Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Do I gotta wear a dress?" complained Pantha.

"Couldn't find a pantsuit in your size on short notice, 'm afraid," Argent told her apologetically. "But I found a dress I think will suit you." She sidled a teasing glance the other girl's way. "Red Star'll like it too," she said.

Pantha mumbled something under her breath, hunkering down into her shoulders with a blush. "Fine. But if it's pink I'm running the other way."

"I wouldn't dream of putting you in pink, love," Argent reassured her.

-TT-

"Not to rush y'all, but the bus is leaving in three minutes," Herald said, twirling his horn idly as he stood next to the open portal.

"Argent said they'd be right out," Hot Spot replied. He glanced at his watch and sighed. "'course that's a relative term when it comes to her," he grumbled.

A light "Ahem!" came from the doorway.

"Oh hey, you're here," said Hot Spot cheerfully, his irritation melting away in an instant. "New dress?" he guessed.

She grinned and struck a pose like a model. "You like?"

He looked her up and down, appreciating the slinky red number she'd chosen for the event. "Suits you," he told her.

Red Star, meanwhile, was staring open-mouthed at Pantha. The girl wore a short black dress—nothing fancy, but it hugged her curves perfectly and showed off her long, stocky legs. Argent had paired the dress with some close-fitting calf-length boots and tied Pantha's hair back in a loose ponytail. The overall effect was, in his opinion, stunning.

Pantha smirked at his continued staring. "Don't hurt yourself, Tiger," she quipped.

The Russian shook himself out of his stupor. "My apologies," he said. "I am not used to seeing you in such… attire."

"Blame Argent. She's the one who thought you'd like it."

He paid a glance towards her, already tucked under Hot Spot's arm and heading for the portal opening with him.

"She was correct," he murmured softly.

Chapter Text

Beast Boy had wondered why Raven had only smirked and told him to go ahead when he'd bet Cyborg he could drink the whole ketchup bottle. She and Sarah were perched on the edges of their seats, watching in amusement as he chugged the bottle.

"Blech!" he spat after the first mouthful. "This place's ketchup is awful. Way too spicy!" he complained. He could swear his whole mouth was burning.

"That's because it's not ketchup," Raven said, smirking, crossing her arms and sitting back.

"Huh?" Beast Boy said, confused.

Sarah, who had been giggling behind her hand the past minute, pointed towards the bottle. "You've been drinking tabasco this whole time, Beast Boy," she finally managed.

Beast Boy gawped and looked closer at the little red bottle he'd been chugging out of, noticing for the first time the neat black letters that read: Tabasco Sauce—Extra Spicy!

He stared at the bottle a moment and then became acutely aware of the heat riding across his tongue. "Oh man…" he groaned. His eyes widened and he grabbed for Cyborg's glass of water and immediately dumped it into his mouth. It cooled the fire for only a moment, but then the burning sensation was back with a vengeance. He held his hands over his mouth as his whole face heated, but then had to leap up, flailing madly in a panic and running up and down the aisle.

"Ow ow hot hot hot hot HOT! I'M ON FIRE! RAVEN, HELP!" he cried.

Raven shook her head and levitated one of the bread rolls over to him. Beast Boy grabbed it out of the air and immediately began scarfing it down.

"Man, you are evil, Rae," Cyborg commented, impressed.

"He's the one who picked up the bottle," she said with a shrug. "All I did was not mention that it wasn't ketchup."

The half-robot shook his head, chuckling.

"Don't laugh yet," Sarah told him, sitting back in her seat. She nudged Raven with her shoulder, shooting her a mischievous, conspiratorial look. "At least, not until you've seen the spider," she finished.

"What spi—" Cyborg glanced down into his soup bowl in time to see a large black shape scuttle across the edge. He let out a girly shriek, leaping up onto his seat and clinging to the edges of the booth for dear life.

Sarah put her head down on the table, laughing uncontrollably, and banging the wood with her fist. Raven gently withdrew her shadow projection back into herself.

"Now that one," she said with a chortle. "That one was evil."

Beast Boy rejoined them then, munching the bread calmly. "And affsome," he said around mouthfuls of crumbs. "Good onf, Raffen," he told her, taking his seat.

"Can't take all the credit," Raven said, nodding towards Sarah, who had managed to raise her head from the table at last and grinned smugly at Raven's words.

Cyborg was beginning to peel himself down off the seat now, and he too was laughing. "Man, you really got me there," he said, sliding down into his seat.

Sarah reached across and took his hand. "Couldn't resist. Sorry. But hey, at least we know we're not going to go see Radioactive Spiders 2 after lunch today," she teased.

He huffed. "I didn't want to see it anyway," he mumbled, trying to save face as the table dissolved into giggles.

Chapter Text

Beast Boy bit his tongue in concentration, flexing his wrist and aiming carefully. He tossed the ring with a small motion.

It clinked against two different bottle lids and ricocheted, bouncing off.

"Dangit!" Beast Boy exclaimed in frustration. He passed another five to the booth manager, trading him for three more rings. "All right, this time."

Raven, standing off to the side with her arms crossed, shook her head with a sigh. "You know, you really don't have to do this," she told him. "I have enough junk in my room."

"Don't be silly," Beast Boy told her, looking over his shoulder at her with a grin. "What fun is a carnival if you don't play any of the games? Besides," he said, turning back to the bottles, "I promised you I was going to win you a stuffed animal, and that's what I'm going to do."

His declaration did not translate to better luck on his next throw, which clattered between two different bottles. Beast Boy frowned, pursing his lips.

Raven almost chuckled. "All right, then. Knock yourself out," she said, shrugging.

Beast Boy squinted and took precise aim. He flicked the ring forward. It landed square around one of the bottles, circling the neck before settling down onto the body.

"Ha!" he whooped in triumph.

Raven double-took. "Wow…" she breathed, leaning forward to look closer. "You did it."

He beamed at her. "Did you ever doubt me?" he teased.

"Only towards the end," she joked back.

The booth owner scooted his stepladder over to his row of prizes. "Take yer pick son," he said cheerfully. "How 'bout this one eh?" he offered, holding up a large brown teddy bear.

Beast Boy shook his head vigorously. "That one," he said, pointing up into the rafters.

The booth owner squinted. "The black one? Ya sure?"

The changeling's pearly whites flashed confidently. "Positive."

The owner shrugged and got down the stuffed animal, handing it to the changeling, who turned and presented it with a flourish to his girlfriend.

"Ta da!"

Raven's eyes widened as she took it. It was a black stuffed bear, a small bow painted with skulls attached to one ear, mouth stitched into a permanent frown and a small plush book attached between its hands.

"It's adorable," she blurted, staring into its beady eyes with something akin to affection.

"Thought of you when I saw it," Beast Boy said. "I figured it'd suit you way more than… I dunno a unicorn or something."

The corners of her mouth turned up wryly. "For the record, I would have accepted one. Just to humor you, you understand."

"Of course!" he acknowledged.

She held up the bear. "But thanks," she told him. "This is… perfect." Raven leaned forward to put a hand on his shoulder and kiss his cheek. "And I appreciate all the work you put in to get it for me."

He slid an arm around her waist. "So… you hungry?" he asked, winking playfully.

She tucked her bear under one arm, her other hand drifting up his back. "Starving, actually."

He waved a hand forward, towards the food court in the distance. "Shall we, Milady?"

"After you, Handsome," she drawled in response.

The two walked off, attached hip to hip, under the light of the twinkling stars.

Chapter Text

Raven smoothed out the silken front of her dress, looking anxiously at her reflection in the mirror.

It was wrong.

She looked nice enough—the girl staring back at her was smartly clad in a black satin dress that hugged her curves, cutting off above her knees and pale shapely calves, simple silver jewelry adorning her neck and dangling from her ears—but she couldn't shake the unease she felt. The girl in the mirror was too pale, too dark-haired, too gloomy-looking to compare to the sunny, bright, blonde specter whose image she could almost see superimposed over her own.

I'm nothing like her, she thought miserably.

Her hand drifted up to grab a lock of hair and she pulled on it softly, staring at the stranger that was her reflection.

Her empathic senses buzzed even before she heard the cheery greeting of Starfire at her open door.

"Are you ready, Raven? Beast Boy has emerged from his own room and is getting quite anxious," Starfire told her.

"I'm... I'm ready. I think," Raven said, lowering her hand and turning towards her friend. "Do I look okay?"

Starfire clapped her hands over her mouth with a squeal. "Oh Raven!" she gushed. "You look beautiful!"

Raven dropped her eyes, semi-turning back towards the mirror. "Right," she mumbled.

The glee slipped from Starfire's expression, replaced by a look of concern. "What is wrong?" she asked, stepping into the room.

"Nothing," Raven deflected.

Shaking her head, Starfire came up to her, reaching out to grasp both of Raven's hands gently. "It is not nothing. You are doing the avoiding of eye contact."

Always perceptive, that Starfire. Always knew when something was wrong. Raven sometimes wondered how she could do it without being an empath.

She bit her lip, trying to formulate the words to explain her feelings and realizing how silly it sounded in her head. "...It's stupid," she said.

Starfire's eyes gleamed warmly, supportive. "Tell me," she urged.

Raven sighed before gathering her thoughts. "Are you sure this is okay?" she asked. Making a shrugging gesture with her shoulders she went on, "I mean... him, me... us?"

Azar, was she seriously asking Starfire if it was okay that she was dating Beast Boy? The alien princess had known about her feelings for the changeling longer than anyone.

"He asked if you would enter into a romantic relationship with him and you consented, correct?" Starfire asked, just to help clarify the situation for both of them. Her green eyes wrinkled. "Are you having second thoughts?" she questioned.

"No, just..." Raven sighed again, eyes on the floor, feeling an embarrassed heat beginning to flush through her face. "I'm starting to wonder... why me? I don't look or act anything—I mean—" She caught herself before she could finish that thought and switched gears to something more general, less... situationally specific. "Am I really his type?" she wondered.

"Ohhhh..." Starfire voiced, her head nodding in understanding. "You are worrying about his previous romantic feelings for Terra."

Raven's shoulders slumped. As usual, Starfire could see right through to the heart of the matter.

"Yeah. That's pretty much it," she admitted.

Starfire shook her head long-sufferingly. "Raven... it does you no good to make comparisons." She squeezed Raven's hands tighter, and the empath looked up finally, into the Tamaranian's kind expression. Starfire's voice rang with sincerity as she said, "You are you. Terra was Terra. She will always be a part of his past, and you cannot displace his feelings for her. But there is plenty of room in Beast Boy's heart for new feelings—his feelings for you—to grow."

Raven felt her throat tighten. She wanted to say something in return, but the words choked her, stopping up her airways a moment before she coughed pointedly to clear them.

"That's... I..." she stammered.

Thank you, Starfire. C'mon it was three words, why were they giving her such a hard time?

Her awkward moment was cut short and she was spared further embarrassment when Cyborg's voice called out from the doorway.

"Dang girl," Cyborg crowed in appreciation. Both girls turned to see him leaning against the door frame with a cheeky grin. "You look good," he complimented. "What's the hold up? You gettin' cold feet?" he teased her.

"She is having the feelings of inadequacy in light of Beast Boy's previous girlfriend," Starfire explained with a little smile.

Raven stepped back, letting go of Starfire's hands. "Well, I was," she corrected. She met their eyes with a smile of her own. "Now I think I'm okay," she told them.

Cyborg nodded in approval. "Good to hear it. 'cause it's nothing you need to worry about," he assured her. "The little dude adores you, Rae." He gestured over his shoulder with his chin. "Now come on, you're keeping him waiting."

With more confidence now, and without giving the mirror a second glance, Raven patted down her dress one last time, and joined her friends as they walked her to the common room where her date waited.

Chapter Text

"May we... hold hands?"

It was such a simple request, but one that Robin was only too happy to grant.

She had whispered it as the officers—the real police this time, not Daizo's personal cadre of troopers—pulled up, and all the while as they roped off the scene, gathered pictures and physical evidence, took down the Titans' statements, and led the disgraced commander away in handcuffs, they had been attached so, palm to palm, her warm orange fingers entwined with his.

They held hands as they showed the officers inside the wrecked publishing facility, held hands as the mayor was rushed in to apologize and congratulate them, held hands as they were put up in a prestigious Tokyo hotel, checked in in the wee hours of the morning.

They were still holding hands when the bright yellow sunlight slanted across their faces and the rumpled white bedcovers.

It tickled hot on Robin's right side as he lay just looking into her face, delirious with happiness. Nothing had happened—they were both still fully clothed, atop the covers rather than under them—but it still felt like something in their relationship had been consummated. He had to remind himself, over and over again, that last night had been real. That it had happened. That she was his. That he was hers.

His thumb brushed her knuckles. Once she'd put her hand in his, he hadn't wanted to let go. Almost couldn't let go. It just... felt right.

Her eyes peeked open, and she smiled. Robin's heart fluttered. She was even more beautiful like this—eyes glowing deep emerald in the morning sunlight, red hair splayed across the pillows—than she'd been when he'd kissed her in the rain.

He returned the smile. "Good morning," he murmured with lazy affection, leaning across to plant a kiss on her forehead.

She giggled lightly.

"Did you get any sleep?" Robin asked her.

Starfire shook her head. "Not the wink," she said.

"Me neither," Robin admitted. He gazed into her eyes, whispering reverently, "It feels surreal. I almost... I almost can't believe it happened."

"It did happen," Starfire assured him. The smile on her face was heart-melting, full of so much joy. "We are together. I am—" She laughed softly, her happiness overflowing. "—your girlfriend."

"Yeah..." Robin laughed in turn, breathlessly. Shaking himself before he completely lost composure, he lifted his head, pushing up with his left arm into a sitting position. "We'd better get up. The others will be wondering about us." He kissed the back of her hand gently as she peeled herself off the bed.

They made their way to the door, still holding hands, and exited out into the shared living room of the penthouse suite the mayor had arranged for them. Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were already up, gathered around the small kitchen table and nibbling from a platter ostensibly provided to them by room service.

"We-ell!" Cyborg drawled the moment he saw them, a huge cheesy grin on his face. "How are my little lovebirds this morning?" he asked.

Robin smiled again. "We're fine, Cyborg. No worse for the wear."

Beast Boy popped up beside them, sniffing curiously. "So... did you guys do it or what?" he asked.

Starfire tilted her head. "Do... it?"

Robin made a face, resisting the urge to smack Beast Boy in the shoulder. "We've been a couple less than twelve hours, Beast Boy."

"Well yeah, but I figured with how repressed you've been you guys would've totally—"

"Don't be gross, Beast Boy," Raven chided from where she sat, nose buried in the book of criminal history. "They don't have to rush into things if they're not ready for it."

The changeling shrugged. "Well at least tell me you're taking her on a date or something."

Robin glanced over at Starfire. "You think we have time?"

"The medal ceremony isn't until eleven," Raven said, putting her book down for a moment. "Conceivably you could have time to do something, if it was quick."

The Boy Wonder frowned, squeezing Starfire's hand a little tighter. "I wouldn't feel right about that. This..." He looked at his girlfriend significantly. "...This is special. I don't want to be sloppy about it." He looked around at the rest of them. "Besides," he said, "isn't anyone else eager to go home?"

"Well..." said Cyborg.

Starfire ducked her head sheepishly. "I am feeling the bit homesick."

"But we barely even got to do anything!" whined Beast Boy. "We're in one of the coolest countries in the world! Why the heck would you want to go home?!"

"He says, to the boy who spent half the night in a prison cell," Raven snarked.

A beat.

"...Fair enough," Beast Boy slumped in defeat.

-TT-

It was towards the end of the medal ceremony though, that Robin changed his mind. Going home meant facing the mundane. The routine. Possibly having to make a very awkward call to Gotham to do damage control.

No... if he could linger just a little longer, with her, here, away from all the pressures and stress of hero life... he decided he wouldn't mind postponing the trip home.

Beast Boy seemed happy enough about it, dragging Cyborg off on a quest to "Collect one figure of each Super Mega Mecha Sentai Five character that has ever existed!", as he put it, almost immediately after recovering from Raven's wallop. The empath disappeared off somewhere in the excitement that followed, giving Robin and Starfire a private smile before she split from them.

The two teens wandered off the stage, following their security escorts silently, shyly blushing at each other.

Starfire was the first to break the companionable quiet.

"What shall we do now?" she asked.

Robin squeezed her hand again. "Beast Boy's right. I need to take you on a date. Only..." He rubbed a hand through the back of his hair sheepishly. "I'm not exactly sure where to go."

The Tamaranian princess grinned broadly, offering him her other hand. "Well then," she said, "follow me."

And like that, they were off, leaving their security detail far behind them. Robin lost count of how many streets and alleyways they went down, stumbling every so often as he struggled to keep up with Starfire, who delighted in everything she saw, or heard, or touched.

It was a dizzying rush, and he was bombarded from every side with sensory overload. He pulled Starfire onto a smaller quiet side street, lined with cherry blossom trees, in order to escape it for a few moments.

Petals dropped off the branches, fluttering lightly to the ground, or landing in Starfire's hair and sticking there, making her look like some kind of fair spring fae. Robin reached up, brushing a few petals out of her bangs.

She giggled, plucking one from his hair as well.

"Would you like to take the rowboat again?" she asked.

"Actually," he said, feeling his stomach rumble, "I'm getting a little hungry. Why don't we take a break for lunch?" he suggested.

"Very well," Starfire agreed, already scanning signs for an eatery near them.

They passed a few that, though they interested Starfire, seemed a little out of Robin's budget. The mayor had offered them a cash reward and more than once tried to persuade them to let him treat them, but Robin had politely turned down every offer, preferring instead to keep just a small amount of converted currency to pay for meals and snacks.

Finding a restaurant within their price range, she tugged Robin's arm, and they crossed the busy street to it.

Soon, they were seated across from each other, kneeling at a low wooden table in a pleasantly-lit, casual dining room, filled with friendly servers and curious patrons that glanced at them every so often.

Robin tried not to feel self-conscious as he nibbled on something sweet that he couldn't identify, but very much liked the taste of.

The server stopped by and poured more hot water into Starfire's little porcelain teacup. She nodded at him as he was straightening up.

"Arigato," she said to him.

The server nodded in turn with a smile before moving on to the next table.

Robin watched Starfire from across the table, slightly jealous of how comfortable she looked being here, how at ease and confidently she spoke.

He reached across and tapped her wrist.

"Teach me some," he said.

She wrapped her hands around her cup and glanced at him curiously. "Japanese?" she guessed.

"Bruce never really got around to that one," Robin explained. "I'm conversational in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Mandarin, and Russian." He ticked off the languages on his hand. "And before I—" He cleared his throat awkwardly. "—left, we were working on getting my Arabic up. But Japanese never seemed all that high a priority to him."

"Well..." Starfire bit her lip, thinking a moment. "Hmm. Where to begin?"

She was pensive and lost in her thoughts for a second or two, and then she straightened up with a smile and a gleam in her eyes.

"Aishiteru," she sounded out for him.

"What does that mean?" he asked, though the way she'd said it and the way it made his heart feel weirdly warm gave him an idea.

"'I love you'," she whispered.

Robin's heart did little flips inside his chest and he was almost dizzy for a moment or two. It was still hard to believe they could say it so freely now.

"Ai... shteru..." he pronounced awkwardly.

"Aishiteru," Starfire corrected gently.

"Aishiteru," Robin repeated, getting it right this time. He grinned. "Give me another one."

"Konnichiwa. Good day," she said.

"Konnichiwa," Robin recited back.

They ran through a few more simple phrases—"How are you?", "What is the time?", "Are you okay?", "My name is"—while they finished their lunch. Standing up from the table, they linked hands again, leaving a generous tip for their server as they departed.

Their next stop was a bustling shopping district lined with shops on either side of the street. Starfire pulled him into shops seemingly at random, chasing whatever she happened to be most fascinated by in the moment.

After about an hour they wound up in a small, family-owned shop that seemed to specialize in traditional Japanese clothing. The young clerk behind the counter squealed excitedly when they entered; from the rapid-fire conversation she had with Starfire and an older boy who appeared to be her brother it seemed she was apparently a fan. The energetic girl practically dragged Starfire from rack to rack, begging her to try on this or that, and Starfire gushed appreciatively over each item. Robin could only really follow the gist of their conversation by the tone and gestures, and picked up stray familiar words here and there.

He found himself sitting in a chair outside the fitting rooms, nervously tapping his fingers together, with the clerk's older brother standing nearby and watching his sister's antics with Starfire in amusement.

Robin could hear the two girls giggling behind the curtain. He scuffed the floor with his boot, an anxious pace in his pulse.

He'd played out this scenario before, for many a trip to the mall with Starfire in the past, but always as a friend. Never as a boyfriend. Was that why it felt so different this time? Why it made his heart crash against his ribcage in anticipation?

The young clerk peeked out, gesturing at Robin and her brother to pay attention. She drew the curtain aside with a flourish.

Starfire stepped out and for a second Robin forgot how to breathe.

She was swathed from head to toe in soft pink silk, with silver-threaded embroidery running in organic patterns all over it. A wide sash of darker, heavier material belted at her waist. The sleeves draped low from her arms and the dress fit comfortably around her gentle curves, making her a picture of feminine elegance. Even now the young clerk was completing the picture, pulling Starfire's hair back and up, twisting it into a loose bun and sticking ebony hairpins into it.

All he could do was stare at her in dazed admiration. He only shook out of it when he felt the store clerk's brother nudging him in the ribs with his elbow, in a teasing, congratulatory manner.

"Not bad eh? Eh?" he joked in lightly accented English.

Robin ducked his face, blushing and unable to hide his goofy grin. Getting a hold of himself, he slipped his wallet from his belt. "How much?" he asked.

The store clerk waved her hands, speaking rapidly and excitedly.

"It is a gift," Starfire translated. "She just wishes for us to tell everyone where we got it."

Robin stowed his wallet and stood up from his seat. "Deal," he agreed.

He offered his arm to Starfire and she slid comfortably up against his side.

He could hear the clerk squealing behind them as they departed.

-TT-

The blades of the grassy knoll tickled beneath their hands. Starfire leaned her head on his shoulder, one of her hairpins gently poking his cheek. The night breeze was chill and crisp, and smelled of rich rejuvenated earth and moist air. White stars glimmered in the navy blue twilight sky, and brilliant bursts of color and fire popped against their backdrop.

It seemed so long ago that he'd watched fireworks with her. The Ferris wheel at the pier-side carnival felt like the distant past. He hadn't known he was in love with her then—or perhaps he had and just didn't want to admit it. All he'd known was that he liked being with her, that her smile warmed something inside him, and that he cared about her being happy and safe. He'd wanted to protect her from the very start, and the more time he'd spent with her, the more he never wanted to leave her side.

He should have taken the chance as soon as he'd realized he loved her. It should have been like this right after they'd gotten home from being stranded on that planet where they're had to confront their feelings. All that time wasted, while he held back, hesitated, made excuses, and pushed her away.

He'd been such a fool.

Starfire sighed in contentment, closing her eyes and snuggling into him.

"I wish never to forget this," she whispered.

His hand curled around hers. "I'll remind you. Every day," he promised, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She giggled. Robin was reminded all over again how wonderful the sound of her laughter was.

Pop! Pop! the fireworks burst in the distance, casting a rainbow arrow of colors across their faces. After a moment or two, Starfire stirred.

"Should we return to the room?" she inquired.

"Not just yet," he murmured. "Let me... let me have this. Just a little longer." He wanted to stay in that moment forever really. But he could be happy with five more minutes.

Starfire nodded. "Very well," she said.

So they lingered, caught up in the beginning of something beautiful.

Chapter Text

A familiar filtered voice caught her ear underneath the pounding base and the whooping of the crowd.

"Hey."

Blackfire turned with a grin to see Red X leaning up against the bar. "Hey yourself," she greeted. She put her hands on her hips. "What brings you here?"

"Just liberated a suitcase's worth of the latest high-tech devices from their vault at STAR Labs. Decided to treat myself for a job well done," he explained, tipping a shotglass in her direction. "You?"

"Came for the party, stayed for the booze," she said, shrugging. "I was actually getting ready to leave after this song." Her violet eyes slid towards him slyly. "But I could be persuaded to stay… given the right company."

Red X grinned beneath his mask and patted the stool next to him. "Take a seat, babe. Unless you'd prefer somewhere a little more intimate?" he asked. "The VIP lounge maybe?"

Blackfire raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You can get us in?"

The thief waved a wad of cash before her eyes. "With a little palm-greasing, naturally."

"Careful where you flash that, handsome," she teased. She reached forward and draped her arms around his neck and shoulders, sliding her body against his chest. "Someone might try to take it from you," she purred in a husky whisper.

"I always relish a challenge…" he replied.

-TT-

Moments later—after slipping the doorman a few hundreds—the two were ensconced in the privacy of the VIP lounge and had taken up residence on a couch in a dark corner of the room. Aside from one or two barflys at their stools and the waiter behind the counter, there was no one to witness or interrupt as their mouths devoured each other's, their hands pawing, their limbs entwined. Blackfire nestled him into her as she lay on her back on the couch, her hands drifting up to tug at the edges of his mask, pull it up further than his mouth.

He caught her wrists, breaking off their passion for a moment.

"We talked about this, doll," he chided playfully. "I've got a mysterious reputation to keep."

"No one here's going to know you," she protested.

"Never hurts to be cautious."

She pouted, jutting out her bottom lip. "You're no fun."

"I'm tons of fun," he laughed. "You just can't handle my beautiful face. You're not ready for it, cutie."

"Your beautiful face is going to have a new dent in it if you don't put that mouth of yours to good use," she warned.

The corners of said mouth pulled upwards. "What'd you have in mind?" he asked.

She grabbed his hands, guiding them to rest on her breasts. "You're a smart boy, handsome," she trilled. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"Come on," he breathed, lowering his face to the nape of her neck and planting sucking kisses on her skin. "Don't I even get a hint?"

"Only if you're good," she replied, even as her head tilted back and her eyes closed.

A low growl rumbled through his chest. "So we're playing that kind of game huh?" His hand brushed along her thigh and drifted up under her skirt.

A soft gasp escaped her. His gloved fingers were so… gentle…

"Am I getting warmer?" he murmured, lips brushing against her ear.

She responded by opening her legs, wrapping them around his thighs and drawing him in. "You're getting the general idea…" She grabbed his head, pulling him to her for a long, hot, feverish kiss. His hands combed through her hair as she clutched handfuls of the back of his mask.

When he managed to pull back finally, he leaned on one elbow, resting his body across hers. "I think I know the answer," he quipped.

"Hmm?" Blackfire teased.

"It was Red X, in the lounge, with the dark-haired Tamaranian bombshell."

She laughed, but it turned into whimpering grunts as he leaned down to trail wet kisses down her stomach. He shifted lower and lower, caressing her legs, and soon her moans of delight were drifting up from their corner.

Over at the bar a woman looked up from her drink with her mouth puckered, her face souring with revulsion. She shot an incredulous look towards the corner.

"Seriously?!"

Chapter Text

The clinking glass, soft music, and polite laughter of the party was suddenly—violently—interrupted by an explosion of green energy.

Screams and shouts rang throughout the room, as a section of wall was blown out, rubble falling from the ceiling and dust filling the hole.

When it cleared, it revealed two teenagers. A boy and a girl. The boy had dark hair that he wore spiked up. He wore all red and black, and a mask covered his eyes.

The red-haired girl was unmasked, but her eyes were glowing with an eerie green light. The same light curled around her clenched fist, as she floated in the air.

The boy smirked, and stepped forward with a dramatic flair of his cape.

"Sorry to interrupt your lovely evening, folks," he said. He placed a hand on his own chest. "Allow me to introduce us. My name is Renegade." His hand swept to indicate the floating girl. "And this lovely young lady is my partner Starfire." He pulled a sharp projectile from his belt, twirling it idly. "We'd love to stick around and enjoy a dance or two, but unfortunately we're on a tight schedule. So here's the deal: the missus here has, let's just say, expensive taste in jewelry. And you know what they say, happy wife, happy life."

He brandished the projectile at the nearest knot of people, who shied back.

"So we'll be taking those jewels."

The blonde in the center of the knot clutched a hand over her necklace—a famous diamond-encrusted number worth millions, and the reason the two supervillains had come that night.

"I'd like to point out that my girlfriend also has a superheated ball of plasma pointed at your head. You can hand 'em over easy, or hard. Your choice," Renegade threatened.

Reluctantly, the blonde unclasped the necklace and held it out for Renegade, who took it with a flourish and grinned.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

Starfire took her cue to throw down another starbolt at their feet. The resulting flash and smoke and confusion covered their escape.

-TT-

The night air was chilly on their skin as they made their way up to the top of the high rise, breathless with the thrill of their heist.

"Told you it'd be easy," said Renegade, as he hauled himself up the last few feet onto the roof.

Starfire was practically dancing in the air. "That was most thrilling!" she squealed. "Truly our best of the robberies yet!"

"Any chance you'll retire soon, then?" asked a voice from the other side of the rooftop.

The pair of them scowled as they faced off against a masked hero in a close-fitting cowl with a long cape.

"Should've known you'd be here," growled Renegade. "Leave it to Bruce Wayne to hit up the same party we did."

Starfire's fists curled tight, charging two starbolts that she held at the ready. "You will not hinder us!" she shouted at the black figure.

The blank white eyes of the cowl turned towards the boy, softening, looking plaintive.

"Robin, please," he called, surprisingly gentle. "Stop this. Come home."

"It's Renegade now," the boy formerly known as Robin snapped. Behind the mask he was glaring furiously. "And I never had a home. Not with you."

"You leave me no choice," said the man, taking his own bladed projectile from his utility belt.

The teens charged first, and the skirmish was soon pitched and intense. The man in the cowl was soon put on the defensive. Robin—Renegade, he corrected—he could counter easily enough. But Batman hadn't met Starfire yet, and though his analytic mind was working overtime, it still needed a few minutes to get a handle on her skills and powers and come up with countermeasures.

They took those few minutes to rush in and rush out, breaking off the battle once they'd pushed him to the edge of the roof. He watched them fleeing onto the neighboring rooftop, recovering from the last onslaught of Starfire's starbolts, burning on his kevlar. The slam of a metal door echoed in the night, and multiple armed security guards swarmed onto the roof, aiming their weapons.

In spite of everything, Batman started forward with a hand raised desperately.

"No, don't!" he cried.

Bang!

The shot hit the receding back of the boy and felled him. Starfire gave a horrified shriek, stopping her flight at once to drop to the ground and pick him up. Bullets pinged off the glass and concrete, whizzed by her head, as she clutched him close to her chest and took off again, not stopping until she was a distant speck on the horizon.

Batman slumped his shoulders in resignation and defeat. From the path of the bullet and the place it had struck, he knew it was non-lethal. Still dangerous, but with quick medical action Robin would survive.

His former protege had escaped for another day.

-TT-

Blurry eyes blinked into focus, the image of Starfire's worried, tear-streaked face fading into vision.

The boy squinted, looking up at her. "Star…?" he called, in a weak rasp.

That brought about a choked sob from Starfire, who leaned over him, wrapping her arms tight around his head and neck.

"You are an idiot!" she said, clutching handfuls of his hair. "Why did you not wear your protective vest tonight?" she cried.

Still puzzling out what had happened, Renegade sat up slowly. "It was heavy. I couldn't move right with it on." He glanced down, touching a small circular hole in his shoulder, in the upper center of his left breast, right underneath his collarbone. "Is that… was I shot?" he asked incredulously.

"You are lucky that the bullet went straight through, and that I was able cauterize the wound right away," Starfire told him, letting up on her embrace to give him some air.

"The bastard shot me. I don't believe it." Renegade shook his head.

"I do not think it was him," Starfire murmured. "He is far too—What is the word you use? Sentimental?—to finish you off outright."

The boy huffed, digging through his pockets for their loot. "His mistake." The glimmering diamond necklace was located, and he pulled it out, dangling it in front of her eyes.

He smiled.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Star."

"You remembered!" she squealed, taking the necklace in her hands.

"You couldn't have convinced me to attempt a heist like this otherwise. You know how I hate picking the pockets of Gotham's rich and elite. Too many old faces."

Starfire's head dropped, and she averted her eyes shamefully. "I am sorry. You were right, it was risky to attempt a theft of this caliber. It will not happen again."

He touched her cheek playfully. "Sure it will. You can't resist jewelry of any kind." He leaned back on his elbows again, taking in their surroundings. "We'll just have to lay low for a few weeks."

The look that Starfire sent him was almost mischievous. "I am certain we will find some way to pass the time…" she mused, curling an end of hair around her finger.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, raising an interested eyebrow.

"Yes," she purred, leaning in over him.

She pressed him down with a kiss, and the night was spent tangled in sheets with the music of sirens and helicopters swirling around outside.

But they would never be found.

Chapter Text

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Raven said with a light groan, nursing her temples as they stood in front of the entrance.

"Aww c'mon, Rae! It'll be fun, I promise!" Beast Boy told her, bouncing on the balls of his feet as they waited in line. "These guys are professional actors and stage directors! They go all out!" He grinned. "It's honestly almost kind of like being in a horror movie."

Raven raised her face with a withering look. "Beast Boy, do you remember the last time horror movies and I intersected?"

The changeling gave a full-body shudder. "Couldn't forget. But hey," he said, turning his grin on her, "just admit when you're scared this time and nothing will happen, right?"

Raven's hands lifted out in a helpless 'I guess' gesture. She eyed the entrance to the haunted house, some trepidation beating inside her chest.

It didn't look all that scary from the outside; a rickety wooden facade like the entrance to a dilapidated Victorian mansion propped up around an open industrial door that led into a dark interior. But her empathic senses crawled with discomfort from the aura of fear that surrounded the place, rising up and flaring with the screams that punctuated the night air.

Sensing her hesitation, Beast Boy stepped closer, sliding a gloved hand into hers. She looked up into concerned green eyes.

"Hey," he said, all-serious. "If you want to leave, just give a tug on my arm or something, and we can teleport out. Okay?"

That did put her a little more at ease. She exhaled slowly, feeling some of the tension winding out.

It was just a little haunted house. None of the monsters were real. No one was actually going to hurt her. And Beast Boy would be right beside her the whole time.

"Okay..." she agreed softly.

He squeezed her hand, then skipped forward as the line moved.

Raven trailed behind him, tucking her arms under cloak to keep them out of the frigid air.

The haze of fear crowded her head as they got closer, but Raven muttered her mantra under her breath to keep it at bay, keep it from seeping in and infecting her own mind. She focused on the tingling excitement inside Beast Boy. He was clearly very eager for this.

She let her mouth quirk into a smile. His anticipation was a warm patch of light in her senses. Calming. Radiant.

Maybe she'd be okay after all.

"Enjoy the show!" the chipper attendant at the entrance said as he took their tickets.

"We'll try," Raven snarked, eliciting a chuckle from Beast Boy.

-TT-

She'd admit it; the work and effort put into this place was impressive.

The 'story', so far as she had gathered, was that they and the six-person group of attendees were paranormal investigators poking around a woman's reportedly haunted family house. There was an actor playing the 'lead' investigator that accompanied their group from room to room, and a middle-aged woman playing the hapless owner of the house that dropped in on them often, sometimes with an occasional jump scare.

For the first fifteen or so minutes, they wandered from room to room of the house, their lead investigator stopping them to check on cameras and thermal equipment, try a call and response, or just chat with the owner about some of the weird things she'd seen going on in the house. They lingered in each room until something appropriately creepy happened—usually a loud noise or a tipped or dropped object—and then the investigator or the owner would bustle them to the next room with the pretense of urgently needing to check something out.

It let the suspense and atmosphere sink in, and gave them plenty of time to admire and appreciate the sets.

Raven didn't think it was quite at movie-level quality but definitely in the realms of high-budget stage play. The warehouse interior had been expertly transformed into an antique Victorian mansion, dust and grime and wear winding through every wall and surface but glimmers of a former majestic glory peeking through.

Beast Boy caught her studying a painted portrait on the wall—ostensibly of the owner's great-grandmother, a youthful-looking woman who looked almost exactly like her granddaughter—and leaned in with a grin and a conspiratorial whisper.

"So? Whadda think so far?" he asked.

"You weren't kidding when you said they go all out," Raven admitted. "I'd love to take a backstage tour just to see more of this set construction and propwork."

The changeling nodded. "Thought you'd like that."

"I'll be honest, though, I kind of thought it would be a little scarier," Raven told him, crossing her arms. She glanced at him. "No offense," she added, since every scare thus far had caused Beast Boy to shriek like a little girl and cling to her cloak.

He shrugged. "Eh, I startle easily. Don't worry," he said. "Around the twenty minute mark is usually when things get really crazy," he warned her.

Her heart gave an audible thump, but whether it was fear or excitement she couldn't tell.

She gripped Beast Boy's hand as their group followed the lead investigator to the next room.

True to the changeling's words, the scares started coming hard and fast, strobe lights flashing up on walls, projectors casting eerie images in the air of monstrous faces, actresses in lacy white dresses appearing suddenly in the corner and wailing.

Raven wrung Beast Boy's hand, and he flipped her cloak over his head more than once to cower underneath. Her pulse jolted and raced, calming and ratcheting up again with a frequency she wasn't entirely sure was healthy.

Azarath Metrion Zinthos... Azarath Metrion Zinthos... she repeated to herself inside her head.

A pair of loud shrieks cracked her hearing and Raven flinched. The two teen girls in front of them stabbed their arms and danced in place, dodging a pale hand that had reached out from under a table to grab at them.

Their momentary terror flared up in Raven's empathic senses, almost overpowering, but she shook her head, finding her center of calm again and letting the emotion pass harmlessly through her.

From under a corner of her cape, Beast Boy poked his head out, watching her in concern.

"You okay, Rae?" he whispered.

Raven's face relaxed. "I'm fine," she assured him. "A bit freaked out. It's a little hard to concentrate."

He straightened, coming out from hiding. "Do we need to tap out?"

She held up a hand, forcing herself to take long deep breaths and count inside her head for a moment.

"I can get through this," she insisted. "Just.. give me a moment."

She pictured the starlit void that was her favorite mental meditation image, letting the other sounds fade away and her thoughts become tranquil.

The lead investigator paused for a moment, shining his flashlight back at them. Out of character, he asked, "Hey Titans, you good?"

Beast Boy looked back at Raven. She had her eyes closed, but a moment later she opened them again, looking much more confident. She nodded.

The changeling flashed a thumbs up.

They followed the group into the next room. There, their lead investigator conferred urgently with a junior assistant, who'd been taking audio samples of the kitchen. They didn't get much time with him, however, as just as his dialogue seemed about to reveal something important the strobes flashed and the lights flickered and something or other came out of the darkness and... ate him or dragged him away or something.

Raven paid a quick glance down at her palm, sending dark matter over her fingers to check that her powers were still normal and the actor's disappearance hadn't been her fault. Satisfied, she almost missed it when Beast Boy started tugging on her arm. The owner's scream had come from somewhere upstairs and the lead investigator was leading the way, charging up the stairs towards the sound.

Their group thundered heavily after him, stopping short when they reached the upper landing and slowly crept through the first door.

Raven startled at the sight that met them inside, a blurted profanity escaping her.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, to Beast Boy's shock.

"Raven!" he gasped, appalled.

The owner was standing off to the side with a creepy smile, with candles burning on the points of a pentagram circle on the floor behind her.

In a calm voice, she explained how calling them there to investigate the haunting had just been a ruse, that she was in fact the ancient grandmatron pictured on the wall downstairs, and that long ago she had made a deal with dark forces to extend her youth and lifespan. The deal required ritualistic sacrifices, naturally, and so their group was in fact just the latest round of victims.

Raven's heart raced through the whole exposition dump, feeling things hit a little too close for comfort.

Women in white appeared all around them, boxing them in and coming closer, and the lead investigator pushed at their backs, shouting, "Go! Go!" and urging them to run the last few rooms towards the exit.

They lost him somewhere behind them, his figure disappearing between two actresses in decaying makeup that grabbed his arms and pulled him away. Raven's feet pounded in time with her heart as the whole house seemed to rebel against them now, walls shifting, doors slamming in their faces, a vertigo tunnel taking over one of the hallways and making her head spin dizzily.

The teen girls ahead of them were inconsolable now, sprinting as fast as they could with Raven and Beast Boy and the rest of the group behind them. Raven felt the fear pressing in, pushing at the boundaries in her head. Her mind ached. But Beast Boy's hand in hers was gripped tight and warm, and he wasn't afraid, laughing a bit as they ran from the specters and apparitions.

Raven let the adrenaline carry her, let the thrill of the chase flood her senses. It looked like they were coming up on the back door. The grandmatron appeared suddenly beside them, reaching out a hand and stretching it towards them.

They put on a final burst of speed as she chased after them, reaching, reaching...

The group spilled out into the open air, a blast of cold night wind hitting their faces.

Shrieking turned into relieved panting and laughing, exclamations of delight rather than horror. The sudden turnaround of emotions made her stagger, shaking her head and washing in the exhilaration that pulsed around their group.

"That..." gasped Beast Boy between deep breaths, doubled over with his hands on his knees, "...was... awesome!"

Raven laughed shortly, putting a hand over her chest and willing her heart to calm. "Azar..." she panted. "That was a plot twist!"

Beast Boy tilted upright. "Yeah, they've got some pretty good writers on their team. I really liked the sci-fi alien invasion they did last year."

Raven couldn't reply, feeling the ringing inside her head diminish and the empathic noise levels return to something manageable. She'd probably have a monster headache in the morning, but it almost felt worth it.

Beast Boy nudged her side with his elbow. "Sooooo..." he drawled. "Watcha think?"

She puffed out a breath. "I think..." she said. "We might still need to keep this kind of thing to a minimum. But," she added quickly, seeing and feeling the flash of disappointment in the shape-shifter's green eyes, "I had fun." She turned her face aside, pink heat creeping across her cheeks. "I'm glad I could share this with you."

He beamed. "Being scared's not any fun if you don't have someone else to be scared with! Thanks for doing this with me, Rae. I know it wasn't easy."

She waved him off. "I'll be fine if I meditate for a couple hours and get to bed at a reasonable time," she insisted. "But if I have nightmares tonight I'm blaming you," she warned.

"Fair enough." He grabbed her hand with a brilliant smile. "C'mon, let's go do some non-scary activities to clear your head a bit."

"You're sweet," she told him.

"Just looking out for my girl!" he bragged, leading the way confidently towards the hay rides and carnival games bathed in soft jack-o'-lantern light.

The glow seemed to warm her heart as she walked by his side, letting the frigid night air melt her away into a gentle, peaceful calm.