Awakening
Chapter Two: Temptation's Embrace
There was such a simple pleasure to be found in flying next to the alien girl. Her aura dancing wildly as pure joy ran its course through her system. The smile on her face and the glow of happiness surrounding her was infectious and almost magnetic in its nature. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't help but stare at her beautiful face, turning away whenever she would catch me looking but never staying away for long.
My only regret... was of how short a distance it was to the Mall...
-
Something more...
-
-Starfire-
Starfire clapped her hands together with joy as she floated alongside her dark haired friend. There was always such wonderful happiness to be found in making someone smile but the feeling was magnified many times because it was Raven she was making happy. Ever since their first meeting, she had tried at every possible chance to make the dark haired girl just a little bit happier if she could. She couldn't really explain why because it went so much further than how it did for the others so in the end she simply decided that Raven was special to her for whatever reason and she would do her best to make the girl as happy as possible.
'I will take care of you my dearest friend Raven. No matter what I will keep you full of the feelings of happiness...' she thought to herself with a nod, taking Raven's arm and leaning against her. Starfire noticed not for the first time how cool and comforting the girl's ash gray skin felt against her own. It always made their limited contact even more glorious. Deep down, she hoped the other girl felt the same...
–
-Raven-
“S-Star?” I asked nervously, my palms suddenly feeling sweaty as my arm was held snuggly to her chest.
“What is it, Raven?” she asked innocently, using that adorable head tilt I knew I would never be able to resist.
“N-Nothing!” I managed to stutter out, wanting to slap myself for how stupid I sounded. She noticed something over my shoulder and smiled brightly, hovering over to tug at my arm.
“Oh! Let us go here, friend Raven, I am sure they will have something that you will finally wish to purchase. It is no fun to go shopping and be the only one doing so!” she said in a scolding tone, shaking the bags she carried for emphasis. Despite how utterly childish it was, I found myself blushing all the same, turning to see she was pulling me towards a Gothic themed clothing store.
“Sorry, Star, I've just been kind of nervous, I'm not used to this sort of thing in the first place and it's even harder now...” She paused in her tugging for a moment and looked down at the floor.
“I am sorry. I am just so excited to be spending the girl time with you that I forgot your feelings...” she began in that self deprecating tone I hated so much. Not wanting to let her go on I put a hand on her cheek, fighting back a shudder as I raised her chin.
“Hey, no more of that, I'm not mad or anything. How about you help me pick something out? Would you do that for me, Starfire?” I asked, instantly being rewarded with her familiar smile and a rush of warmth radiating through her aura.
“I would like to very much!” she shouted, resuming her tugging as we made our way through the entrance of the store. A sort of easy joy seemed to wash over me as we wandered from display to display, Starfire snatching up various pieces of clothing and holding them up to my body for consideration only to be placed back. My attention barely drifted to the clothes I was supposed to be shopping for because I was so completely enamored with the alien girl. Every now and then I would even catch that delicious scent of hers to add to the thrill of spending time with her. “Oh, please remain still for a moment, I remember seeing something that would go most perfectly with this!” I merely nodded as she flitted away, sighing as the burning sensation eased in my belly... only to explode through my entire body as fingers trailed across the small of my back and a pair of lips pressed themselves against my ear.
–
-Jinx-
The pink haired girl let the pasted on smile fall from her face after the dressing room door closed behind the phony skank of a girl she had just told would look great in a black mesh halter and shredded cargo's. While working at the store provided a lot of insight as to how good honest work could feel, she really hated dealing with the stupidity a lot of the customers provided. All of the 'I want to be this,' and 'I thought it'd be cool to dress like that' was tiring in large quantities. This was only leveled out somewhat by the discount she got on cute clothes. All in all though, she was pretty satisfied with the experience. On very rare occasions it would even provide her with the opportunity of a lifetime...
She had been rehanging a couple of shirts people had left lying around when she heard two unmistakably familiar voices. A surge of panic shot through her body causing her to accidentally discharge a few small bursts of her negative energy. She ignored the several shirts that had torn at the seams and the rack itself which had begun to sag to one side due to a loosened screw and turned to spot the two crime fighters at the entrance of the store. Jealousy washed over her at the sight of the object of her affections being smothered by the attentions of the alien girl. She had been around the two of them enough times to see the mutual attraction between them but there was a new sort of tension there that spoke of a progressing relationship. She felt a deep, cutting pain within her chest at the realization that she might have delayed too long in her efforts to steal away the beautiful sorceress.
“No,” she whispered to herself to help steel her resolve. She had given up too much and worked far too hard to just quit at the first sign of trouble. Jinx turned to a nearby mirror to make sure none of her hair had fallen out of place and smoothed out a few folds in her dress. “You're cute, coy, sexy, and you know exactly how a girl wants to be treated. She'll have no choice but to fall for you!” she told herself, giving her reflection a wink before turning towards the two. As she approached she saw Raven put her hand on Starfire's cheek and whisper a few words which caused the alien girl to brighten almost instantly.
The tender moment weakened her resolve enough to give her pause. She wasn't so much of a bitch that she'd tear apart something that made Raven happy just to insert herself into the picture. Her conscience and her heart warred with each other as she watched the two for a moment before Starfire flew away to another part of the store. The deep sigh of longing Raven let out after the other girl had gone spoke volumes about the situation, telling Jinx that it hadn't quite proceeded far enough that she would have to exclude herself from the race for the empath's love. A surge of joy coursed through her body at the prospect of what was to come.
'If Starfire wants her heart...' Jinx thought as she purged as much ill fortune from her aura as she could manage. 'Then she's just going to have to work that much harder for it.' With a final deep breath to gather the courage she would need, Jinx walked up behind the girl and pressed her lips to Raven's ear.
–
-Raven-
“I always knew you were a lady killer...” a lilting voice whispered. My eyes shot open, this wasn't Starfire. I spun quickly and gathered the darkness into my hands in anticipation of an attack, only to be met with a sweet musical giggle of a pink haired girl with her hair done up in an unusual horned style.
“J-Jinx?! What the hell are you doing here?!” I shouted, which only seemed to increase the girl's mirth. Sensing no immediate threat, I lowered my hands and allowed the power to fade. Her giggles eventually ceased and she rose up to face me with a smile, flicking the name tag on her chest.
“Community outreach. I was a good girl and turned myself in, remember? I think they figured it would be therapeutic for me to be on the opposite end of the crimes I committed or something,” she said as she absently straightened up a nearby pile of shirts. Finished with that, she leaned back against the table and looked me up and down with a wide grin. “So, how did all this happen?” she asked with a wink.
“What do you mean?” I asked nervously, unable to meet her gaze. She laughed and pushed off the table, snatching a skirt off a nearby rack and holding it up to me.
“Oh, friend Raven, this would look most lovely on you!” she said in an imitation of Starfire's voice. My first instinct was to punch her for mocking my Starfire but the thought was quickly lost as I was struck by the same sweet yet somewhat spicy scent I'd mistaken a moment ago to be Starfire's. I groaned inwardly, the words 'capable and willing' from the book repeating over and over in my mind. Another wave of the scent struck me as the tip of one of her 'horns' tickled my nose and my knees gave out slightly. It was so very different from Starfire's, somehow less pleasant but no less potent in its effect.
“I... I don't know...” I murmured, already somewhat woozy.
“Oh please, you're so hot for the girl a blind person could see it!” she laughed as she put the skirt back on the rack and settled in to stare at me once more. “There's something different about you, isn't there? Aside from being all hot and bothered, I mean.”
“I don't know what you're talking about,” I said stubbornly, turning away to blush stupidly.
“My charms used to bounce right off of you but now your body's eating them up like candy,” she whispered as she began to circle slowly around me, bathing me in that luxurious meta-human scent of hers.
'She'd be a proud and fierce mother, I'm sure she'd raise a strong...' my mind started but I shook my head to clear the thoughts away. A sense of heart rending guilt began to build within my chest, I felt like I was betraying Starfire.
“I can't quite put my finger on it... but I think I...”
“Raven!”
–
-Starfire-
“Raven will look most beautiful in this!” Starfire squealed to herself as she pulled a long pleated skirt off the rack and figured it to be close to Raven's size. Gathering it up into her arms she turned and floated off towards the dark haired girl with an airy smile on her face... only to have it melt away when she saw Jinx of all people holding a skirt up to Raven and expressing how wonderful it would look on her. Her first instinct was to fly over and punch the former evil-doer but she held herself back just enough to notice the plastic rectangle that showed her to be a worker at the clothing store. Still, there was something about the way the girl stood close to Raven that she did not like. It was made even worse because Raven seemed to be getting the same warmth that she did when looking at Starfire herself. The very unfamiliar feeling of white hot jealousy had entered her blood and she was not going to stand for it. Tossing the long skirt aside she grabbed the most erotic looking outfit she could find and flew towards the two of them.
“Raven!” she shouted, delighting as the dark haired girl turned and smiled at her in relief. “I found you a most attractive outfit for you to purchase,” she said, holding out a skirt so short it may as well have been a frilly black belt and a matching spaghetti strap tank-top that wouldn't reach within three inches above her belly button. Blushing madly, Raven took the offered items and held them up to herself, receiving a pleased smile from Starfire. “I also have a pair of the heels of highness that would go most wonderfully with them. You will look glorious!” Jinx let out a low whistle of appreciation.
“Hmm, with a skirt like that you're gonna need the panties to match,” Jinx said in a low, even, tone. She walked off into the varied racks of clothing and returned with a pair of black thong underwear and offered them to Raven. Starfire felt her knuckles crack as the dark haired girl nervously took them, something about the pink haired girl making her blood boil. “And with an outfit like that you'll definitely need a place to show it off,” she said, pulling a business card and a pen from her pocket to scribble an address on the back. “It's an underground club with an... exclusive clientèle, I'm sure you'll both feel right at home.” She stepped forward and slipped the card into the neckline of Raven's cloak. “I'm there almost every night if you're interested,” she whispered in a voice just loud enough for Starfire to hear before pushing away from the blushing girl and walking passed the redhead. “No need to be jealous, princess, I'm sure there's enough Raven to go around.”
“I do not know what you are talking about,” Starfire said indignantly. “Raven, let us purchase your new clothing and return home.”
“Okay I... what?” the dark haired girl murmured absently. Starfire glanced nervously at the girl before floating close and pressing herself against her arm like before. This had the desired effect of bringing her back to her senses. “Oh yeah, right, sorry about that, Star.”
“It is no problem, friend Raven,” Starfire said quietly, feeling more anxious than she could ever recall being. Never in her life had she reacted with such strong jealousy towards someone. The thought that she could not control herself when she was supposed to be helping Raven do the same made her very uncomfortable.
“Do you think we should go?” Raven asked, idly toying with the card in her hands. “I've never been to a club outside of a mission before...” Starfire looked into the girl's eyes and saw the mixture of nervousness and desire in them. Sighing and clutching tighter to the arm she held, Starfire nodded her head.
“It would be a good chance for you to be around other people and learn more about your new feelings. And I do very much wish to see how attractive you are in your new clothes.” She felt Raven tighten up against her as the words she had just spoken repeated over and over in her mind. Blushing slightly, the alien girl realized she had a lot to think about.
–
The knowledge that there was someone other than Starfire that could have that effect on me was disturbing at first. Something deep down told me that Starfire was the one for me and seeing how easy it was for my mind to drift to other women felt so wrong. At least I could take solace in the fact that Jinx's scent had not made me feel the same overwhelming sense of comfort and joy that Starfire's did. The beautiful alien girl's actions had also begun to dwell in the back of my mind. There was no doubt that she had been jealous of the way Jinx had acted towards me and that jealousy implied that her feelings for me may very well go deeper than friendship. My mind was so awash with the possible implications that the cruel mistress known as hope began to take root.
I knew now, without a doubt, that I wanted to be with Starfire even outside of this overwhelming desire to mate with her. She was always able to put me at ease no matter what the situation and for someone like me that spoke volumes about the depth of the comfort I felt around them. Starfire was like the embodiment of everything I could hope for in someone to share my life with. With everything I'd witnessed, I had to stop and wonder if maybe... just maybe... she felt the same...
In the end we had decided not to go to the club that night. An entire day of resisting my body's urges had been more draining than I had imagined, leaving me exhausted by the time we'd returned to the tower. Starfire herself seemed relieved, most likely with the idea that she didn't have to deal with Jinx again just yet. We decided to go during the weekend, an idea that brought me an odd sense of exhilaration in that it seemed very much like we were planning a date. The sense of guilt that I was somehow betraying Robin was quickly beginning to fade and more and more I started to question if there really was something between them after all. That night, in spite of all my nervous pondering, was some of the best sleep I had ever had. The morning after... that was was even better...
–
-Raven-
I sniffed longingly as something sweet smelling tickled at my nose and soon after my ears were filled with an odd, high pitched scuffling sort of sound. Both sensations stopped soon after and almost allowed me to drift back to sleep before returning with equal fervor. Quickly forgetting about any chance of falling back to sleep, I opened my eyes to find the source of the disturbance, finding myself looking up into a pair of smiling emerald eyes.
“Morning's of goodness!” Starfire announced happily as she floated above me on the bed, using a lock of her hair to lightly tickle the underside of my nose before giggling behind her hand. Upon discovering that both of the disturbances had such an adorable source, all of the irritation at being awakened faded away. I smiled up at the beaming alien girl, reaching up to gently caress her cheek with one hand... as a distraction while I swung a pillow at her with the other. She expertly dodged the attack by flitting backwards into the air, giggling like a schoolgirl. “If you wish to have the fight of pillows it will have to wait until after you have consumed the glorious feast I have prepared!” she shouted excitedly as she floated down to the floor and pulled the cover off of a tray I hadn't noticed. Beneath the cover lay an assortment of the most odd looking food I had ever seen, and I'd seen Starfire's cooking before.
“You... you made me breakfast in bed?” The girl nodded happily.
“I remembered that you did not feel like celebrating your day of womanhood before so I woke up early and made these special treats for you. It is important that you honor the most wondrous gift nature has given!” she announced with such heartfelt conviction that I couldn't help but be swept up in it.
“You're so absolutely wonderful Starfire... you went through all this trouble for me... it's just so...” I found myself blinking back tears at the heartwarming gifts the girl continued to give me. I looked down at the food which, despite its questionable appearance and smell, had obviously been crafted with all the love and devotion the girl could manage. “And this meal! It looks so wonderful I don't even know where to start!” The red headed girl's broad smile managed to grow even wider at the compliments.
“Do you really mean it?” she asked excitedly.
“Of course I do, why?” She bit her bottom lip nervously and looked down at the floor.
“I asked Beast Boy to test the meal to see if I had not made any mistakes and he implied that he would rather consume the dung of an equine and pierce his eye sockets with a flaming piece of sharpened wood than eat any of my Tamaranean cooking...” I felt a flush of shame at the girls downtrodden tone, having myself once refused to eat a meal she had prepared. I quickly thought of something to say that would brighten her mood.
“Well it's his loss because that just means there's more for me to enjoy!” I announced happily. I would have felt stupid over such a corny line if it hadn't worked so well. Starfire, unable to contain her glee, leaped into the air and dived at me with her arms wide open. In my haste to brace myself for her impact I managed to slip myself from under the covers to lean against the headboard of my bed... remembering an instant too late that I hadn't worn anything to sleep last night. Starfire, completely unaware of her position, snuggled her cheek tightly against mine and sighed dreamily.
“You say such sweet words to me that my hearts cannot remain still in my chest... much like yours right now,” she said, a hint of curiosity entering her voice. My heart was indeed thundering away as what could only be described as liquid fire filled my veins. The tips of my breasts, so roughly pressed against the material of her top, were sending wave after wave of near agonizing pleasure through my body. Instinct took over as I reached my arms around her body, first to trail my fingers through her silken red hair, and then to wrap around her shoulders and pull her tight against me. I breathed deeply of her hypnotizing scent and the flames burning inside me rose ever higher. She stirred against me, responding to my touch by nuzzling deeper into the embrace.
“Starfire...” I gasped, finding barely any air remaining in my lungs.
“Mmm, Raven's skin feels most cool and comforting against my...” she paused then, a jolt of panic lighting up her contented aura as she pulled away to look down into my eyes. I bit my lower lip and turned away to avoid seeing her expression as she pushed away further so her eyes could continue down. I heard her make a surprised squeak before her weight lifted off of me, my body screaming in protest at the loss of her presence. Once again I felt the need to apologize, obviously having crossed the line with my actions.
“Starfire I'm...”
“Oh, that could have been most embarrassing!” she giggled. I turned to face her in surprise, seeing that she was indeed smiling down at me.
“C-could have been?” I asked meekly, bringing the covers up to my neck to hide from her peering eyes.
“Yes, before I decided to give tickles to your nose I had planned to sneak under your blankets and surprise you with much hugging. I did not know that you also do not sleep with clothing!” she said with a another giggle as her already orange tinted cheeks darkened a few shades. The image that confession conjured in the depths of my mind wouldn't soon be forgotten. After a while though her mirth filled eyes clouded over somewhat as her aura darkened.
“What's wrong?”
“I... I am sorry for forcing my body onto yours, I know that you are having great troubles with your emotions. I understand if you wish me to leave...” she murmured, turning and floating limply towards the door. I leaped from the bed in the flash to grab one of her wrists, my nudity temporarily forgotten.
“What?! No! You didn't do anything wrong! Your skin is so warm and... and I feel so comfortable with you, I already told you that. Don't... don't leave... please...” She looked down at me with tear rimmed eyes to which I offered the warmest smile I could manage. Eventually, her familiar smile broke through.
“This keeps happening, does it not? I do not understand why but my desire to make you happy has always been strong, but even more than ever I have felt it these past few days and nights. It pains my hearts to think that you may suffer because I am not able to help you...” Now it was my eyes that were filling with tears.
“Just... just hearing you say that makes me happy. I care for you too Starfire, more than even I thought I ever could for anybody. You've always been helping me... even before my emotions were free.” I tugged on her hand to pull her down to the bed and took my seat next to her, summoning the tray over to us with my magic. “I want you to share this meal with me, it'll be a celebration for both of us.”
“It is a great showing of respect to offer to share a ceremonial feast,” she said, leaning her head on my shoulder and wrapping an arm around my waist.
“Then it's perfect!” I announced happily, cutting into a lightly smoking, florescent green, brick-like dish and putting it cautiously into my mouth, delighting at the surprisingly sweet taste.
“Would you like me to remove my clothing as well?”
–
-Raven-
“I don't know about this, Star... are you sure you want to? I'd understand if you don't think you'd be... comfortable,” I murmured as she pulled me onward.
“I am the one who offered, friend Raven, it is your comfort that I am concerned for,” she answered, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. I turned away and bit my lip nervously.
“I've always wanted to do it with you Starfire... I just never thought you'd be so willing. You're the only one I know I'd be comfortable with so this is...” I trailed off, too embarrassed to finish the sentence. She paused in her tugging and turned so that we were eye to eye.
“Though I very much enjoy viewing the cuteness of Raven when she is embarrassed I do not wish for you to feel that way with me. You may tell me anything and I will not desire to spend less time with you. I have enjoyed our girl time very much and wish to do much more of it in the future!” As per usual, the alien girl was easily able to put me ease with her loving nature.
“I was just going to say that this is kind of a dream come true for me... I never thought I'd be able to share something so... intimate with someone. The fact that it's you just makes it that much better. Really, this means a lot to me, Star...” I finished, finding that in spite of my nervousness I couldn't help but admire the sheer beauty of the young woman in front of me. The gentle features of her angelic face and the sensuality that radiated from every wonderful curve of her body were simply mesmerizing and the mixture of adoration and desire I felt for the girl combined together to form a gentle warmth throughout my system. She took my hand in both of hers and smiled shyly.
“Come, Raven, I now fear that I may become too embarrassed to enjoy this glorious experience if I hear any more of your sweet words,” she murmured, pulling away slowly to tug me onward. I didn't have long to enjoy the view of her floating in front of me before we came to a stop in front of my bedroom door. “We are here...” Reluctantly, I let go of her hand and opened the door, pausing in the entrance and turning around to face her.
“Are you sure you...” She silenced me with a finger to my lips as she floated passed me into the room, setting down on the edge of the bed to remove her boots and the bracers from her forearms before patting the space next to her invitingly. I fought down the maelstrom of images the scene invited and removed my own shoes before floating over to settle in front of her.
“I admit that I do not know how this action is performed. You spoke something about 'becoming one' but I do not understand,” she said, tilting her head adorably.
“Don't worry, Star, it'll feel really natural and I'll be right here to guide you through it.”
“You will not tease me if I have the looks of foolishness?”
“You never look foolish to me, now let's get started. I want you to put your legs like this so they come together with mine so our hands can still touch comfortably once we get into it,” I said, positioning our bodies in what I'd read was the easiest position for beginners to start with. “Let's begin,” I said, holding out my hands over our crossed legs.
“Oh this is most exciting!” she giggled, placing her hands in mine and interlacing our fingers together as we lifted into the air. “My first time meditating with Raven!”
–
-Starfire-
Starfire's eyes fluttered open, confusion filling her as she realized she could not see anything and that her eyelashes brushed against something when she blinked. She heard a small sound to one side and turned, noticing as she did that her whole body felt warm and remarkably comfortable, to see the underside of Raven's chin. A smile teased at her lips as she realized that she must have dozed off in the middle of their meditation. The girl noticed that her legs had come undone as they drifted and she was now laying across Raven with her head nestled into the crook of the girl's neck. Their hands, still clasped together, had settled at Raven's sides.
For a moment she considered pulling away from the embrace but quickly decided that she would be happier as she was. An odd sort of tingling appeared in her stomach with the realization of just how comfortable she felt against the other girl. It wasn't just this moment either, more like a combination of all the moments they had shared. Right from the very beginning she had known she felt something special for the dark haired girl but it wasn't until this moment that she realized just how comfortable Raven made her feel. The alien girl's brow furrowed slightly as she realized that she should probably do something to show her appreciation to the one who could make her feel this way.
This led to another confusing train of thought as to what exactly she could do to show Raven how much she appreciated her company. Of all the people that were important to her in her life, Starfire found that Raven was by far the most difficult to understand, much more so in the past few weeks. While Starfire greatly enjoyed the other girl's new, much more open and willing, personality it was the cause of much confusion and even worry. Learning of Raven's attraction for her had been an interesting experience for the alien girl, one that had forced her to consider many things she never had before. In the end she had decided that things would happen as they were meant to happen... and that she would simply try to enjoy it as much as possible.
“Is something wrong, Star? You're aura seems... different,” Raven said quietly, her voice thick with an emotion Starfire was beginning to recognize more easily as she continued to spend time with the dark haired girl. The alien girl lifted her head from her friends shoulder and shook it gently, a smile on her lips.
“No, Raven, everything is...” She removed her hands from the other girl's and reached up with one to caress Raven's face before leaning in to place a gentle kiss on the focusing crystal embedded in the girl's forehead. When she pulled away she could see tears building in Raven's eyes and offered the girl a warm smile before lowering her head into Raven's lap and wrapping her arms around the girl's waist. The tingly feeling in her stomach began to slowly spread throughout the rest of her body as she settled into the other girl. She let out a sigh of contentment as she felt Raven place a hand tentatively on the top of her head and begin to gently stroke her hair. “Everything is glorious...” she murmured, feeling warm, comfortable, and safe in her friend's embrace...
–
It would have been so easy to turn my face to catch her lips with my own... so easy to take advantage of her sweet gesture. I could feel it permeating her aura, a sense of ease that I could have taken advantage of to press my feelings onto her. The images my mind created of lowering her down onto the bed, slowly removing her clothing piece by piece, and then finally tasting and caressing every inch of her sweet smelling skin threatened to push me into action. It would have been so passionate... so beautiful... and yet... at the same time I knew it would have been wrong to act on them.
Starfire was too sweet... too perfect to have her trusting nature abused like that. I swore then and there that no matter how tortured my body felt I would protect her from my rampant desires at all costs. Even as my body strained against itself a sense of relief washed over me... it was the knowledge that my love for the beautiful alien girl was strong, my desire to be with her extending so much further than physical attraction. For the barest instant my mind rebelled against such contentment, a flash of pink hair and a spicy scent drifting through the back of my mind but it quickly passed. As we drifted easily in the air over my bed, her resting in my lap, me running my fingers through her silken hair, I knew that mind, body, and soul... the Tamaranean princess was the one that I loved with all my heart...
-
To be continued...