Ten Years After Today Tomorrow
Warp comes back for revenge on Starfire. Something goes horribly wrong… and Robin is tossed ten years into the future... More humor than romance. Robin/Starfire. Please R&R!!! PG to be safe.
Rated PG.
Disclaimer: It would be absolutely hilarious if this was required of me… sighs I don't own the Titans, and the movie "Thirteen going on Thirty" was the springboard for this fic. Happy now?
Ten Years After Today Tomorrow
Robin lay on the couch one early morning, watching the sun rise through half-closed lids. He shifted and pulled the blanket tighter around him, and buried his face into the soft couch cushion. He breathed deep, readying himself for yet another long day of crime fighting. Birds twittered on the sill, and even through the safety glass Robin could hear the faint ocean roar. The sun was almost completely over the horizon now, and the sky had turned a sort of sleepy lilac – almost blue but not quite. The streetlamps flickered and died, the first few stores opened.
The scene itself was so silent and tranquil… Robin sighed, feeling calm. And then he felt the couch sink. He jumped and looked around, and saw Starfire sitting on the couch at his feet, smiling and staring out the window. Robin sat up and stretched, looking at Starfire.
"Hey there," he murmured, rubbing his eyes. He pulled his blanket back around himself and pulled his knees to his chin.
Starfire looked at him. "Hello, Robin," she said tenderly, as if afraid she'd break the peacefulness in the air.
Robin studied her carefully. Her face was softened by the sleepy light of the tender sun first peeking out from behind the horizon. She was smiling very softly, like a caring mother, and her eyes shone with fresh optimism. In the morning her skin was pale, weak and ready for a good dose of sunshine. He felt a deep feeling in his chest… a feeling he was not used to.
He smiled and rubbed his wrist, letting his legs slide back down so his feet reached the pale grey carpet. "You get up early too?" he inquired quietly, still savoring every moment of this morning.
"Yes, I always have," Starfire said, swinging her legs around so she was laying down, her head on his lap. She closed her eyes. "I usually go up to the roof, to watch your earth sunrise, and then by the time it is complete everyone else is awake so… I come down. But today I came down here… and here you are."
Robin smiled and gently rubbed her shoulder. She shifted a little and breathed out slowly. "I've always been down here. We should meet like this more often. It's…" he paused, then continued, "nice."
She nodded. "I feel… fuzzy," she said. She giggled quietly. "I feel fuzzy inside."
Robin leaned forward and rested his chin on her head. "Me too." He yawned. "And I feel sleepy too."
And they just sat like that… listening to the sweet silence…
And then the other Titans woke up.
Cyborg came thundering in, quickly followed by a shouting Beast Boy. Raven floated in, muttering under her breath and looking murderous. Beast Boy let out a long, high-pitched shriek, sending all of the birds on the sill scrambling. They soared off into the pale blue sky – never to return.
Robin sighed and Starfire sat up, looking heartbroken.
"Nothing good can last forever, Star," Robin whispered in her ear as she made to stand up.
She smiled at him and squeezed his hand before heading into the kitchen to watch Beast Boy chuck tofu at Cyborg, who was chucking bacon right back. Robin watched for a while, amused by his friends' childish antics. Raven eventually stopped the fun by ordering McDonalds breakfast.
So they were about half-way through a cold, greasy breakfast when the alarm went off. Beast Boy cheered.
"Finally! Some action! Woo hoo!" He jumped up. "Let's go get 'em!"
Robin sighed. "Here we go again."
Everyone got up and headed towards the problem area.
It was Warp.
"Warp! Why are you here!? I thought you were… baby-fied!" Beast Boy cried.
"I'm back, you bratty little children," Warp hissed menacingly. "And I want my revenge." He waved his arms. The doors of the bank he'd been robbing shut, locking Warp, the Titans, and innocent civilians inside.
"NO!" Starfire screamed.
"GET HIM!" Cyborg shouted.
Beast Boy lunged forward. Warp's eyes widened as a fully-grown green leopard pinned him to the ground with a deafening roar.
"Get off of me, beast," Warp shrieked, flipping over and pinning the leopard underneath him. Beast Boy turned into a cat, hissed, and attacked again.
His long, sharp claws sliced through Warp's delicate flesh, making him bleed. Beast Boy turned back into a human, straddling Warp with a look of triumph on his face.
"That's Beast BOY," he crowed.
Starfire blinked. "Is it over?"
"I'm not even getting started," chuckled Warp breathlessly. His fist connected with Beast Boy's jaw and instantly Beast Boy hit the ground with a thud. Warp stood, grinning venomously. "Months of waiting to be cured, and I WILL have my revenge!" he screamed, and turned on Starfire. He tossed several disks at her.
Starfire screamed and ducked, then flew upwards, shooting starbolt after starbolt at Warp.
Warp jumped back. The starbolt struck his armor, and the portal device hit the ground with a clatter. Everyone stared.
A large portal opened. Warp looked around, wincing as everyone looked at him expectantly.
"I didn't know it could do that," he whined.
Starfire tackled Warp and pinned him down. "No revenge for you," she barked.
Warp smirked. Without warning he brought his legs above his head, flipping Starfire off of him right towards the portal.
It was as if time froze. Beast Boy was a pterodactyl and was reaching out with his long talons to catch Starfire, and Robin was in front of the portal in the blink of an eye. He flung out his arms. He didn't know what he was doing – he just didn't want Starfire to go trough like she did before…
WHAM.
Starfire slammed against Robin, sending him tumbling through the portal. Beast Boy caught the hem of Starfire's skirt with his talon, and he carefully pulled her away from the portal.
"ROBIN!" Starfire shouted.
But he was gone.
Starfire fought Beast Boy. "Maybe I can get him before the portal closes!" she cried. "Just let me go! Please!"
"No! It's too dangerous!" Cyborg shouted. He looked at the portal with wide eyes.
And, just like that, it vanished.
"He's gone," Raven whispered.
Starfire sank to her knees with a dry sob.
Robin tumbled downwards, arms flailing. He was surrounded by red and green and yellow swirls – each one blinding him and making him sick to his stomach. He screamed, but no sound came out. He was falling down… down… forever and ever. There was nothing to grab onto, just endless abyss. He felt the sensation of being ripped in two, an unbelievable pressure and a stabbing feeling right across his middle. He cried out and watched in amazement as another him appeared above him.
Another me?
But before he had time to think about it, the other Robin vanished. Robin blinked, eyes wide, and gasped. No air… he couldn't breathe…
And then, as if he had been hit by an oncoming train, there was a flash of light and he was falling no longer.
He groaned and looked up. But all he saw was blackness… utter blackness…
Starfire and Beast Boy were just finishing up getting Warp to jail when there was a great flash behind them. They wheeled around, and gasped. Robin lay, sprawled, on the asphalt.
"Robin!" Starfire cried, running over to him and helping him up.
"Ugh…" Robin groaned, sitting up and rubbing his forehead. "That was uncomfortable…"
"Are you okay? What happened?" Cyborg asked, coming up.
"I don't know. I was just falling, and then I was here," Robin said, shaking his head. "I don't feel so good…"
Starfire hugged him. "At least you are still okay."
Robin nodded, gulping loudly. "Yeah."
TEN YEARS LATER
Robin's head was spinning. What had just happened? One second Warp was losing… and the next he was falling… and now… what?
He opened his eyes slowly, feeling groggy. Starfire lay beside him, fast asleep, a small smile on her face. Robin shouted in surprise and jumped right out of bed. He hit the floor with a loud thud. He smacked his head against the corner of his desk. "OW!" he cried, clutching the back of his head.
Starfire was up in an instant. She leaned over him, looking concerned. "Robin? Are you okay?"
"What the…?" He looked around. He was in his bedroom. It looked slightly different, lighter somehow. What was going on? And WHY had Starfire been in his bed? "What's going on?" he shouted.
"Robin, I do not understand," Starfire said, she knelt at his side and felt his forehead. "Are you feeling well? What's wrong?"
Robin pulled away and scrambled backwards on the floor. When he reached the other side of the room, he sat there and gasped for breath. There was a knock on the door.
"Is everything okay in there?" called a familiar voice.
Cyborg's voice.
"I am fine!" Starfire called back. She threw Robin a worried glance. "But there seems to be something wrong with Robin."
"SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME!?" Robin shouted. "THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS! WHAT IS GOING ON!?" It was then he realized Starfire was taller, more filled out. Her hair went passed her waist now, instead of the small of her back like it had been when he had last seen her. She looked… older.
The door opened and Cyborg strode in. Cyborg looked exactly the same as Robin had last seen him, but his eyes were softer, wiser, when he knelt be Robin's side. "Robin, stay calm, okay? I'm just going to scan you."
"I'm FINE!" Robin screamed. "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!?"
"Starfire! Is everything alright?" Beast Boy's voice called through the door.
"There is something wrong with Robin," Starfire replied.
"THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH ME!!!"
She ignored him. "Get Raven and the little ones and we shall see what is going on," Starfire said softly. Beast Boy's muffled footsteps headed away.
"Little ones?" Robin hissed. He laughed disbelievingly. "Would someone PLEASE tell me what's going on?"
"You seem to be okay," Cyborg said. "Are you feeling alright?"
"I FEEL fine!" Robin shouted. "I'm just confused! What happened? I was just…"
The door opened and Beast Boy and Raven strode in. Raven, like Starfire, had grown taller and filled out. Her hair now hung loosely around her shoulders, and her eyes were somewhat more slanted. Beast Boy was taller too, and much more muscular. He still had the funny tooth (a relief to Robin) and the pointed ears and the messy hair, but he had an air of maturity around him.
And then three small children filed in.
"What the h –" Robin began, but Beast Boy cut him off.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm FINE!" Robin was getting sick of telling people this. "I just need to know WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON!"
"There's nothing going on," Raven said. Her voice was lighter – and it wasn't flat or throaty like it normally was. Robin gasped. She sounded normal. "Well, nothing except the fact you're having a nervous breakdown at ten in the morning."
Robin was panting. "Ten?" It had been ten when he had fallen through the portal. He turned and stared at the small children.
One was obviously the oldest, for he was the tallest. His skin was a pale green, his hair was messy and jet black, and his eyes were wide and lavender. He had a chakra like Raven, and a playful grin like Beast Boy. He stood there with his hands at his side, swinging them slightly, and tapping his toe on the floor. Could this be Beast Boy and Raven's son? It didn't seem possible.
The next child seemed to be about five years old – unlike the first child, which seemed to be about seven. He rocked from heel to toe, hands behind his back and a dreamy look on his face. His hair was spiky and black, and his eyes were wide and hazel. A peppy grin lit up the kid's orange-colored face… Robin gasped. This kid… he looked like Robin… but he looked like STARFIRE too! He had Star's eyebrows, her wide eyes, her smile, and her skin tone. It was… frightening.
The next child washed away all doubt that the seven-year-old was not Starfire's son. This child was roughly five or four years old as well, with long, shining red hair and pretty pink cheeks. Her eyes were wide and vivid green, paling her tan skin. Her eyebrows were human, not Starfire's, as well as her skin tone. Robin felt his head begin to spin.
"Robin? Hello?" Beast Boy waved a hand in Robin's face.
Robin blanched and jumped to his feet. Running as fast as he could, he burst into the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror.
He gasped for what seemed to be the millionth time that day, and sank to the floor.
Everyone hurried over to him and looked at him with worry.
He had fainted.
Author's notes: Confused? Me too. LOL. If you're confused, that's good because I'm aiming for you to feel like the character. Either that or I'm just a sucky writer... oO Things will make sense in time if you're confused. If you're not, good for you! You're smart! Ha ha… well, I'll update soon. Please review!!!