Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ Back to the Present ❯ Affection ( Chapter 6 )

BACK TO THE PRESENT
Chapter 6: Affection

By Jacque Nicole

The day at Titans' Tower was endured in an uncomfortable tense silence, the negative energy between Nightwing and Robin making all the Titan's antsy. Even as the two heroic teams filed into the Main Room of the tower there still hadn't been a word uttered between them. Upon entering, Robin grabbed Teen Cyborg and escorted him to the gym to prepare for the face-off. The older robot shrugged nonchalantly before grabbing a ham from the refrigerator and disappearing. Soon the Beast Boys and Ravens filtered out, once again leaving Nightwing and Starfire completely alone.

`This is the opportune moment to ask her,' thought the vigilante to himself. He took in a shaky, anxious breath.`I haven't been this nervous to ask a girl out since Barbara Gordon.'

“Who is Barbara Gordon?” tinkered Starfire's voice.

“Oh,” Nightwing's cheeks heated up. “I hadn't realized that I said that aloud. She's no one.”

“She wouldn't be in your thoughts if she was just a no one. Who is she?” asked the Tameranian curiously.

Nightwing sighed as he flopped down on the couch, the Circus flier crumbling loudly in his back pocket as he sat on it. “No, really, Star. Just forget about it. Her and I... we're all in the past now.”

Starfire shrugged indifferently, dismissing the topic. “What are you sitting on?” she asked.

`So many questions!' Nightwing thought, exasperated. “Oh, this?” he pulled the crushed flier out of his pocket. He unfolded the paper and handed it to his companion. “It's just a flier for a circus,” he told her. “I'd really like to go, but I don't have anyone to accompany me,” he added cunningly.

Starfire's eyes skimmed over the words on the flier, eyes growing in interest. “I have never been to a circus before...” She lowered herself onto the couch, still enthralled with the images of clowns and trapeze artists that decorated the paper. “Have you ever been to one?” she questioned, clearly avoiding Nightwing's subtle invitation.

Nightwing's face almost sank in defeat before he remembered what he had told himself just the day before.`There's no way that I'm going to let her slip through my fingers again,' he reminded himself firmly. “Actually,” he replied, “my parents were trapeze artists in a circus.”

“Really? I wonder why Robin never told me that before...”

“It's very personal information. I used to perform with them before they... died. That's part of the reason why I'm so agile now.”

“How did they...?”

“They were murdered. Someone tampered with their wiring.”

“Oh! Oh, I am sorry. I did not know. Robin never told me.” She paused for a moment in thought.

“That's one thing I do not understand about Earth. What satisfaction does one get from taking the life of another?”

Nightwing had no answer.

XOXOXOXOX

“Robin, don't you think you're taking this a little too seriously? This is supposed to be a friendly competition!” Teen Cyborg said as he easily benched one thousand pounds.

“It's more than just a friendly competition, Cyborg,” came the Boy Wonder's gruff reply as he assaulted a punching bag nearby.

“Come on, Robin,” replied Cyborg as he began lifting the weight with one arm. “What are you trying to prove?”

Robin paused his punches before continuing with more vigor. “I hate Nightwing.”

“For what reason? Just because he's becoming friends with Starfire? Are you jealous or something?”

Robin paused again and squeezed his sweaty, red hands into fists in frustration. “Nightwing does not just want to be friends with Starfire. He's taking advantage of her and it's not right. He had his chance to be with her. He doesn't have to take away mine!” Robin sucked in a few breaths to calm his nerves and relax his tense muscles. “Cyborg,” he said to his best friend, “I love her, you know that. I don't want anything or anyone to interfere with our relationship... however nonexistent it is. Don't you understand?”

Cyborg lowered the half ton weight back onto the gym floor and crossed his arms. “Of course I understand - and I'll always back you up one hundred percent - but try to consider Starfire's wants. She wants to be close with Nightwing like she's close with you. Who are you to stop her?”

Robin answered with silence.

Cyborg sighed. “Maybe you should go talk to her. Get it all out of your system. Let her know how you feel.”

After some consideration, the Boy Wonder nodded in agreement and left Cyborg alone to his training.

XOXOXOXOX

Nightwing stared deeply into Starfire's eyes, entranced by the way shades of green embraced each other to create the most beautiful colors he had ever seen. Deep within her emerald orbs Nightwing could see millions of emotions - contentment, comfort, and wisdom, just to name a few - but he could not find the only one he had hoped to see in her - love. With a loud sigh, Nightwing leaned back into the cushions and closed his eyes. He heard Starfire shift in her position and felt her rest her head on his arm.

After a moment, she spoke. “The circus sounds like such an interesting place... I can think of no one better to go with on my first time than you.”

`What about Robin?' The words were at the tip of his tongue, but he did not speak them, in fear of ruining the moment. “Neither can I, Star,” he replied, leaning into her embrace. “Neither can I.”

They stayed like that for what seemed like forever to Nightwing before he got the strange sensation that they were being watched. He slowly turned his head to look behind the couch and got an eyeful of a blaring red and green costume.

Robin.

Nightwing's smirk grew from one of contentment to one of gloating. “Robin...” his voice drawled.

Starfire's head snapped up at the name. “Robin?”

“Starfire,” Robin's deep, grating voice responded.

The Tamaranian girl jumped about a foot away from the futuristic hero. “Robin! We were just... uh...”

“Maybe I should go,” Nightwing said, excusing himself from the two teenagers.

Starfire stared at Robin with a deep blush covering her cheeks as the older hero left the room. “Robin, I - “

“What the hell was that about!” he yelled.

Note:Barbara Gordon is Batgirl. In the Batman Comics, Dick Grayson (Robin) had a relationship with her.

Number of Words: 1,049

Posted: March 1, 2005
Edited:July 15, 2006