
"Uh, yeah... just--just give me a sec." Control Freak fell to his knees and began searching the shadowy ground frantically for his remote. Wanting to get rid of the monster just as much as the Titans, Control Freak let out a relieved sigh when he picked up his remote; bringing it into the light of the projector, his jaw dropped, "Oh crap." he said, staring at the remote which had a small plume of smoke and the smell of burnt electronics emanating from it.
"Hurry up!" Robin yelled.
"Gimme a second!" Control Freak retorted. Taking out a small screwdriver and opening the back of the remote, he messed around with the inside, hoping that he was fixing the right things in the dark. Exhaling and closing the remote, he pointed it at the screen, "Come on, come on, come on." he said, pressing a button. A stream of light came from the remote and lit up the screen, "Yes! Now, throw it at the screen, that should get rid of it!" he said.
"Easier said... than done." Cyborg struggled, pushing with all his might at the muscular hide of the monster.
"Stand back!" shouted Beast Boy. Cyborg and Raven complied, moving away. Stepping back to a good running distance, Beast Boy morphed into a rhinoceros; snorting, he threw himself over the seats at the side of the creature, sending it flying toward the screen. With the creature's jaw clenched tightly on his staff, Robin was forced to let it go; on impact, the body of the monster tore through the fabric of the screen, landing in a room on the other side.
Robin stood up and glared at Control Freak, "Why didn't that work!" he demanded, watching from the corner of his eye as the monster stood up again.
"I-I don't know... it should have... I think my remote's broken." Control Freak spoke frantically.
Cyborg looked at the creature in the room behind the screen, its image seemed to flicker and fade in the shadows; coming to a revelation, he turned his attention up to the projector room, "Robin, the projector--"
"Got it!" Robin said, throwing an exploding ball at the window. With a loud crash of shattering glass, the film was immediately torched along with much of the projector room in the explosion. Turning his attention to the monster, Robin saw that its image was beginning to fade; snarling, it arched its back and bounded at Robin, arms outstretched.
"Robin look out!" Beast Boy yelled.
Robin quickly looked down at Starfire, then back up to the creature, "No." he responded. Holding his arms up in a defensive stance, Robin prepared to take the full force of the attack; he turned his face away from the monster, bracing himself, but there was no impact, only a quick rush of wind that passed by. He opened his eyes to examine the room; several de-bolted chairs had been strewn about the area, as well as the glass from the projector window, but the creature was nowhere in sight. Letting out a sigh, Robin stepped down from the seats and, turning to Starfire who remained on the ground, held out a hand to her.
"Star--" before he could finish saying her name, he found her arms wrapped tightly around him; resting her head on his shoulder, Starfire trembled and breathed deeply.
"I am... I did not fight... I am sorry." she said, struggling with her erratic breathing. Robin felt warm droplets begin to tap on his shoulder; tears were falling from her eyes.
Attempting to calm her, Robin returned the embrace, "Star, you have nothing to apologize for..." he said, now feeling her violently thumping heartbeat against his chest. Starfire winced as Robin's arm touched her shoulder; Robin pulled away and examined her, "You're hurt." he said, feeling empathetic pain as he looked at the bloody claw marks on her arm. "Raven, can you--"
"Yes." Raven responded quickly, walking over to Starfire as Robin backed away. Placing her hands over Starfire's wound, Raven engulfed the slashes in white light, pulling away to reveal Starfire's arm, fully healed.
"Thank you." Starfire sighed, rubbing her shoulder, "...Robin--" she looked to see that Robin had stormed down the walkway, in Control Freak's direction.
Control Freak who had sat on the ground to catch his breath, saw Robin approaching and began scrambling for the emergency exit on his hands and knees. Barely making it more than a few feet, he was lifted up by the back of his trench coat onto his feet; forcing him around, Robin slammed him against the wall and held onto his shirt with one hand, forming a fist with his other.
"I'll break you." Robin spoke in a low and serious voice, pulling his fist backward; before he could throw his punch, his arm was caught by Starfire. Robin looked back at her and his expression immediately softened.
"Please, do not... Everything is fine now, see." Starfire said, showing him her healed shoulder, attempting to reassure him; he wanted to believe that everything was fine, but her tear stained face told him otherwise. Nonetheless, Robin released Control Freak from his grasp.
"Sorry..." Robin apologized, looking to the ground as he turned away from Control Freak.
"But you have nothing to apologize for." Starfire smiled, returning Robin's consoling words; she lowered herself to meet Robin's eyes, which were focused on the floor. Leaving his remote on the ground, Control Freak bolted for the door when Robin's back was turned, but found himself blocked by Cyborg and Beast Boy.
"Going somewhere?" Cyborg asked, with his arms crossed.
"Yeah, aren't you gonna stick around for the credits?" Beast Boy added, cracking his knuckles.
- - - - - -
Surprisingly, Control Freak offered no resistance when the police came to arrest him, almost seeming sorry for what he had done, if not for the slightly disgruntled look on his face; he didn't even spout any words of intended revenge. Standing outside the theatre with the others, Robin held Control Freak's remote in his hand as the police drove away; when no one was looking, he took out the minor amount of frustration he had left by breaking the remote in two and tossing it in a trash can.
- - - - - -
Back at the tower, the Titans hobbled through the doors, feeling exhausted from fighting. Cyborg and Beast Boy however, felt more than exhaustion, it was guilt that weighed most heavily on their consciences; granted if Control Freak hadn't been there, none of it would have happened, but they still felt responsible for Starfire getting hurt like that.
"Hey Star... it was our fault." Cyborg said remorsefully, turning to Starfire.
"Yeah, you wouldn't have gotten hurt if we didn't drag everyone to that stupid movie..." Beast Boy added, joining in on the apology.
"What do you mean? The movie was intended to be scary, yes?" Starfire asked, "And I think it is safe to say, that was the most frightening movie I have ever been to." she finished, joking to raise their spirits.
"Heh, well you got us there." Cyborg chuckled, "So, was it better than Space Beast 1?"
"WAY better than Space Beast 1!" Beast Boy said, laughing as well, "If I wasn't afraid of, y'know, dying, I'd go see it again." at Beast Boy's joke, everyone except Robin laughed hysterically; Raven wasn't laughing... much, but she did show signs of amusement. Robin just stood and watched as the others jokingly shrugged off the situation; he figured he should be joining them, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't just the wound that had made Starfire cry. Though she wasn't showing it now as she laughed it up with the others, he had seen it in her eyes during the fight, a deep and recessed fear.
After everyone began to calm down off of their chuckles, their laughing soon became yawning. Deciding it was late, the Titans retreated to their rooms to sleep away their exhaustion.
- - - - - -
Starfire opened her eyes; she could see nothing as she looked forward, staring off into a cavernous empty darkness. Looking down, she saw that a large spotlight was being shone on her from somewhere up above, casting its surreal bleaching light on the floor. Attempting to move her arms, Starfire found that her entire body was bound by a strange glowing white rope, which held her upright against a cold metal wall. She began to breathe heavily as panic struck; the sound of every breath seemed to bounce and resonate through the emptiness. Starfire caught her breath when she heard something else, a terrible scraping sound, like large blades being sharpened, was growing more intense in the distance; it was a pattern, scraping followed by silence, repeating over and over again as it seemed to draw closer. Her eyes frantically watched the edge of the light; as she scanned the rim, the sounds came to a deafening stop. Suddenly, several sharp objects sticking out from the shadows on the ground caught her eyes... talons; a low growling sound echoed from their position.
"Help!" she tried to speak, but only breath escaped her mouth. "Robin!" she attempted to call out the first name that came to her mind; again, there was no sound.
With a sickening thump, something was dropped on the ground near the talons. A motionless hand which wore a torn green glove rolled out of the shadows as the claws pulled away into the dark, scraping and growling, leaving the hand which she immediately recognized.
"No..." she closed her eyes and turned away, refusing to accept it. Her heart began to beat faster; it too, she could hear echoing through the area. Suddenly, she felt a warm breath on the side of her face; the growling sound was now right next to her ear. As though she couldn't control herself, she turned her face and opened her eyes. She found herself staring at a set of terrifyingly sharp teeth, dripping with a pitch black liquid, the top and bottom rows sheared against each other; opening its jaws wide to reveal its empty black mouth, the creature let out a blood curdling howl.
- - - - - -
Starfire sat up quickly, throwing her sheets to the foot of her bed. She looked around the room in a panic, still not entirely sure where she was; her eyes adjusted to the darkness and the familiar shapes and objects of her room slowly faded into view. Realizing it had all been a nightmare, Starfire attempted to calm herself, but found that she could neither settle down her heavy breathing nor relax her rapid heartbeat; the images and sounds of the vivid dream remained etched on her thoughts. Shivering, she reached down and wrapped the blanket around herself, but discovered that it wasn't the cold that made her tremble. Keeping her blanket on as she stood up, Starfire walked to her door.
- - - - - -
Unable to sleep, Robin sat at the edge of his bed, the look on Starfire's face at the theatre wouldn't leave his mind; he was worried about her, and he knew she wasn't over it yet. He had never seen her so afraid; he had never seen her cry like that. It was all too much to ignore; standing up, Robin began walking to his door, determined to help her in any way he could. He realized how late at night it was, but he knew if he didn't talk to her about it, no one would; no one else had seen the fear in her eyes. Sighing as he made up his mind, Robin slid his door open, freezing in place when he saw her. Starfire stood outside of his door, shivering with a blanket wrapped tightly around her form; she had the same look on her face as before. Her eyes widened as she saw Robin; dropping the blanket in the hallway, she ran up and embraced him tightly, almost seeming as though she was trying to make sure he was real.
She didn't speak, she barely moved, all she did was hold on to him. Getting over his shock, Robin quickly embraced her in return, though she couldn't be any closer to him than she was; he felt her trembling, and he realized what must have happened. "...Nightmares?" he asked in the most comforting tone he could; he felt her nodding her head in response. "I couldn't sleep either." gently pulling away from her, Robin saw that her facial expression had calmed slightly; closing his door and stepping into the hallway, Robin picked up the blanket and placed it over Starfire's shoulders. "Come on." he said with a smile, leading her to the common room. He didn't want to look at the situation this way, it made him feel selfish, but he knew he could use it to show her that he would always be there for her when she needed someone to talk to.
Robin had gone to the kitchen while Starfire sat on the couch, feeling guilty that she had gotten up to bug him in the middle of the night, just because she had a little nightmare. She felt like apologizing, but before she could, Robin returned from the kitchen; walking around the couch, he handed Starfire a warm cup of tea.
"Thank you." she said, taking a sip; the soothing aroma calmed her nerves.
Robin sat next to her, looking a little worried, "It always helps if you tell someone about a bad dream." he said.
Starfire nodded, "On my planet it is common to share the details of such dreams as well." she said, setting down the cup on the coffee table. "...In my dream, I was in a large dark room, my arms were bound by lucidium ropes--"
"Lucidium?" Robin asked, confused by this word he had never heard before.
"It is a metal that absorbs sunlight... My powers may be driven by emotion, but without sun energy I have no means to use them. There were many ways to disable a Tamaranian in battle, fashioning this metal into ropes or nets proved to be the most effective by those who sought to do us harm... When it comes in contact with the body, any energy stored is immediately drained." she explained.
"Oh... Sorry, I interrupted you." he apologized, feeling embarrassed that he was supposed to be listening to her, and here he was, asking questions.
"Yes, the dream. Um..." she trailed off, trying to remember where she was. "I could not move, and all I could see was the floor where a light was being cast. But there was something else in that place... something in the dark." Starfire paused, shivering at the thought of that monster, "It was making such horrible noises. For a moment it came into the light, but I could only see its talons. Then, you..." she stopped, looking away.
"Me?" Robin asked, now wondering more than ever what her dream was about.
"Yes... It dropped you... all I could see was your hand, but it appeared that you were..." she trailed off, unwilling to say that word.
"I see." he said, assuring her that he understood, without making her finish the sentence. He was surprised that she would dream about him... he wondered what that meant, but he decided not to read too deeply into it; after all, dreams can mean absolutely nothing... but then, he dreamt about her all the time.
"Then the creature approached me, and I woke up." she finished; thinking about it now, she found that she was not quite as frightened by the thoughts anymore.
"Was it the one from the movie?" he asked.
"Yes but... it reminded me..." Starfire trailed off, "Even now it is too painful to speak of. Do you understand this feeling?" she inquired.
"Of course. We all have things we'd rather not talk about. Cyborg, Raven, even Beast Boy has something like that." he replied, letting her know that she didn't need to say anything more. "But keep in mind that I'm... we're always willing to listen, all of us." he said, feeling conflicted on whether he should have corrected himself or not.
"Thank you." she smiled, finally feeling as though she was not afraid anymore. "What was your dream?" she asked, attempting to return the favor.
"My dream? Uh..." Robin looked flustered; he hadn't dreamt about anything, but he couldn't tell her what he had been thinking about.
"Yes, you said you could not sleep either." she responded.
"Well... I had a dream that the team was splitting up." Robin lied. He hated lying to her, but there was some truth to it; if Starfire left, the team definitely wouldn't last for long without her. "But it wasn't anywhere near as bad as your dream, so please don't worry about it." he said, hoping she wouldn't ask any more questions, or his conscience might force him to tell her what he knew. "Hearing your dream actually made me feel better about mine." he added for good measure.
"I am glad to hear that." she said happily. This lying to her was beginning to make him feel worse; he decided to change the subject.
"So, did I help at all?" he asked with an unsure smile, scratching the back of his neck, still uncertain as to whether or not he had done anything to take her mind off of that dream.
"Yes, very much." she yawned, struggling to keep her eyes open, "Thank you, Robin." she said, leaning her head against the arm of the sofa; Robin watched as she drifted off to sleep, all the while keeping that beautiful smile on her face. Standing up, Robin walked to her side; lifting the blanket, he moved it up to her shoulder.
Walking to the hallway Robin looked back to her, "Goodnight." he said, switching off the lights.
That night, Starfire dreamt about other things; the thought of the movie and painful memories had completely left her mind. She dreamt of the boy who chased away her nightmares, the one person who was always there to help her.
- - - - - -
Iris stood in a large metal room, under the light of the moon which originated from a window on the high ceiling. The sound of strong winds and crashing waves of water could be heard, though muffled by the thick walls. "That is all I have to report." Iris spoke into the shadows. The only light in the area was being shone brightly on her from above, intensifying the darkness.
"Good. You have most assuredly guaranteed your place here Iris." spoke a deep voice from beyond the veil; his footsteps could be heard tapping on the metal floor as he paced back and forth. "I must ask you to continue surveillance for now." he said, coming to a stop.
"Of course." she nodded in response. Her heavy cloak whipped around as she turned away from the man; taking a few steps, she stopped, "Master, this Slade you spoke of has surfaced... he says that he is watching."
"An empty threat from a weak man, you need not worry about him."
Author's Note: LOL, I can't even begin to tell you how much fun it is to mess around with Control Freak's character XD. The next chapter is nearly half-point, so I'm bringing The Tempest back into the picture with the introduction of "the master" (not his real name). Sorry if this one was delayed a little, but it was significantly longer than my other chapters; over 10,000 words... I hope you can understand why I didn't get this up quickly.
If anyone caught the allusion to the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons I did, please don't hate me... I was just having a little fun. Oh, I've been meaning to ask this for a while now; I know that OC means original character, but what does OOC mean?
I realized I've been neglecting proper gratitude to my reviewers, so I'd like to take this moment to send out a big fatty THANK YOU! and a thousand smiley faces:) x 1000!
hurt deep inside - I don't know what else to say except, thank you! And even that doesn't seem like enough. Thanks for reviewing. :)
Super Chocolate Bear - Fret not. Though he does play a somewhat important role in the story, he will in no way become the main focus.
realfanficts - Don't worry about it. Yours is one of the pen names I look for in the reviews, whether or not you've been critical. :)
sayan-P - It's so great to hear from a new reviewer, especially when you have such nice things to say; this one definitely made my day. Thank you! I hope to hear from you in the future, if possible.
darktank - Your guess was spot on, only they didn't actually go into the movie; the movie came to them... :P
starfire's flame - Kick them off? "Hey Thomas, get off the computer, I need to type up my Teen Titans fan fiction!" Thomas: "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" LOL, Just kidding, I'll try to kick 'em off more often; promise. :) I sincerely apologize for the delay this time around, though it was because the chapter had over 10,000 words, not because of the shared computer dealy.
PrInCeSs 2006 - You weren't slow, I was vague, and I apologize :P. She was actually on a beach beside the city that was facing the tower, using her 'special eyes' to stare in through the windows from that distance.
tigerchic121 - In my first fic "My Strength, and Greatest Weakness" I sort of indirectly used Ra's Al Ghul and his relationship to the Lazarus Pit, to help explain the main enemy's motivation for wanting to be immortal; and I mentioned him by name. Nope, never seen Batman Begins, been meaning to get the dvd though. Thanks so much for reviewing.
PheonixBird - You have no idea how much incentive to continue you just gave me. Thank you so much:)
Next Chapter Preview: When a routine trip to foil a crime finds Robin separated from the group and facing a sinister new enemy in battle, he ends up critically injured; but when he returns to the tower, why does he try to hide it from the others? Day 5, Part 1: For Your Sake.
