A/N 2: enjoy!
Disclaimer: The Teen Titans will be mine when Great Danes stop being so big and adorable (I have a Great Dane and he is the cutest damn thing you've ever seen)
TT2Saturday September 5, 2019
Many people arrived thereafter, and Kimi turned on one of the music channels on their satellite television. It came in halfway through a Fall Out Boy song.
"Ooh I love this song…" Sara squealed, grabbing her sister and beginning to dance on a makeshift dance floor set up behind the couch. Clara looked rather frightened at such an attempt at dancing.
"Sare, you're attracting attention," Clara deadpanned, before sitting back in her original seat, not bothering to look back at her sister.
"It looks like fun," Taku supported, standing up to go dance with Sara.
"Oh dear God, don't encourage her," Clara pleaded. Taku almost believed she was afraid of getting embarrassed by her teammates. The look of shock on her face should've been enough proof.
"Well, you won't see me getting up there, making a fool of myself," Kyle snorted, crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest. Clara raised a single eyebrow.
"Can't dance?"
"Can't dance," he affirmed ashamedly, suddenly finding his feet very interesting. Clara smiled (which turned into more of a knowing smirk but I guess anything is good out of her).
"Too bad, so sad, I am leaving," Clara responded, sitting up, brushing off her skirt, and proceeding out of the room. "See y'all whenever you decide to stop partying like monkeys!" she yelled to the throng of teenagers now crowded on the dance floor as a rap song came on.
"Where do you think you're going?" Taku yelled to her, his voice rising above the music and the cheerful chatter. "This may be a party, but it's also Kimi's birthday. You have to stay."
"Must I?" she asked with a hint of disgust in her voice. "I don't do socialization, so if you don't mind I'd like to go-"
"Clara," Taku said in a warning voice.
"Fine! God." She grumpily joined the pack of wild teenagers, standing near her sister, refusing to dance as everyone else was. "Anyways, who gave you permission to turn our living room into a club?"
"I did," Kimi told her. "I'm the only direct descendant of this tower, and I think I should have control of what goes on inside it's walls." Danny "pfft"ed and Kimi inconspicuously whacked him upside the head, while continuing dance with him.
"Ow…that hurt."
"No it didn't, you're just a wuss," Kimi chuckled, before giving him an apologizing kiss. "But you're my wuss, which makes it all better." Kimi gave him another kiss.
"Lovely. Tamaranians sure do believe in the PDA's, don't they?" Clara asked, slowly rotating her hips in tune to the music, getting a feel for the rhythm. Kimi gave her a questioning look. "Public Displays of Affection."
"Actually, PDA's are encouraged on my planet. The council of five-hundred was wondering whether to make it a law or not, but felt it unfair to widows, youths, and unmarried citizens," Kimi informed her, unaware of Clara's sarcasm."
Clara smirked and rolled her eyes. "My point." Before long, Clara had gotten the full gist of this "dancing" thing that everyone else was partaking in. She was dancing in a group of people, talking with Taku who was a member of that group of people, and one of the only three nearby that he knew. Kimi and Danny were dancing near, but her sister was dancing on the far side of the room with the two boys she had met earlier, and Kyle was still sitting on the couch, tapping his foot to the music: poor rhythm-less boy.
"So…" Clara started to Taku, for she felt awkward just standing there, almost-dancing in front of complete strangers.
"Glad I made you come dance now?" Taku asked, smirking in satisfaction for knowing he was right for once.
"Maybe…" Clara trailed off, not ready to admit her being wrong to Taku. "And don't flatter yourself. I'm not dancing with you. I just have no one else to dance with."
"Oh?" he asked, hopping up to her and making a rather absurd move with his body that included sticking out his chest and shaking his chest at her. "Wanna dance with me now?"
"Oh my God! Taku you are such a loser!" Clara exclaimed over the song that was coming to an end, only to be replaced with yet another rap song. "Get a life, will you?" Despite her previous comments, Clara couldn't stifle a large grin.
"I got you to smile. My work here is done," he told her, as he failed to back off of her, but returned to a normal dancing stance.
"Your work here is never done," she replied in a slight flirtatious tone that she picked up from her sister. "You are a Titan after all…you have to get me to smile for more than ten seconds, and then your work here will be done."
"I guess so. Maybe to challenge myself I'll go for twenty seconds. Maybe thirty seconds," he replied thoughtfully, his eyes trailing away from hers, but soon returning. Taku smiled. "Yea, thirty seconds sounds good."
"I don't know, why stop there?" she asked, placing her wrist on his shoulder to rest it there for only briefly (or so she told herself). "Try for a minute. Or five minutes, or ten minutes, or thirty minutes. Try for an hour!"
"Well, why stop there then? Let's try for two hours!"
"Or three hours!" Clara responded, smiling for only a brief two seconds, before chuckling, then letting her grin fall. Soon, it was forgotten what they were talking of, as they ticked off possibilities for lengths of time. All they knew was it was something that had to do with eating ("No, it had to do with crime-fighting!").
"Wow. I don't think I have ever had so much fun with a single person that was not a member of my family. Or Sean," Clara reminisced sadly. "Wow, my life is sad."
"Yea, it is," Taku affirmed. "You need a little happy influence."
"I am not taking drugs," she retorted, looking at him with wide eyes.
Taku smirked. "Yea, I really meant I wanted you to try pot, " he replied sarcastically, giving her a disbelieving look. He then smirked. "You are unbelievable."
A slow song came onto the music channel, and instantly people on the dance floor began pairing off. "Uh-uh," Clara told him, watching the malicious grin on his face. "This is where I draw the line. I'll dance with you, but no slow dancing. Uh-uh, you can find another dance partner for this one."
Clara stubbornly took to the couch, though subconsciously watching him. Almost instantly after she left him, a girl that looked about his age (fifteen), who looked like a stereotypical blonde, tapped him on the shoulder and presumably asked him to dance. He grinned and nodded his head, wrapping his arms around her waist and letting her drape her arms around his neck. Clara gritted her teeth.
Of course, Danny and Kimi instantly paired off (Kimi was quite amused when her friends began cooing at the relatively newly found couple). But Sara had excused herself from Tim and Ben (to their adorable protests) to find Kyle. She saw him striking up conversation with her sister who was also on the couch and made her way over.
"Kyle…" she trailed off, a smile on her face. "Want to dance?"
"Uhh…" his voice got softer and softer until he was just looking at her nervously.
"Don't tell me you've never slow danced before," Sara replied, chuckling. Kyle promptly turned red, but said nothing. "Come on, it's easy." Sara reached over the couch and tugged on his hand, to no avail. "Kyle," she whined in an adorable voice. "Please?"
"Maybe the next one," he told her.
"Kyle!"
"Fine, I promise I'll dance with you to the next slow song," he told her, looking into her eyes and smiling to seal the promise. "Ok?"
Sara sighed and smiled back. "I guess that's the best I'll get from you." So, Sara gave him one last smile, before turning around to go find Kimi. She had a plan to cook up.
Clara crossed her arms over her chest. Slow dancing is for losers.
Did someone just tap her shoulder?
Clara turned her head and looked up, to see a tall brunette boy with bright hazel eyes smiling softly down at her. "Hey there. Want to dance?"
Clara took a reproachful glare at Taku and the blonde bimbo, before uncrossing her legs and coming around the couch. She trailed her thin, bony fingers across his collarbone. In a sultry voice, she replied, "I'd love to".
"Great," he replied, a smile crossing his lips. The nameless boy took her by the hand and led her to the dance floor, near what she assumed were his friends, for he smirked at them all.
"What's your name?" Clara asked, moving slowly to the doleful tune
"Sam…And you're Clara, right?" he replied, a small smile still across his face. Clara nodded, and averted the boy's gaze to see the ebullient look on Taku's face had vanished. It was replaced with a look of questioning and almost hurt.
'You wouldn't dance with me, but you'll dance with him?' he mouthed across the dance floor. Clara gave a baleful glare at the blonde in his arms and would've made a gibe, had he been close enough to hear it. Instead, she settled for letting him figure out her message.
Clara turned her head so fast her curls bounced a few times before settling on her shoulders. "Sorry about that," she whispered to her dance partner. "My friend over there is jealous because I'm dancing with another guy. If I didn't know better, I'd think he likes me or something."
The boy chuckled wholeheartedly, before giving a grin. "He seems like a very fatuous person."
Clara restrained herself from bursting out with laughter. "You don't even know…" she trailed off. "But I guess he's a good friend."
The conversation thereafter ended, as did the song eventually. Clara thanked Sam for the dance, and traveled over to Taku. "I thought you didn't do slow-dancing?" he asked acrimoniously, an eyebrow raised.
"I didn't think you'd mind, you were dancing with that blonde bimbo."
"Um, hello?" Clara whipped around to see the "blonde bimbo" standing there with her arms crossed over her chest and her foot tapping impatiently.
"II was just leaving," Clara stated, with a pleasant smile, before adamantly striding away.
"Clara!" Taku exclaimed.
Clara held up her hand over her back. "Whatever." She promptly parked her rear on the couch, and began to stare out the large window.
"PMS-y ex-girlfriend you have," the blonde commented, before blowing a large bubble with her bubble gum.
"Oh she's not-"
The girl smirked and looked him over knowingly. "I've heard that more than a few times," she replied. "C'mon, let's dance," the girl stated, beginning to rotate her hips in tune to the fast music.
"Hey Dan…" Kimi started softly after the slow dance, as she started to dance with him to some random hip-hop song that began to play. "Have you noticed something weird about Taku and Clara? They fight like an old married couple."
Danny laughed. "Yea…but you'll never guess that Taku likes her."
"What?" Kimi asked, dumbfounded.
"Yea. Taku has a thing for Clara. That's why he offered to go after her today. He thought it'd make her realize how sensitive he is, and maybe make her like him. He's very intrigued by her, apparently," he replied.
"That is so adorable," Kimi cooed. "Too bad Clara doesn't like him. Or at least I don't think she does. I mean, you never know, but it doesn't seem like she does."
"Well, Clara doesn't seem to like anyone, now does she?" Danny asked with a chuckle, brushing back a lock of hair that had fallen in Kimi's face. The young Tamaranian smiled softly in thanks, and leaned up to kiss him.
"Kimi?" Sara asked, tapping her on the shoulder. Kimi retreated back and shot him an apologetic look, before turning towards Sara.
"Yea, Sare?" Kimi asked casually, pretending as if she had not been just about to kiss her boyfriend. "What's up?"
"Umm," Sara started nervously, looking down to her feet, and then looking back up again. "I need your help."
TT2Half an hour had passed, and Taku and Clara had eventually settled their argument, saying it had been petty and stupid in the first place. They danced together, both claiming they had no one else to dance with (though they both knew this was preposterous).
Another slow song came on, and in a heartbeat Sara was up and asked Kyle to dance.
"Must I?" he asked. "I'm going to make a fool of myself in front of all these people."
Sara smirked. "That's why-" she took his hand and nearly skipped through the crowd, out of the living room door, and through another doorway to go up the stairs and come out on top of the roof. "-I'm bringing you up here. No one's watching. It's just you and me."
There was a soft heavenly glow coming from the moon, spilling across the roof and lighting up everything in its wake. The waves crashed softly unto the rocks below, and you were able to easily hear the song coming form the floor below. "C'mon."
Sara took his hand and led him to the edge of the roof, stopping where they had a good view of the ocean. "Look," Sara started, guiding him easily. She took his hands placed them on her back, and then moved closer to rest her wrists on his shoulders. "It's easy. A three year old could do it."
"That's why I can't. I neither have the brain nor the attention span of a three year-old," he responded with a goofy grin. "But I guess I could try it anyways."
Sara smiled and rolled her eyes. "You are such a dork."
"You know dorks turn you on," he replied, taking a bold move that he had never taken before by pulling her closer. Sara took the hint and rested her head on his collarbone, a deep sigh escaping her lips. "This is perfect," he told her. "Thanks."
"Well, almost perfect," she responded in a soft voice. Sara pulled her head up, letting her hands drift towards his temples to pick up the sides of his sunglasses and rest them on his head. "Now it's perfect." Sara looked into his eyes and smiled. "Those stupid sunglasses just get in the way."
"When you're around, of course they do," he replied softly, as her head eventually came back down to rest on his collarbone.
And long after the song was replaced (by a faster and more upbeat one), they stayed in that position, both afraid to move and ruin that perfect moment.
TT2"God, I find my sister's relationship with Kyle ridiculous," Clara snorted to Taku later that night. "I mean, she just met him. Is there anything meaningful there?"
"That's not very nice," Taku replied. "I think they're adorable together, if they would get together."
"I didn't say I didn't think they were adorable together, I just think they should get to know each other better before flirting like that with each other," Clara stated. "I mean, I love Sara, but she wouldn't know a meaningful relationship if it danced naked in front of her wearing nothing but Kyle's sunglasses."
Taku chuckled. "Well, let her have some fun. It's not like you both have to believe in the same things. You believe in meaningful relationships, she doesn't. So what?"
"Well…" truth be told, Clara had no argument, so only sighed in defeat. She crossed her legs (they were sitting on the couch, having given up dancing for a bit, along with a lot of other teens), and crossed her arms. "…It's hard being sisters, when we're so different, but I guess that's what keeps us good friends."
Taku smiled, before looking at the watch on his wrist. "Wow, it's already eleven thirty. You think Kimi's gonna start kicking kids out soon?"
"Probably, we have to go bridesmaid dress shopping with her mom and Raven tomorrow morning," Clara informed him.
"Well, then, let's make the best of the rest of this night," he told her. "Let's dance."
"Must I?" Clara droned.
"You're my only dance partner. Yes, you must," he told her with a smile. "C'mon, it'll be fun."
Clara smirked softly, grudgingly sitting up and following him out onto the dance floor. Though Clara would never admit it, being with Taku made her feel special. She felt like he was the only person that accepted her for who she was, besides her sister.
But her sister was not a male, now was she?
Maybe Taku wasn't the best choice for a boyfriend (not that Clara was thinking about that at all…right…), but he was a nice boy. And Clara knew that being friends with him wouldn't hurt.
"You think everything's fun," she deadpanned.
"Well, most of the time I'm right. I'm ME, after all," he responded.
"Yea, whatever," she replied, beginning to swing her hips back and forth, chuckling as she watched Taku dance like a crazed maniac. "I can tell you don't dance much."
"Are you kidding? I love to dance," he replied jokingly, beginning to dance normally.
"Ok, kiddies," Sara's voice came over the microphone in the room that went throughout the tower. "After this song, the party's over. So, you don't have to go home, but you need to get the heck outta here. We've got training in the morning," she joked. The Titans really didn't have training, but Sara had said that for a kick.
The last song was, without fail, a slow song. So, couples began to pair off again. Kimi and Danny paired off, and Sara and Kyle disappeared out of the living room ("Where are they going?" Clara had asked).
And so came the fateful moment. Taku asked Clara to dance. Clara internally debated for a few seconds, before Taku sighed impatiently and began dragging her towards the dance floor.
"I don't care if you say yes or not, I'm making you dance with me," he replied. "Patience is a virtue I don't have."
"Fine," Clara conformed, placing her arms hesitantly upon his thin shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist, and grinned goofily.
Clara avoided eye contact, for the better part of the dance, but once she met his eyes she couldn't help but smiling softly. It was soon over, and Clara hated to admit she might've actually begun to enjoy it, but nevertheless they parted.
"Thanks," Clara whispered. "That was nicer than dancing with a guy I've known for ten minutes," Clara chuckled, obviously talking about Sam.
"I'd suppose," he replied
It took about twenty minutes for all the kids to file out, and Kimi to say all of her goodbyes, but soon they were left with nothing but a messy living room. Clara waved her hand and recited a spell, and instantly it cleaned itself.
"Thanks, Clare. That saved us from an even later night tonight," Kimi stated. "Umm…where are Sara and Kyle?"
Clara smirked as Kimi ran off with Danny to find them.
"I'm going to bed," Clara announced to the only other person in the room, Taku, before giving an obnoxious yawn.
"Me too. G'night," he said, smiling softly. He moved to hug her, but restrained himself, remembering what she had said earlier.
"Good boy. Remember what I taught you. Clara doesn't do hugs," she replied, patting him on the head.
"I'm not a dog, ya know?" he quipped.
"You aren't?" she asked, feigning surprise.
Taku sighed. "Whatever. Good night."
"Night, Taku," she replied, walking from the room with one last wave back. He smiled gratefully.
And Clara knew he would win. She would be smiling for well over any time he could've ever predicted.
TT2