When the girls arrived home, the boys had finished their videogames. Beast Boy was on the couch, reading a new edition of his favorite comic series. Cyborg was raiding the fridge, looking for something that wasn't covered in mold, and Robin had his headphones on, listening to music over an mp3 player and sifting through paperwork. He looked up with a bright grin when Starfire walked through the door. He took off his headphones and got up.
"Hey girls," Cyborg greeted, not looking up from the fridge. "How was it?"
"It was most enjoyable," Starfire said, lugging her bag in. "We met new girls, and found many designs that were appealing."
Beast Boy looked up and noticed Raven had a small bag. "Oooooh, what'dya get Rae?!" He wiggled his eyebrows.
Raven sniffed and didn't answer, hurrying to her room to shove the bag deep inside her closet, where several other items that Starfire had forced her to purchase were hidden.
Robin looked at Starfire's bag with slight curiosity, and slight embarrassment. Starfire hid it from him.
"Not yet!" she said.
Robin's eyes got wide. "Yet?" he gulped. "I uh… think I've got some more paperwork to do… darn those criminals…" he hurried away.
Starfire giggled. Then she brightened. "Oh! Cyborg," she called.
"Yeah?" the boy in question looked up from the fridge.
"Here," Starfire said, tossing him Bumblebee's gift.
"Bumblebee says hello," she grinned. Then she left to go put her purchases away.
Cyborg stared at the red thong with an odd smile on his face.
Beast Boy laughed uproariously. "Dude! Bumblebee gave you a thong!"
"Right… I'll see ya later, grass stain," Cyborg said, hurrying to his own room.
Several days passed, and in the afternoon, one certain alien girl was preparing herself, sitting at her vanity table and gliding on shiny lipstick. She put on gold eye shadow, hoping to accent her bright green eyes, used a little bit of eyeliner and mascara, and a hint of rosy blush on her cheeks. Starfire puckered her lips and made a kiss at the mirror.
"Glorious," she smiled. "He will not be able to resist me!" she finished by combing her red locks until they were silky smooth and shiny.
She stood up and viewed the entire effect in the mirror.
"I look beautiful," she breathed. Usually the alien princess did not wear much makeup, and while her hair was normally brushed, this time she put extra care into it, and made sure that everything was perfect. Today, Robin was going to get the surprise of his life.
She put on a silky bathrobe to cover up her outfit, and tried to quell the nervous butterflies she felt.
"Oh, I feel as though I have a million tiny winged insects fluttering in my stomachs," she moaned. "I must be confident, composed," she said, closing her eyes. "Peace, love, tranquility…" She sighed once more and repeated her mantra.
"It is the now or never," she said, and with a toss of her hair she headed out of her room and toward Robin's.
Robin was relaxing in his own room, reading the Jump City Times and reclining on his bed, ankles crossed. He had just finished a mountain of back paperwork, and felt a little R and R was in order. He had flipped the page and was about to dive into a juicy article when there was a tentative knock at his door.
"Come in," he called, not bothering to look up from his reading.
Starfire entered, her nerves even worse now and her heart beating rapidly. Despite how she felt on the inside, she attempted to portray a sultry look.
"Hello, Robin," she said, her voice low and seductive.
Robin's eyebrows shot up at her tone, and he lowered the paper onto his lap to stare at Starfire.
"Star… what… are you wearing?" he said, confused at her unusual attire of a silky bathrobe and her made up face. Was she wearing high heels?
Starfire opened the bathrobe and dropped it to the floor.
"This," she said, smiling and batting her eyes.
Robin dropped his newspaper, which fluttered all over the floor, and sat frozen in shock, his eyes small circles on his face and his hair sticking straight up off his head. His hands were stuck in a sort of clawed position.
"Friend Bumblebee has told me that this lingerie means we can do the dating now, yes?" Starfire stood, modeling her pink satiny fluffy lingerie. She waited for him to respond. Robin sat there, not moving.
"Robin?" Starfire asked, stepping closer. "We must do the dating now please!" She poked his shoulder. He was stiff as a board. "Oooh," Starfire fretted. "I fear I must have done something wrong."
She quickly gathered up her robe and covered herself again. Then she collected Robin, who still did not move an inch from his shocked position, even when she picked him up, and hurried off to find the others.
"Man, Star, what did y'all do to him?!" Cyborg said, hand on his chin.
"I merely showed him my attire," she said, biting her index finger sheepishly. "I did not mean to make him immobile."
"Your attire?" Cyborg asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Yes," she said. "Do you wish for me to show you? You will not freeze like Robin, will you?" She reached for the edge of her robe.
"Don't show them, Starfire," Raven said firmly.
"What's she wearin'?" Beast Boy muttered to Cyborg.
The four Titans were gathered around Robin, who was seated on a bed in the medical bay. Robin had yet to come out of his shock. Cyborg had tried with all his strength to push Robin's hands down, but his attempts were in vain.
"I don't know, but whatever it was, it's got ole' Robbie here in a complete state of shock!" Cyborg laughed.
"How do we get him out of it?" Starfire asked, concerned. The four stood in silence for a moment with blank stares.
Beast Boy snapped his fingers. "I got it! You know how Raven always yells at me to go take a cold shower? Maybe it'll work with Robin!"
"That's the stupidest… idea… yet… but it just might work!" Cyborg said. He slapped Beast Boy a high five. Raven rolled her eyes.
Cyborg picked up Robin and they headed for the bathroom. He plopped Robin into the tub, clothes and all, and turned on the freezing cold water in the shower.
Starfire looked on hopefully, wringing her hands.
As the cold water hit him, Robin suddenly sprung to life, sputtering and grasping the edges of the tub.
"What… what the hell?!" he gasped.
"Robin! You are well!" Starfire said joyously.
Upon noticing Starfire, Robin's cheeks flamed red, and he avoided looking her in the eyes as he stood up.
"Yeah, I'm okay. All of you, out!" he barked. The three scurried out, but Starfire stayed, looking somewhat crestfallen.
"You too, I need to change," he said gruffly, still not able to look at her.
"But Robin…"
"Just let me get dried off, Star!"
She turned and hurried out with a slight whimper.
Robin sighed, exasperated, and turned off the shower. He grabbed a towel and peeled off his now soaked uniform. After drying himself off, he realized he now had nothing to wear. Looking around somewhat frantically, he finally decided to securely tie the towel around his waist. Leaving his wet uniform on the towel rack, he quickly opened the door and bolted out, intending to get to his room as soon as possible. Instead, he collided with a waiting Starfire and nearly lost his towel. She fell to the ground with a thud, admired his rather toned chest for a second, and then blushed and covered her eyes as a flaming red Robin desperately tried to secure his towel again.
"Star… what… are you doing?!" he exclaimed, clutching his towel around his body.
"I… wanted to speak with you-"
"Can't you wait?!" he exploded.
Starfire, feeling even more hurt than before, got up with a sob and rushed to her bedroom. He heard her door slide shut with more force than usual.
Robin bitterly cursed.
"Nice," Raven commented dryly as she brushed past, nose in her latest book.
Robin's face couldn't get any redder, and he cursed again, heading for his room.
"I should've known this would happen," Raven sighed, knocking on Starfire's door. "I might as well accept the fact that I have to play love therapist," she muttered. Besides, she felt slightly guilty that she didn't inform Starfire of Bumblebee's joke. Her conscious told her she should fess up.
"Oh… please go away. I do not wish for company now," Starfire moaned from within.
"Starfire? It's me, Raven. I need to talk to you."
She heard sniffles and Star unlocking the door. It slid open to reveal Starfire looking rueful, with mascara trails dribbling down her cheeks.
"Oh Raven," she said, hugging her tightly, "It seems I have misunderstood the tradition of presenting lingerie… Robin is angry with me, and I fear I have ruined everything!"
"There's no tradition of 'presenting lingerie' and definitely securing a date with someone, Starfire," Raven said, holding the distraught girl in front of her.
"But, Bumblebee said-"
"Bumblebee was teasing you," Raven sighed.
"But… but how cruel! I have now embarrassed myself… what must Robin think of me?" Starfire moaned.
Raven snorted. "Judging by his reaction, he liked it more than you know. It's just that Robin's… probably a sheltered guy. He doesn't know how to handle relationships or girls very well."
"Then, he does not hate me?" Starfire said meekly.
"No, he doesn't hate you," Raven reassured. "Don't worry about him. He'll get over it."
"Should I attempt to speak with him?"
"I'd wait until he comes to you with an apology. He was the ass, in this situation."
"I agree. He was quite 'the ass,' as you say. He raised his voice at me for no reason!"
"Well, you did almost see him naked," Raven pointed out.
Starfire was silent for a moment, and then she started to giggle. The she began laughing.
"The look upon his face was quite humorous," she admitted.
Raven couldn't help but laugh with her. "I know," she giggled.
Starfire and Raven sobered after a moment, and then Starfire asked, "Raven, how long will I have to wait until he comes to apologize?"
Raven sniffed. "You know him. Once he gets over his pride, he'll come crawling back. That's if, he can look you in the eyes without blushing. I have a feeling he's going to be seeing that lingerie in his mind for quite awhile."
"I think then, that like you I will be shoving this into the back of my closet," Starfire said sadly. "It has caused so much trouble."
"I have a feeling you'll be digging it back out again," Raven said, rolling her eyes.
"Thank you, friend Raven. I will clean up my face now, and wait for Robin to come apologize."
"Glad to help," Raven said dryly, leaving with her book and resuming her reading.
Starfire changed back into her normal uniform and lounged on her bed, hoping a knock would come. After an hour and a half, she sighed, figuring Robin was avoiding her. She walked out of her room and for the second time that day collided with a certain Boy Wonder, who this time was fully dressed.
"Robin!" Starfire gasped.
"Um… hey, Star…" Robin said, rubbing the back of his neck and looking at the floor, willing the blush not to spread across his cheeks.
Starfire looked at him expectantly.
"You… wanted to talk to me?" he asked, after she did not speak.
"I thought… you might have something to say to me," she said.
"Uh…" Robin stared at her blankly.
"Like, the offering of an apology?" she prompted.
"For what?" he said, confused.
Starfire furrowed her brows, slightly miffed. "For raising your voice at me, and for the snapping of your words!"
"Oh, yeah… sorry about that. I got a little intense there," he said.
"That is it? Is that all you have to say?" she said, incredulous.
"Look, Star, I came here because I thought you had something you wanted to say to me," Robin insisted.
"I did have something to say, but I am not sure you want to hear it!" she fumed, turning to go back into her bedroom.
Robin grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. "Look, I'm sorry, all right? Please don't get angry. This afternoon has been awkward enough. I want to know what you were… doing, coming into my room… like that." The redness began to creep back into his cheeks.
At this Starfire looked sheepish. "I thought I was performing a traditional earthen custom of presenting lingerie to secure a date, but I was misinformed. Someone played a rather cruel joke upon me."
"Who?" Robin said severely. "Really, Star, I'll make sure this person pays-"
"Do not get so upset, Robin. It was merely Bumblebee, teasing me."
"Oh," he said, calming down.
They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment, each not knowing what to say.
Starfire sighed. "I have been here for several years now, and I still do not understand all earthen customs," she moaned sadly.
"Aw, Star don't feel upset," Robin said, putting a hand on her shoulder and leading her into her room to sit on her bed, where they could talk more privately than in the hallway. "It takes a long time to completely learn a whole culture. You shouldn't feel bad, and it was mean of Bumblebee to take advantage of you like that."
Starfire still didn't look convinced.
"Oh, I will never learn everything, and I may never do the dating, either." She cast her eyes sideways to look at Robin, trying to hide the sneaky smile on her lips.
Robin suddenly became rather nervous.
"Well… um… I can always help you learn stuff, you know that Star…"
"And the dating…?"
"Date…?" he gulped.
"I have never done the dating before, and it seems that it is a very prominent occurrence on your planet. It looks to be most enjoyable."
"Enjoyable, sure," Robin said, with an apprehensive frown.
"Have you not done the dating before?" Starfire enquired.
"Uh… no…" Robin said, his nervousness clearly indicating his previous non-experience.
"Do you ever wish to do the dating?" Starfire was starting to get frustrated at his obvious reluctance.
"Um… eventually…"
"Eventually?" Starfire said, disappointed. She was hoping he would take the bait, but Robin just wasn't biting.
"Why not now?"
"I… because… I…"
"Do you not like me, Robin? Because if you do not, please tell me. Then I will leave you alone, as you wish," Starfire finally burst out, tired of trying to coax him.
Robin was silent for a moment, staring at the ground and thinking. Starfire's intense green eyes were locked on him, waiting for his answer.
"Star… of course I like you…"
"You do?" she prompted again, and then added, "more than a friend?"
Robin tugged at his collar. "More than a friend. Seriously."
"Then what is the problem with doing the dating with me?" Starfire asked.
Robin exhaled deeply. "Because it's different then, you know? We're best friends, but when you take it to that next level, things are different. I have to actually impress you, or I could… lose you."
Starfire began to giggle. Robin looked slightly indignant that she would be laughing at his fears of dating.
"You do not have to impress me, Robin. I am already impressed. What is the difference between best friends, and best friends who are lovers? I can only think of one thing that changes," she said, grinning. "And it includes the wearing of lingerie."
Robin made a slight eep noise, and felt himself beginning to perspire even more.
"I am just not good at this dating and feelings stuff," he murmured, rubbing his hand over his face.
"Maybe, I could change your mind?" Starfire asked, her voice low and seductive. "Why are you afraid of me?" she leaned into him a little more.
Suddenly the room felt rather hot.
"I'm not afraid," Robin insisted.
"Then prove your courage to me. Take me out on the date," Starfire said, finally pinning him down.
Robin was not to go down easily.
"But… but…." He stared into her eyes and jumped when she lightly placed her hand over his.
"Is friend Robin not the most courageous boy I know? He can fight villains and monsters, but shies away from a mere girl." The sneaky look crossed Starfire's features again. "If you are not afraid, then you will do the date with me."
Starfire's goading finally had the effect she was looking for.
"Fine," he scowled, crossing his arms. His pride was slightly ruffled. He never backed down from a challenge. "Tomorrow night, at seven."
"And where shall we go for our date?" Starfire asked, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice.
"Um… I don't know. I've never done this before, remember?" he said.
"I believe it is customary to dine at a restaurant, and then watch a late viewing of a movie?" Starfire offered.
"Sounds good," Robin agreed, suddenly wanting to leave to sort out his thoughts. He jumped up from the bed and moved to her door. Starfire followed him.
"Robin, wait," she said, sounding concerned now. She held his arm and searched his face imploringly. She was not done drawing out his feelings for her just yet.
"Do you… do you find me attractive?"
Robin gave a breathy laugh. He could hear the uncertainty in her voice, and for the first time in this conversation she was actually opening herself up and being vulnerable to his response. He couldn't avoid her now.
"Of course, Star," he said softly, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Then he turned and waited for the motion sensor to open the door. He gave Starfire one more smile before heading to his room, where he spent the rest of the night in a storm of thoughts and emotions.
Starfire on the other hand was in gleeful bliss. After he left, she did several loops in the air with an excited squeal and rushed out of her bedroom to find Raven.
I want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed. I appreciate your comments, all of you! I always like to know what you thought about a chapter. I will hopefully get the next one out soon...