Chapter two. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or any of its characters. I simply use them to further the enjoyment of all.

ooOOoo

Aqualad watched the romantic couple as they argued. They were close, he wasn't going to deny that, but they were new to adversity, or at least the kind of adversity that he was going to inflict. There was doubt naturally embedded into their being and he was going to exploit that. They hadn't had enough time to cement their relationship, hadn't dealt with things like jealousy, and that was his in.

Deciding that they had had enough time to be lovey dovey, he walked into the room.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" Aqualad asked, striding in, grin on his face like nothing was wrong. Robin turned to face Aqualad, Starfire still entangled in his arms, making no move to remove her from her spot. Though Star was a little embarrassed, she also enjoyed being wrapped in Robin's arms.

"No, of course not. We were just going to finish cooking dinner or rather, Starfire was going to finish cooking." Robin smiled, but it was slightly reserved. "She's a wiz in the kitchen."

"He just likes to brag about me. I am not really very good," she commented, finally disengaging herself from Robin and heading into the kitchen as she spoke.

"I don't know, I think I might have to agree with Robin," Aqualad said, letting his eyes roam over her backside a bit. Robin tried to ignore the tone of AquaLad's voice. Just because another guy was interested in her didn't mean that Star had any interest in him. In fact Robin was going to take great pleasure in yanking Aqualad's chain and showing him just how off limits she was.

Starfire poured some cooking wine into the stir-fry, waiting for it to get hot. She turned to finished cutting the vegetables from earlier and then stirred them altogether in a sauce that she had mixed together. She was completely enthralled in what she was doing blocking out everything around her as she immersed herself in her work.

In fact she had totally forgotten that anyone else was in the room until she felt two arms snake around her waist and Robin rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Smells incredible," he whispered into her ear.

"The food or me?" she teased, remembering his comment from earlier. He smiled and gently nibbled on her neck, glad that she had picked up the intent of his words.

"Either, both." He pressed his lips just below her ear. He hoped Aqualad was enjoying the view.

"Robin!" She swatted gently at him. "We have guests!" Despite her protests, a smile graced her lips. Robin chuckled.

"I'll call the troops," he said, stepping away from her as she dumped the veggies into the now hot pan. He walked down the hallway to gather everyone for dinner. Aqualad moved into the kitchen, leaning against the counter opposite Starfire.

"You and Robin seem to be very… close," he commented nonchalantly. Starfire looked up at Aqualad. She had to admit he was quite attractive. All those years in the ocean had left him with a chiseled body that was now encase in a slightly form fitting t-shirt and baggy blue jeans. Then she thought how Robin looked just as good, better in her eyes. The years of training and crime fighting had left Robin in better shape than anyone she knew.

"Yes, we are."

"How did it happen?" he inquired. She threw some more vegetables into the pan.

"About three years ago I was seriously injured while we were trying to catch some robbers. He stayed by my side through the whole ordeal. After that we could not be separated." She shrugged like it was no big deal and pulled a dish out of the cabinet and scraped the meal onto the platter.

"So you're in love?" Aqualad almost laughed at the thought. Love didn't happen, and certainly not to the young couple. They hadn't been through enough to even trust each other.

"Very much so." She placed the stir-fry on the table.

"They say that relationships that form under extreme situations never last," he commented, hoping to get a reaction he could use out of her. She placed a napkin holder on the table, firmly.

"Are you implying something, Aqualad?" She gave him an annoyed look.

"Maybe," he shrugged and sat down at the table.

"Hey, gang's all here," she heard over a parade of voices. Starfire looked up to see Robin and the others enter the room. She looked fiercely at Aqualad, anger burning in her eyes.

"Suddenly I am no longer hungry." She brushed roughly past both Aqualad and Robin, stalking down the hall. Soon the slam of her door was heard. Robin glared daggers at Aqualad before following her.

ooOOoo

"Starfire?" He knocked softly on the door. "Star, open up," he coaxed. The door slowly groaned open and a slightly disheveled Starfire came out.

"I am fine, let us go eat." She tried to push past him but he caught her arm gently.

"Star, I know you're not okay. I can tell you've been crying."

"No fair," she whispered, "you can see my eyes but I can't see yours."

He pulled her into the room, slamming the door. Pinning her against wall, he tore his mask off. Robin didn't know where it landed, but he didn't really care. She looked into his rich brown eyes, full of concern for her and inches from her own green ones. She remembered a time when she was taller then him and now the top of her head barely reached his chin. His hand came up and moved a stray hair out of her face before resting on her neck, his thumb caressing her cheek.

"Now that we're even, tell me what you see in my eyes," he said. Her eyes filled with tears and she buried her face into his chest. He gently stroked her hair soothing her. "What did he say to you?"

"That we were not going to last in our relationship," came her muffled reply.

"How did he convince you of such an outrageous idea?" Robin had to restrain himself from walking out to the dining room and punching Aqualad in the face. The red-haired girl in his arms was the only thing preventing him from doing it.

"I told him of how we became in love and he told me that relationships that develop under extreme situations do not last." She held him tightly. "I do not want us not to last," she sobbed. His body relaxed, pulling her closer. Their bodies melded together and his lips hovered above her ear.

"You're forgetting one very important thing, Star," he said, repeating her earlier words.

"What is that?"

"I loved you before you got hurt. And since love is the most important thing, the rest doesn't matter."

She looked at him, surprised at his words but soon her lips formed the smiled that he loved. "You are right. I should not have let him convince me of such things. I'm sorry for causing such difficulty."

"Don't be." He leaned down, kissing her softly. "Ready to go back out?"

She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, kissing him firmly. "Would you mind if we were to remain here?"

He smiled, pulling her just a little closer. "Whatever you want Star, whatever you want."

ooOOoo

Aqualad didn't like the fact that they had been gone so long. Dinner was almost finished and the couple had yet to emerge from where they had stormed off to. Rather, Starfire stormed off and Robin followed to comfort her. The fact that he could so easily tell she was upset surprised Aqualad. Maybe he had taken the wrong course of action. They might be the odd kind of couple who get closer in the face of trouble.

He shrugged. A small set back. They happened occasionally, but never twice. Now that he knew what made the young couple tick it would be easy to separate them and get what he wanted. Starfire easily fell in love with kindness and every time he even glanced at Starfire, Robin shook with jealousy. By the end of the week she would be his and wouldn't even remember that she had felt something for Robin.

ooOOoo

"Star, it's almost midnight and we've watched like, fifty movies," Robin complained, rolling over onto his back and staring at her ceiling.

"We have only watched three movies and you can not count the second one," she told him, reaching over to take the DVD out of its player. Robin watched her stretch across the gap to grab the movie and smiled appreciatively. She didn't realize how amazing she looked even when she did simple things like stretching to get a movie.

"Why not? We watched it," he said, determined not to watch yet another movie. He loved her but this was getting a little ridiculous.

"What was it about?" she asked, putting the movie in its case.

"Uhh…."

"Who was the main character?"

"It was umm…"

"What flavor is my lip gloss?"

"Strawberry-kiwi!" He smiled triumphantly, then realized what he had said and blushed. "Well I told you I hated chick flicks," he mumbled.

"But you did not tell me that you would be kissing me through the whole thing." She slipped the case back onto the shelf where it had come from and then snuggled close to him. He grinned leaning close to her.

"I didn't hear you complaining."

She blushed deeply. "That is… not the point."

He chuckled. She was too cute for words. "C'mon, Cutie, I'm starving. I didn't get any dinner," he said, sticking his tongue out. She grinned at the nickname. He had called her it often, but never in front of others. Robin stood up then took her hand and pulled her onto her feet.

"Even after nibbling on me all of that time, you are still hungry?" she teased him.

"That satisfied a different kind of hunger," he murmured into her ear and Starfire raised an eyebrow. "Let's just go get some food," he pleaded.

"But it is late. What place is open so late at night?"

"Our kitchen," he said, stating what he thought was the obvious answer. They walked into said kitchen and Robin opened the fridge. Starfire sighed and sat down on a kitchen stool, slumping onto the counter.

"I do not feel in the mood to cook," she complained. She wondered if there was any food left from dinner but with an extra person in the house, she doubted it. There weren't usually leftovers when there weren't house guests. Ham, turkey, mayonnaise and bread were all laid out on the counter in front of her.

"Who said you were cooking, Cutie? Leave this to Chef Robin."

Starfire looked at him skeptically. "I do not know if that is a good idea. Not to be mean, but you almost burned our home down the last time you tried to cook," she commented tiredly. Robin remembered and had to keep from laughing. He had been trying to make a romantic dinner for her. He quickly remembered that he couldn't cook. He smiled at the memory.

"I assure that I can handle sandwiches without burning the tower down." He started taking out the bread and meats, putting a few slices on each sandwich. Starfire smiled and let him work. He moved with an easy grace, his muscles shifting subtly under his slightly rumpled button down shirt. The first few buttons were undone revealing a small glimpse of his chest. She couldn't seem to take her eyes off him. Messy hair fell into his face as he raked it back with his hand. His brown eyes were intent on his work and looked slightly tired from the late hour, though not as tired as she felt. Glancing at the clock on the stove she saw it read three AM and wasn't surprised that they were so tired. Her eyes wandered back to Robin.

She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. He stilled from surprise and then slowly melted into her embrace. She hardly ever made the first move during their romantic moments but he loved it when she did. He never knew what to expect.

He turned, still in her arms, and looked down into her clear green eyes. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and it took all of his control not to throw her onto the counter and kiss her senseless, among other things. Not that he would ever do that without Starfire's permission, but a guy could dream.

She leaned forward and kissed the small patch of his chest that was exposed. Her lips then moved to the hollow of his neck. Robin closed his eyes, enjoying the light, teasing kisses that she was offering. Her fingers moved to the buttons of his shirt and slowly began undoing them. As new flesh was exposed she kissed it.

Starfire didn't know why she had the sudden urge to do this. She was never this bold around Robin but when she had seen him standing there looking all rumpled and cute, she just couldn't seem to stop herself. Soon all the buttons were undone and his chest exposed. She pushed the shirt of his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. She ran her hands over his chest as if trying to memorize every inch of him.

Robin struggled for control. He wouldn't allow himself to do anything he knew she would hate but her ministrations were driving him crazy. Finally he pulled her against him and kissed her breathless, no longer able to contain all the tension that was building up in him. When he ended it they continued to hold each other. Starfire rested her cheek against his warm, muscular chest. She closed her eyes, listening to the steady beat of his heart. Then, as if she had finally realized what she had done, started to pull away.

Robin would have none of that and held her tighter. He nuzzled her neck softly, whispering nothings into her ear.

"Cutie, do you realize how incredible you are?"

"No, I am not. I should not have done that to you, Robin. It was not the proper thing to do." It went beyond anything they had ever done and a blush stained her cheeks in embarrassment. He chuckled softly.

"Star, anytime you feel like being "improper" around me, go right ahead. You won't hear a single objection from me"

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You… enjoyed it?"

"Every single second. You don't even know how many times I've fantasized about you doing that." Now it was Robin's turn to be embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Star; I don't know what made me say that."

She chuckled. "I think that it is cute. It makes me happy to know that you think about me like that."

"Really?"

"Yes. I do not often think as myself as beautiful. I sometimes wonder why it is that you love me and are attracted to me. When I know you think of me in a beautiful way it makes me feel good."

He looked at her, astounded at what she really thought of herself. "Star, how can you possibly think that you are not beautiful? You constantly have guys looking at you."

"They look at me because I am different, not because I am pretty," she told him. All her life she had been different and so people stared. Robin shook his head realizing there was probably little he could do to convince her otherwise.

"Well I think you are gorgeous."

"That is the only opinion that matters to me."

"Shouldn't you two get a room?" Two heads snapped to the entry way and met the eyes of Aqualad. "And I didn't realize you trusted me so much, Robin."

Robin didn't understand what he meant at first. Then he realized that he didn't have his mask on, he hadn't seen the point. It was late and he didn't think that anyone would be up. His mouth opened in shock and he turned his head away, to late. Then he realized that his shirt was on the floor and Starfire was clad in nothing but an oversized t-shirt. Granted it came down to her knees, but it still wasn't exactly guest receiving attire.

"We were just getting something to eat. Neither of us had dinner," Robin said scornfully, making it obvious that he blamed Aqualad. Inside, however, he was beating himself up. He couldn't believe he had let his guard down. Now Aqualad knew his secret, something only known to the Titans.

"It is okay, Robin; suddenly I am no longer hungry," Starfire said to him softly. It was amazing how easily Aqualad ruined her appetite.

"Cutie, you haven't eaten all day," he said to her, worried over her health. Concern was laced in his voice and he hadn't even noticed that he called her by her nickname. "You need to get some food into you."

"I am not that hungry," she argued.

"You're lying."

"How do you know?"

"You're playing with your hair," he pointed out. She looked down and indeed her fingers were laced through her hair. He had told her once that he would always know when she was lying because she fidgeted when she did. He picked a grape from a near-by fruit bowl and popped the small delight in her mouth. "We'll grab something quick out of the fridge and I'll finish making you a sandwich. If you could clean up for me that'd be great."

"Okay," she complied. They quickly cleaned then emptied the kitchen, ignoring Aqualad who was getting angrier by the second but watched the two clean the space in silence.

"Star, you go ahead. I want to chat with Aqualad for a minute," Robin told her, handing her their food and kissing her on the cheek. She nodded and went into her room, not thinking twice about the two boys. Robin waited until she was out of sight before turning cold eyes on Aqualad. "Stay away from her. I like you Aqualad, I do, but I don't like you near Star with the intentions I know you have in mind. I won't hesitate to kick you out of here."

Aqualad leaned against the wall, a smirk on his face. He was getting to Robin and he knew it. Robin getting so jealous was just going to help Aqualad achieve his ultimate goal. "Starfire is a big girl. She can choose whoever she wants."

"Starfire, as much as I love her, doesn't know any guys like you. She thinks that everyone is honorable and has good intentions. I won't let you hurt her. Stay away." He stalked off, not bothering to look back at Aqualad.

ooOOoo

Until next time.