After dinner, Robin escorted Starfire out and waited for the valet to get their car.
They drove to the movie theatre and parked, then walked hand in hand to the ticket booth. They gazed at movie posters, trying to decide what movie to watch. Robin would have generally preferred the new action film that just came out, but Starfire was eyeing up a new romantic comedy. He gave in, knowing that a romantic comedy was more a date movie anyway.
Robin bought a small popcorn, being full from dinner, and two small sodas. They walked arm in arm into the movie theatre to find seats.
As the movie got started, Robin was paying more attention to the girl on his right than the show. Starfire was happily munching on popcorn and watching the movie intently. Robin just couldn't take his eyes off her. She glanced at him for a second and gave him a radiant smile, which he returned. Suddenly he had an urge to put his arm around her shoulder, in some sort of an attempt to get closer to her. This was a new feeling to him. Robin was all about personal space, and he respected Starfire's space even though she often liked to invade his. He had always restrained himself from thinking about her like that, but now the situation was different. He wanted nothing more than to get closer…
He raised his arm to rest on the back of his own seat. After a few minutes, he "stretched" and rested his arm on the back of Starfire's seat, still not touching her. Starfire looked at him sideways and smiled. She reached back and took his hand and rested it on her shoulder. Robin looked at her with a shy sheepishness and was inwardly glad that he didn't have to be bold, and that he was welcome to touch her.
Starfire tried to keep the ecstatic grin off her face, and an excited tingle raced through her stomach as she felt the weight of his warm hand on her shoulder. They watched more of the movie, and Starfire moved her head over to snuggle against Robin's shoulder. Robin suddenly felt a new sensation, one that he had definitely always suppressed, but now he felt the need more than ever. He tried but fought a losing battle with this new urge, and now Starfire was looking over at him, smiling…
Her face was so close to his; he felt her breath brush his cheek…
This was it… he leaned forward, slowly closing the gap between them…
Starfire's eyes were now half closed, waiting for the rush of new contact…
He was almost there; their lips were almost touching…
when Robin felt a buzz in his pants.
Starfire's purse on her lap began to vibrate as well.
The two hung there, aching to finish what they had started, but it was no use. Robin pulled away and dug his communicator out of his pants pocket.
"What?!" he hissed as he flipped open the communicator. Starfire leaned over and peered into the tiny screen.
"Man, you gotta help us! There's too many! I- ahck!"
"Friend Cyborg, what is it?" Starfire whispered.
"He looks like he's being attacked by… moths…" Robin said slowly, waiting for the picture to stop flinging wildly about as Cyborg fought. In a second he looked back into his communicator on his arm.
"It's Killer Moth and Kitten… they've been released. They won't call off the moths unless Star-"
The screen went blank.
Robin stood up and pulled Starfire up with him.
"Come on, we've got to go help them," Robin whispered as he walked down the row of seats to the isle. He looked back at Starfire, and then cringed.
Starfire's eyes were glowing a bright green, and she seemed to be having trouble controlling the glow of her hands as well. Several other movie viewers were glancing over at them in annoyance.
"Let's go Star…" Robin said, leading her out the door by her shoulders. "They're not far away; the communicator located them on 2nd street."
As soon as they exited the theatre Starfire picked up Robin and zipped the two streets over where the battle was taking place.
Hundreds of moths were circling around Cyborg as he was blasting his sonic cannon all over the place, but having little success.
Starfire and Robin landed in the middle of the street.
"Cyborg! Where's Beast Boy and Raven?!" Robin shouted over the deafening noise.
"Over there! Beast Boy's hurt!" Cyborg pointed. Robin punched his fist and turned to glare at the three villains, Fang and Killer Moth having returned to their posts beside Kitten.
Kitten noticed them and pressed the button on her remote.
The moths immediately quieted down and flew in a mass behind the three.
Raven hobbled out of the alley supporting Beast Boy under the arm. Beast Boy was an even more sickening shade of green and looked seriously ill.
"Friend Beast Boy! What has happened?!" Starfire cried, rushing over to the two. She cupped his face with concern and wiped at some of the blood still on his forehead.
"He's got a concussion, Starfire. Killer Moth hit him and he collided with the wall pretty hard."
Kitten watched the display between her rivals and finally decided to break in.
"Well well well," she sneered. "Look who decided to finally show her ugly face."
Starfire turned towards the girl with a menacing growl.
"Ugh," Kitten recoiled. "What Robbie-poo sees in you I'll never understand," she grinned. "But that's right… Daddy, Fangie and I are here for a little deserved revenge."
"Revenge for what?" Robin said.
"For ruining my Junior Prom!" she shrieked. "And that callous ugly little bimbo ruined my dress!" she pointed at Starfire.
Starfire charged up her hands, and grit her teeth.
"Star," Robin cautioned, holding a hand in front of her.
Starfire pushed it away.
"Leave them to me," she growled. "Hold this," she commanded Robin as she thrust her wrap and purse into his hands. She walked up closer to the three villains and pointed at Kitten.
"You are the most vial, spoiled, odious, detestable, revolting, and hideously repulsive gremplork I have ever seen!"
Kitten's sneer melted off her face. Though she may not have known what a "gremplork" was, the other words got through to her.
"You have injured my friends, attacked our city," Starfire said in a low and menacing voice as she slowly began rising into the air, starbolts fully charged, "… and you are ruining my date."
What happened next went down in Teen Titan history.
Robin, Cyborg, Raven, and concussed Beast Boy watched on in amazement as Starfire gracefully dodged both Fang's sticky projectiles and Kitten's. Starfire immediately hurled a stinging starbolt at Fang's eyes, and the hybrid went down squealing in pain. Next she aimed for Killer Moth, and fought a hand to hand combat, kicking him first in the stomach, winding him, then punching him in the face with all her Tamaranian strength.
"That is for friend Beast Boy!!" she shouted. Kitten shot a blast of gray web at that moment, trying to hit Starfire, but the girl expertly flew out of the way and the mass hit Killer Moth square in the face as he fell off his flying beast.
Fang had recovered by this time, and Starfire turned back to deal with him. He speared and jabbed with his legs, but Starfire grabbed them all and put him in a hold, bending his legs painfully. Kitten tried again to fire at Star, but just as the bolt of paralyzing ray was about to hit her, she quickly shifted Fang in front of her as a shield. Fang was hit with the ray and was stunned. Starfire dropped him painfully on his face, where he stayed down.
Having neatly eliminated both of Kitten's comrades, Starfire turned to face the villainous teen.
Kitten by now was rather frightened, as both her father and her boyfriend were defeated and lying in a heap on the street. She had depended on them for protection, but now she was alone as one enraged alien girl fixed her glowing green eyes on her.
Kitten fell backwards on her moth, dropping her gun and the remote to control the moths with a shake. Starfire shot a star bolt and destroyed the remote, causing the moths to mutate back to larva. Starfire then flew up right into Kitten's face and grabbed her by the collar.
"I have had enough of you," she said severely, and dropped her to the street. Kitten fell with a thud and a plaintive cry. Starfire picked up Kitten's gun and covered her adversary in sticky gray web. Kitten screamed in disgust, and struggled to free herself, but the more she tossed and turned, the more covered and stuck she became. Starfire smiled a rather creepy victory smile for her, and broke the gun in half with her hands just as the police cars and wagon came to take them away.
Starfire calmly landed and turned to walk back towards her teammates, who were all staring at her in shock.
"Starfire… how…?" Robin stuttered.
"Damn, girl…" Cyborg muttered.
"And in a dress and heels," Raven said dryly.
"Thank you, friends. I am most happy that we were victorious."
"You mean you were victorious. We just sat around and watched!" Robin said. "Do not mess with an angry Tamaranian girl!"
"Thanks for comin' and helpin' us all out," Cyborg said. "Kitten said she wouldn't restrain the moths until y'all showed up."
"Yeah, this is all good. But um… Beast Boy needs urgent medical attention, now," Raven spoke up.
"Right. We unfortunately have the T-Car. What's the best way to get him back home, Raven?" Robin asked.
"Obviously Beast Boy is in no condition to fly himself back home. I can probably get us back there in a couple of teleports."
"Good then. Check his vitals, make sure there's no severe brain damage or harmful effects, and message me his condition as soon as it's known, okay?" Robin said.
"Will do," Cyborg said, bodily picking up Beast Boy from Raven's arms. Raven didn't want to admit it, but for some reason… even if she was somewhat smaller than Beast Boy, she had wanted to be the one to carry him…
"Well, everything's under control now," Robin said.
"Take good care of Beast Boy," Starfire said gently, rubbing his head with concern.
Starfire flew Robin back to the movie theatre as Raven teleported herself, Beast Boy and Cyborg back to the tower.
"Oh," Starfire said sadly. "We missed the ending of the movie."
"That's all right, Star. We can rent it when it comes out on dvd," Robin said, putting his arm around her shoulder and leading her to the T-Car. He opened the door for her and went around to the driver's side.
"Well? What do you want to do now?" he asked, putting the key in the ignition, but not starting the car.
"Perhaps we could go… hmmm…" she said, not sure herself.
"Wanna take a walk in the park?" Robin asked. He wasn't quite ready to go home just yet, even if he was worried about Beast Boy. But he knew that Raven and Cyborg were the best around to deal with his medical emergency, and that Beast Boy was in good hands.
"That sounds wonderful," Starfire said, smiling.
Robin started the car and headed towards the park.
"How is he?" Raven asked, staring up at the massive computer screen with Cyborg. Beast Boy was lying peacefully on a bed in the medical bay, sleeping. Electrodes were hooked up to his head and chest, and Raven and Cyborg were monitoring him carefully.
"He's gonna be okay. Moderate concussion. He might not feel like himself for a couple of days, but he'll be fine long term. Brain waves are all normal, so there's no permanent damage."
Raven walked back to Beast Boy. She stared down at his peaceful sleeping face, and then realized they hadn't washed the blood from his head. She went to the sink and found a washcloth, wet it with lukewarm water and then gently wiped the dried blood away. Her healing power had stopped the bleeding, but there was still a nasty abrasion on his skin. She got some bandages and gauze and dressed his wound.
His skin felt cool. Raven got an extra blanket and covered him up, and then gently rubbed his cheek. Then she pulled her hand back and wondered why she had just made such a tender gesture towards Beast Boy…
'Worry… worry and guilt, because he wouldn't have been hit if he hadn't saved me…' she rationalized. That's why she was acting like that… right?
Cyborg came up and rested a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be all right. Let's let him rest for now."
Raven nodded, and sat by him for the rest of the evening. Little did she know that while she had written off her strange feelings for the moment, a new emotion had surfaced in Nevermore…
Yay! New chapter. And just to let everyone know, things are about to heat up... so if a little bit of graphic makin' out scenes aren't your thing... you have been warned. :)