Hey there! This is my second Teen Titans story, it's going to be a fairly short one. I'll try to update as often as I can, depending on school. At the very least, it'll be once a week. Oh yeah, and... I don't own the Teen Titans, etc. etc. etc.
Disclaimer: This story was written completely within "official" canon not so much because I particularly enjoy the relationship involved--Robin and Starfire--but simply for the purposes of telling a story. I enjoy reading ships of all kinds, though, so long as they work within the context.
Now... on with the show!
A NIGHT ON THE TOWN
Part One: Beast From Air
Explosions ripped through the Downtown. People were screaming and running in an absolute panic. Chaos reigned as fires roared, their flames licking buildings to a jet black husks and sowing destruction.
A little girl of 11 years old was frantically trying to escape the terror that was devastating Jump City. Crying for her mother, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her, running from the safe cover behind a dumpster in an alley into the street, trying to make her way back home. She noticed a shadow fall upon her as she ran, and looked up into the sky to see a car hurtling towards her, thrown by an unseen force. Her eyes grew wide and began to water as she stumbled to the ground. She began to make peace with the universe as the two-ton hunk of metal descended upon her. She closed her eyes, and began to pray.
"Azarath, metrion, zinthos!" came a cry seconds later.
The girls eyes opened. I wasn't thinking that!
Looking up, she saw the car hovering in midair, suspended by a dark force. Awestruck, the girl watched the vehicle harmlessly float to the ground. She looked to her left and saw a levitating pale teen in a dark cloak, her arms outstretched, seeming to guide the events. She was torn from her reverie by a large hand lifting her up.
"C'mon you!" came the voice behind the arm, a large metal arm belonging to a hulking man. "Let's get you to safety!" By this point, the girl had had too much, and fainted.
"Guess you were too much for her to handle, Cyborg." Came Raven's sly comment as she landed on the ground in front of her friend.
Cyborg looked at her and shrugged. "I like having that effect on ladies that are older than her." he replied, hefting the girl over to safety in a nearby alleyway.
"Focus on the task at hand, guys... containing Killer Moth!" came Robin's cry, his R-Cycle racing past them towards the epicentre of the destruction. A large, mutant moth was flying just above the buildings of Jump City, knocking over everything in its path, and tossing debris in every direction. On the back of the insect was its handler, a tall, well-built man who looked exactly like an anthropomorphic moth. Laughing manically, he guided his pet through the city, reaping ruin. The Titans followed him easily and began to converge on his location.
"Give it up! We have you surrounded!" bellowed Robin, hopping off his bike in dramatic fashion and tearing off his helmet. Drawing a boomerang, he launched it in the direction of his foe, who dodged it easily.
"Oh, the Teen Titans! I'm soooo scaaaared." he replied. "My beauty, we have company. Kill!"
With those words uttered, the beast in the sky began to swoop down upon the Titans, its legs whirling wildly in an attempt to subdue her master's attackers. The Titans dove for cover, easily avoiding the threat. Killer Moth continued his vile cackle as he swooped in for a second pass. With a flick of a massive leg, Starfire was struck while trying to fly out of the way, sending her spiraling towards the side of a building.
"STARFIRE!" screamed Robin, a look of horror tearing across his face.
Within seconds a green pterodactyl had Starfire in its claws, dodging repeated swipes from the giant moth-creature as it dove for cover. Mere feet from the ground, Beast Boy released the orange-skinned beauty, and she fell directly into Robin's waiting arms. He blushed as her eyes opened and looked at her 'saviour' with a bright smile. He gingerly placed her on to her feet moments before they both dove for cover to avoid a sweeping claw.
"Somebody slow that thing down!" yelled Cyborg, his latest attempt to shoot at both it and its master foiled when he was suddenly knocked off balance by a chunk of flying rock.
Suddenly, a web of dark energy had sprung up between two buildings, and the beast collided with it, becoming dazed. It plummeted into the ground with a deafening crash, and Killer Moth was thrown through a plate glass window. Cyborg and Beast Boy converged on his location as the beast thrashed behind them.
"Surrender, Moth. It's over." Ordered Cyborg, his sonic cannon ready. Beast Boy had changed into a tiger at this point, ready to defend his friends. The grey figure groaned and slowly brought himself into a sitting position. He slowly began to raise his hands over his head.
"That's better. C'mon, easy now. Come to Cyborg..."
Swiftly Killer Moth brought his hands to his lips and blew a deafening whistle. Cyborg yelled out in surprise and brought his other hand over his ear. The tiger whimpered and placed its paws over its head. Behind them, the giant moth stirred once more, and stood up. Turning to face its master's enemies, it raised a powerful claw, ready to strike them both dead. As it brought the leg down for the killing blow, another energy barricade stopped its momentum, causing the giant moth to cry out in surprise. Seconds later, a bombardment of starbolts drew the beast's attention to the sky, and it flew after its new attackers.
Stunned from the whirlwind of events from the past few seconds, Cyborg watched what just happened with curiosity, forgetting his foe just feet away. Moth drew his whip from the ground and brought it down on Cyborg's back with no effect.
"Nice try! Metal doesn't feel pain, jackass!" blurted Cyborg.
"What the--?" muttered the stunned Moth moments before a sonic cannon blast drove him into a wall. The green tiger leapt on top of him, pinning him to the ground.
"Nice... kitty..." moaned Moth as the large feline growled in his face.
In the sky, Raven and Starfire were both trading off attacks against their feral adversary, trying to subdue the incredibly large creature threatening them.
"This isn't working! We're just making it angrier and more of a threat! We have to calm it down somehow!" yelled Raven before using telekinesis to toss some telephone poles at the beast.
"Perhaps I could sing a traditional Tamaranian lullaby? I know all 57,000 verses to Sleep Softly, O Young One, For Tomorrow the Battle Shall Rage Anew and You Shall Likely Perish." offered Starfire, unleashing a blast from her eyes to draw the attention of the creature away from Raven.
"That's very... cute. But not what I had in mind, I'm afraid..." replied her friend in classic monotone, deflecting a claw with her mental shield.
"Raven, Starfire! I've got an idea. I'm on a rooftop just below you, draw the moth down here!" came Robin's voice from their communicators. The duo looked at each other and shrugged before herding the monster closer to the ground with various attacks. When they finally saw their leader atop a tall building, they waved, and he returned the gesture.
"Get it just below me. Trust me, I know what I'm doing." came the voice from the communicator once more.
"Why do those words fill me with dread and not relief?" opined Raven, using a telekinetic blast to drive the creature below Robin. Without any warning, Robin lept off the roof and onto the moth's back. Both girls gasped in surprise.
"Robin! Has your brain left your body without warning? You shall be killed!" screamed Starfire as she flew after the Boy Wonder. Raven observed the scene with a morbid curiosity, contemplating her leader's sanity as well.
Steadying himself atop the beast, Robin drew out a boomerang with a long rope attached to the end. Taking a deep breath, he flung the weapon down below the creature's head at an angle. Moments later, the boomerang had returned to his hands, and he made a rein from it, clutching it tightly. Pulling back, the beast began to struggle. Cursing, the Titans' leader tried his best to exert control over the moth, but quickly realized the fatal flaw in his plan: he couldn't use force to domesticate something much, much stronger than him. Not about to surrender so easily, Robin soldiered on, using his reins as if he was training a horse and not an insect the size of a zeppelin. The creature twisted and turned dangerously in the air, and he found the monster coming dangerously close to bucking him off to his doom. Jolting him from his concentration, a hand clasped his shoulder. He glanced behind to see Starfire, a look of concern on her face.
"Need an appendage, friend?" she offered, and Robin smiled.
"An extra hand couldn't hurt!" he declared, and she too took the reins. With both his finely honed muscles and her immense Tamaranian strength, they set to work to finally tame the wild creature. Hands almost atop each other, they held on for dear life as the monster writhed and whirled in the sky. Their breath caught in their throats as the moth executed a remarkable barrel roll, but through sheer determination, they came through unscathed. They exchanged glances, sometimes serious and afraid, others almost smiling at the exhilaration of the task. Within a matter of minutes, the beast was calmly circling in the air, following their every command.
"We did it!" whispered Robin, overjoyed. Starfire let go of the rope for a moment to deliver a bone shattering hug to her friend, letting go sheepishly when he emitted a choked grunt. With a casual snap of the reins, the Boy Wonder guided their immense mount to the ground.
The duo witnessed the rest of the team standing around a police SWAT van as Killer Moth was led into the back. As the moth's immense legs finally touched the ground, Starfire and Robin hopped down, smiles lighting up their faces.
"Fancy riding, there, cowpokes." mumbled Raven with a slight grin.
"Man, you guys were like that Bill guy, only in the air!" blurted Beast Boy, hands on his cheeks.
"What Bill guy?" asked Cyborg, perplexed.
"You know... that Bill guy! From Buffalo! I think he invented football, too..."
Cyborg cocked in eyebrow in his green friend's direction. "Riiiiight. Anyway, I gotta hand it to you two! You made some kinda team out there! It's not every day I get to watch somebody tame a giant bug."
"You guys should be called The Moth Whisperers! I can see it now! Our two valiant Titans winning the Kentucky Derby on the back of a huge invertebrate!" blurted Beast Boy, hands thrust into the air, his eyes taking on that far-away look of a daydreamer.
Robin blushed slightly. "Thanks, but it was really nothing. And Starfire should get most of the credit; Without her strength, that thing would have just tossed me to my death."
Starfire scratched the back of her head, beaming. "I cannot take all of the glory for this grand victory, though. Our brave leader Robin's plan was as inspired as any conceived by Zhukov the Liberator of Cygnus-VI!"
"I'll assume that that's pretty inspired." added Raven dryly, smiling at her friend's enthusiasm. Starfire closed her eyes and nodded vigorously in agreement.
Beast Boy stared at the giant moth with huge eyes. "So what's going to happen to the big fellah now? We can't just..."
"We are not keeping him! We've been through this already!" interrupted Raven as she folded her arms, her eyes narrowing in the green boy's direction. Beast Boy frowned and crossed his own arms, sulking.
"What can we do with him? How do you solve a problem like a flying bug the size of a building?" muttered Cyborg, scratching his head.
Robin put a finger to his chin, thinking. He pointed skyward seconds later, a suspicious grin on his face. "I know what we'll do. You guys go back to the Tower and relax. You've earned it. Starfire and I can transport this guy to a safe place."
"Oh! I am aware of an abandoned island where I was forced to place my beloved Silkie when his size was too great for us to manage!" piped up Starfire, radiating joy at this point.
Robin chuckled. "Sounds good to me! We'll see you guys in a few hours." Robin and Starfire began to move towards the moth.
Suddenly, Beast Boy began jumping up and down excitedly. "Oh! Ohhh! Oh oh oh!" he grunted, his arms flailing wildly.
Robin turned and examined his teammate with a curious expression."What is it, Beast Boy?"
Beast Boy brought his two index fingers together and looked at the ground. Biting his lip, he sighed and finally spoke. "Ummm... ifyourenotgonnatakeyourrcyclehomecanidriveitinstead?" he exhaled.
Robin blinked and just stared at him. "Come again?"
"In English this time, not fast forward." Offered Raven with a slight smirk.
Beast Boy narrowed his eyes and sighed again. "Well, if you're not gonna, y'know, need your R-Cycle... cuz, like, you're gonna fly to this island and Star can, like, fly you back... I was just wondering... y'know... Can I drive it home instead?" he offered a big cheesy grin and Bambi eyes at this point, drawing his two hands together in a pleading pose.
Robin offered a smile. "Beast Boy... You're a heck of a teammate, and a valuable friend."
Beast Boy beamed and jumped up and down. "So does that mean yes?"
"It means that I'd hate to have something like that ruined by you destroying my bike." Robin explained, and began to climb onto the moth's back, Starfire already holding the reins.
Beast Boy grumbled to himself as he turned to follow Raven and Cyborg to the T-Car.
"Don't worry, Beast Boy. We can stop by the mall and you can ride one of those kiddie motorcycles you put quarters in. Y'know, the kind that bounce up and down and..." offered Cyborg as he started the car.
"That's not even funny! You know I outgrew those months ago!"
Raven did up her belt. "Our little boy is finally growing up." She quipped with a quiet expression, and the changeling just sniffed and crossed his arms. They drove off into the night in silence.
Riding atop the giant moth, Robin ignored the cold wind whipping his face and the harsh bristles of hair that covered every inch of the beast's body that dug into his legs. Despite the unpleasant feelings that should have been ruining his mood at the moment, Robin was standing on Cloud Nine. He was spending his moments alone with Starfire. Occasionally he would steal a glance, sometimes prolonged, in the red-haired beauty's direction, all the while maintaining his public persona of the no-nonsense leader. She doesn't have a clue. He thought to himself.
Starfire herself was on top of the world, but was certainly perplexed as to the motives of humans at the moment. She knew Robin was stealing glances of her. He knew that her feelings towards him were the same. So why didn't he just come out and say something? A Tamaranian male would have initiated the Gnorpki by this point, tossing her violently to the ground and awaiting her equally vicious reply to show that she was a suitable mate. She kept telling herself that humans did things differently, but she couldn't help but think that maybe... something should have happened by now?
The silence between the two could have easily been mistaken for a number of innocent things. Lack of topics. Being tired after the fight. But the silence was becoming an impenetrable wall, ominous and foreboding for them. It engulfed their entire world at that moment.
Nervous, Robin coughed.
"I am sorry, did you speak?" asked Starfire, smiling.
Robin blushed. "Er, no... sorry, Star. Just... just a bit of a cough..."
"Oh." came the dim counter from Starfire, her eyes glancing downward into the beast's back.
Why didn't you speak, stupid? Robin berated himself. You've looked Slade in the eye and defied him time and time again. Why can't you just come out and say what you want to say? You've been through this before. She's not going to say no. Just say it. He cleared his throat to speak.
Starfire looked back at him, her eyes full of hope. Is it now? Is he finally going to initiate the human-style Gnorpki?
"Starfire..." He began. Just say it! Just say it! Just say it! echoed within his mind over and over again, like a song stuck on loop.
"Yes?" she asked, her voice echoing the hope in her eyes.
He closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and continued. "Starfire, I was thinking... We've been working a lot lately. And we've been working very hard..."
"This is true. We have had to unload plenty of canisters of the 'butt-whoop' this week."
Robin chuckled. She's got a way with words, that's for sure, he thought to himself before going on. "Well, I was wondering if tomorrow you'd..." He stopped and pursed his lips. He struggled to go on.
"Yes? Is it customary for humans to speak only half-sentences?"
Come on, man! Finish it! She's going to say yes, you know it! "Er, no. What I'm trying to say is... if you'd like to go out to dinner with me tomorrow. Just the two of us. We can relax, and hang out, y'know... If that's cool." His thoughts raced. You sounded like a fool, my friend. But I think she got the message.
"Robin... I believe that would be what you humans call a 'date?'" Asked Star, giving him a coy look.
Robin blushed at her words, giving a small grimace. "Yeah, I guess it would be." Smooth, Boy Wonder. But I think she likes that.
She bit her lip to keep from squealing too loudly and startling the monster below. "I accept wholeheartedly! I will be there covered in many noisy metallic objects!" She finally replied, turning and gave him another massive hug. He grunted loudly, and she released him.
I knew that boy would finally come around to it. Thought Starfire, beaming, her eyes closed tightly in joy. She squeezed the reins extra hard as they flew on towards the island.
Well, it took you long enough, but good job old man. I just hope you find more to say to her tomorrow night! He thought to himself, a slight grin on his face, his eyes locked dead ahead, his hands firmly grasping the reins mere inches from Starfire's. He looked at Starfire, confident now. Noticing this, she returned his gaze, anxiously awaiting his next move. After a moment of contemplation, he cautiously moved his hand slightly to his left and placed it on top of hers. They stood there watching each other in complete silence for a few seconds.
"Robin..." began Starfire, her voice barely a whisper.
"Yes, Starfire?" he replied, his own voice quiet.
"We are here." She concluded, pointing towards the island.
"Ah... er, so we are." He nodded, and they began their descent.
From miles away, the picture perfect scene was being played out before hostile eyes. What had seemed to be such an intimate moment found itself shared not just between the two lovers. The angry figure threw the pink heart-shaped binoculars to the ground, shattering them. A well-manicured foot was stamped several times.
"Rrrrrrgh! Those two think they're SO PERFECT together. But they're wrong! Wrong! Wrong! And I'm going to prove it!" The figure spat her words, venom dripping from each consonant and vowel. She turned from the edge of the cliff she stood on and began to walk away towards a hot pink Ferrari with a vanity licence plate that read DDYSGRL.
"I've got my eye on you, Robin... Or should I say... my Robbie-Poo..." Came Kitten's vow as she made her exit with a screech of tires, an evil smirk spreading across her face.
There you have it, Part One! As I mentioned earlier, this is likely going to be a fairly short story in all, most likely no longer than three chapters. But you never know, I might get carried away or something, hehehe. Comments and reviews are always appreciated. Until then, stay tuned for Part Two!