Characters:Starfire & Robin Setting: Kingston Academy during the school day. Right before calculus class. Previous Threads: N/a Plot Summary: Dick is the target of a bully before math class. He needs a hero to save him <3 WARNING: This thread includes bullying and violent homophobia. Don't read it if either of these things are triggering for you.
Dick's head slammed into the locker behind him with a clang and a rattle. He blinked, trying to banish the pain, and curled his hands into loose fists at the helplessness of the situation. Dick Grayson, ward of billionaire Bruce Wayne, and incredibly unlucky circus brat wasn't supposed to be able to fend off bullies like Robin could. Which meant that there wasn't very much he could do about the meatbag currently shoving him into the lockers and demanding the answers for the night before's homework.
The last Grayson was a smart kid. He'd learned when he first transferred to Kingston that he was a target: one jock, who was probably placed in the advanced classes just because of who his parents were, had decided to ride through the class by hanging on to Dick's cape...and stealing his homework.
"Give it," the older boy demanded. Dick's spine curved unnaturally against his backpack.
"I've got it," the blue eyed acrobat protested. "Please let me go so I can take it out."
With a curl of his sparsely hairy upper lip the bully dropped him. Dick fell to the ground, eyes wide, and scrambled for his backpack. Above his head impatient fingers were ticking out mock-seconds. The binder slipped in Dick's sweaty hands as he tried to pull out the homework. He'd stashed the one for the bully in the front of it, while his own was neatly tucked into the rings. With trembling fingers the last of the Flying Grayson's pulled out his tribute and held it aloft.
It was snatched from his hand and regarded carefully for a moment. "Pencil," the older boy demanded, holding out an empty hand for more tribute.
This was another part of the ritual. Every day Dick would look for lost pencils, left behind in desks, or rolling around in the hallways, so he didn't have to relinquish any more that were actually his. Each tiny victory for the bully chipped away at Dick's pride. The one he offered up was mechanical, pink, and unfortunately glittery.
The older boy made a grumbling sound, clicked the lead up, and scrawled his name across the top of the homework despite the fact it didn't at all match the neat writing below it. Then, an unusual occurrence, he stabbed the pencil back into Dick's hand. "I'm not writing with a fucking fairy pencil," he said as the lead bit into the webbing between the smaller boy's thumb and pointed and left a small weeping wound. "Fag," the bully finished with, hissing the word with obvious hate, as he rolled the pencil-shank further into Dick's hand. "Gimme a new one."
A hand latched onto the wrist stabbing mechanical pencils where they didn't belong.
"Wha--"
The grip turned slightly and the offending hand went limp instantly, the glittering pencil dropping to the floor while the bully was effortlessly pushed back. In his place, a tall young girl with unusually golden skin faced off against him. It was Starfire, and though she had traded her purple skirt for a pleated one, a crop top for a less navel-exposing one, and thigh-high boots for socks, she was still unmistakably the Titan with alien green eyes and vibrant red hair.
The threatening boy shook his head slightly as he took her in. "What's a Titan doing at our school?" he asked with derision in his voice. "I attend this school now," she answered, gesturing to herself and her uniform as though it should be obvious. "What are you doing? What is the meaning of this cruelty?"
"He insulted me," the boy said, casting a glare behind Starfire to the cowering wimp, at least in his eyes. "It ain't none of your business anyway. You're an alien right? You don't understand how these things work," he said, and the alien's brows pinched closer at the insult to her basic intelligence, as well as the double negative that was throwing her off. "So maybe save it for the villains and the damsels in distress."
Though, the way he smirked and glanced at Dick suggested he made a good damsel in distress.
Starfire began to walk toward the bully, which startled him for a moment. Not so tough when facing down a powerhouse and someone stronger than him on epic proportions. "Forgery, extortion, holding someone against their will..."she began, each word extenuated by every step,"causing bodily harm, and use of discriminatory language is exactly what a villain would do."
The fuzzy moustache boy staggered back to avoid being too close to Starfire's righteous fury. "There are laws in place which protect all citizens from these repulsive acts. I suggest you cease and desist with this behaviour before there are worse consequences than my scolding."
"Don't be so dramatic you crazy alien bi--!"
His words were cut off by Starfire's palm slamming on the locker behind him, and the boy looked as though he near pissed himself. "Heed my warning," she said, and then dropped her arm, letting him scamper off with shouts about getting her kicked out of school and telling his parents about this.
Starfire watched him for a moment, then turned to face the other boy left with strewn papers everywhere. Her face went from stern to gentle concern, and walked back to crouch down and help him gather his things."Are you alright?"she asked, peering at his face. He was a very cute boy, now that she had a good look at him. She couldn't understand why anyone would target him, but then she couldn't understand why anyone did such things to anyone at all.
Her gaze dropped to his hand. "You should get that cleaned. I believe there is a nurse's office somewhere?" She reached behind her, pulling out a school map from the pink bag she once used to try and run away."It is my first day attending this school so I have not learned the layout yet, but I would happily accompany you in exchange for showing me around..?"she smiled lightly, green eyes crinkling as she met his gaze.
Dick's bright blue eyes widened as suddenly the pressure on his hand let up and the red tipped pink pencil dropped to the ground with a clatter that made his heart stop. The little acrobat stared up in surprise at the familiar alien now turning the tables on the boy that had been bullying him.
There was no joy in this. Even if it felt vindictively like karma. Dick knew two things: that the bully would be back, worse than ever, the moment Starfire left his side and that he simply couldn't keep her around. She was a liability. There was nobody on the team he spent more time with. A single slip up in mannerisms and she might suspect the truth that the little helpless acrobat she'd just saved was anything but helpless.
Batman had drilled it into his brain over, and over, and over again that nobody could know. It jeopardized his safety, Bruce's safety, Alfred's safety. So when the bully ran away screaming threats and she turned those big, concerned eyes to him Dick froze. He managed a weak nod, pulling all of the things that had dropped into a haphazard pile and shoving it anxiously into his bag. He ignored the red tracing an exaggerated life line down his palm until she pointed it out to him.
Blue eyes trailed from the wound, which did need cleaning, to the map, to Starfire's face, then back again. "I guess," Dick agreed reluctantly, straightening to stand but hunching so that he seemed even smaller besides Starfire than he normally did. It was almost as though he wished his backpack was a turtle shell he could hide in. "You'll be late for class, though," he warned her, voice still soft.
The smile faded slightly as it seemed the boy did not terribly desire her company. She considered if it was a mistake offering to accompany him. "I do not mean to impose, of course," she said quickly. "If you would prefer to see to it yourself I understand." She flashed him another smile in hopes of lessening his anxiety.
The fallen papers relinquished, all that remained in her hands was her school map. She referred to it at the reminder of making it to class on her first day. However, she didn't seem particularly stressed by the concept of being late over his well being.
"I am likely to be late anyway," she said with a light shrug of one shoulder, smile still lingering. "The school did not seem nearly as complex as our Tower, but this is not the best designed map."Her brows furrowed as she tried to make sense of the classroom spread. "Is this classroom just down this hallway?" she asked, turning the map toward him and pointing at the numbered box that was meant to be her classroom.
Last Edit: Nov 2, 2017 18:57:17 GMT -6 by Starfire
Blue eyes studied the alien princess turned schoolgirl for a moment before he studied the map and schedule she presented to him. "You're in my calculus class?" Dick said looking surprised. He moved slightly closer to study the schedule. They also had the same physics lab after lunch, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell her that yet, or let it be a surprise. His face turned slightly red as he realized what he said could have been taken as an insult.
"I- er, I mean, not that I'm surprised you're smart. Just that it's the same class," the smaller student explained, hunching further into himself. "I should, uh, thank you. I guess," Dick added, the fingers of his good hand fiddling with the plastic strap adjuster of his bag. "But please don't do that again. I know you meant well, but he's going to come back, when you're not around, and he's going to be worse."
The smaller boy glanced down the hallway that the bully had fled down, wondering if he was waiting for him at the nurses office, or if he was reporting Star's attack to the principle. Practicality, and his own selfish desire to spend more time with her, had him earnestly considering her offer to accompany him. While he dithered, the bell rang for class to begin, and the classroom door down the hall closed sharply.
"The nurse will give us a pass," Dick said, turning in the direction of the infirmary and gesturing that she could join him. "Mr. Kuttler, that's our calculus teacher, really knows his stuff but he's kind of strict about tardiness."
Classes tended to be grouped by years, which meant that Dick had done a lot of running around the school between classes, and now so would Starfire. Though, she didn't have the added Batman paranoia that had Dick memorizing the school schematics. He led her down the hall and towards the administrative offices in the center of the structure. "I'm Dick, by the way," the boy offered awkwardly. "Did you have um...schools like this in...er...space?"
"Dick," she tested out his name, smiling as she fell into step with him. "Dick," she repeated, to remember the name with his face, eyes lighting up. "It ah, how is it said... ah, yes, rolls off the tongue." She beamed in self-congratulations at remembering the idiom, not realizing it was also a double entendre.
"I am Starfire, but you may call me Kory," she introduced herself in kind. "They changed my name to Kory Anders on the forms likely due to a miscommunication. It is not my birth name, but I like it." It allowed her to introduce herself with a name not everyone in Jump city likely knew.
"And to answer your question, not quite like this, but yes, we do have centres of education.. schools, at least where I am from." She cast a side-glance at him as they walked to the nurse who would give them the pass to excuse their tardiness. "Space is infinitely vast." Therefore, with infinite possibilities.
"I have encountered such people as your attacker in space," she said more sombrely, bringing the topic back to his request. "The promise of worse retribution for acting out against their unjust cruelty seems a universal tactic. I understand well why you are afraid." Her eyes fell on him with sympathy. When she wasn't looking at him, she was taking in her surroundings. She might not have memorized the layout beforehand, but she was learning as she went along.
"I... will take your well being into serious consideration before taking any further action, but ignoring it is not a solution. I may be attending this school, but I am first and foremost a Titan. And... I know from experience these things escalate and continue if left unchecked."
She glanced up at the nurse's office, and then held the door open for him.
Dick coughed at the comment about his name, turned slightly red, and hid his face in the crook of his elbow for a moment. When he lowered his arm again it was with a shy smile and a nod in understanding that English didn't translate very well with her actual alien name.
The idea of space school was awesome, and his blue eyes shone with the infinite possibilities. They dulled, however, and dropped their gaze to the floor the moment the bully was mentioned. It was nothing Robin didn't already know, but as Dick Grayson there was nothing he could really do about it. He shuffled down the hall, looking uncomfortable.
"I can't stop it," he admitted softly, because he couldn't without giving something vital away. Dick barely managed to catch her eye before he ducked into the nurses' office she was holding open for him.
The nurse, who was bustling about with some supplied, dropped what she was doing the moment she saw the boy walk in with a hand dripping blood on the floor. She tutted, moving forward, and reached for his hand. "What happened?" she asked, studying the wound and then the boy who simply hunched his shoulders and tried to pull away. The woman frowned and glanced at the girl instead.
"I fell," Dick finally offered quietly, before Starfire could. "I tripped and tried to catch myself and must have hit something sharp."
"You're sure?" the woman asked.
Dick nodded his head, offering a sheepish sort of smile, and let her lead him over to the sink. It stung while she cleaned out his cut, but he ignored it for studying Kory's reflection in the mirror instead. His gaze skittered away like a frightened animal each time his eyes would accidentally meet hers.
When it was done, and his hand was bandaged up, the woman took out the incident report paperwork. Dick answered her questions methodically. Name, grade, date of birth. Collision with an object was deemed the cause, and Dick and Kory were free to go. Two tiny paper slips were drawn up for their calculus teacher, to explain the absence, even if it might have seemed obvious with Dick's bandaged limb.
With his pass crinkling in his sweaty palm Dick followed Kory back out into the hallway.
A crinkle in her brow, Starfire watched him bluff his way awkwardly through an untrue story. She refrained from stepping in, though she was sorely tempted to, and kept her uncomfortable silence throughout the entire exchange. "Thank you," she said to the nurse when it was over, for both the slip and her help. They left the office together with Kory leading the way.
Down the hallway away from the door, students tucked away behind closed doors, Kory quietly said to Dick, "You lied."
The unspoken why was written all over her expression as she glanced down at him, but it fell to a sigh. She knew, having seen more extreme versions of it personally. "You are also lying to yourself," she began, and resumed walking but at a leisurely pace, in no hurry to get to this calculus class. That, and she was mindful with her longer stride. Whenever she took a brisk pace, Robin was always sprinting behind her to catch up, and he was clearly of superior fitness to this boy. Beast Boy too, but her green friend had the advantage of morphing into faster creatures to keep up.
"That person who hurt you is someone whose self-worth derives of bringing pain and lowering others, making them feel worthless or lesser. The more you bow your head, the more strength you give him," she explained. "And if it was not you, he would be hurting someone else. Perhaps he is, and his action are unacceptable, Dick. I understand that you are scared, and feel as though nothing can be done, that this is your safest option--but it cannot continue."
She turned her gaze down the hallway. "I came to this school seeking to learn, but I see I also have something to teach."
Kory stopped at their classroom door, glancing at her time-table just to make sure. She held open the door. "After you," she said, flashing the shy boy a smile. It was time to start her first day of earth-school.
Last Edit: Nov 8, 2017 23:12:07 GMT -6 by Starfire
Dick couldn't look at her when she rebuked him for lying. His blue eyes kept to the floor, and guilt crushed at his expression. There wasn't really anything he could say, not to those green eyes, that wouldn't give him away. So he kept his shoulders hunched and his gaze to the ground until they made it to their classroom. He didn't know if the boy bullied anyone else. He'd always been too busy with his Titan work and his studies to really think about it and it only made him feel more useless.
The "Thanks," Dick gave her for opening the door was ground out and quiet. He slipped in when she opened it and shuffled to his usual seat after handing over his pass from the nurses' office. Dick tried to keep his mind focused on calculus, which was a considerably safer topic then the redheaded alien princess in the room, but his gaze kept wandering her way unbidden.
Luckily their next class wasn't one they shared. Dick took the breather, vaguely enjoying the literature assignment: Lord of the Flies. There was nothing like reading about violence to calm a kid down. He was almost smiling by the time the lunch bell rang, joking with a classmate about conch shells, when he realized what time of the day it was.
Dick hated lunch. It was poorly supervised, completely unstructured, and the best time for the unsavory members of their school to prey on the less fortunate. He slipped out of the classroom just as the second bell rang, which meant he would only have to deal with the other kids eating lunch and not the ones rushing to their class.
He had made it to his locker, replaced his books with the ones he'd need for his next class, and was headed to the lunch line when some practical joker decided it would be hilarious to trip him. A foot popped out from behind a stand of lockers and Dick tumbled forward. He couldn't stop the reflexes that had him springing off his hands and back onto his feet. Luckily, the weight of his backpack was different than his cape and belt. He stumbled slightly, like the unpracticed acrobat he was supposed to be, and slammed into the back of the unfortunate lunch line.
TTGG Activity Feed. Feel free to post updates in this box. Provide links to threads you update or want people to join. This is not a chatbox. Thank you.
Alviss: Darn doesn't show the pic
Apr 18, 2019 7:10:17 GMT -6
force: miss this place. if anyone comes back and sees this, i'm force, i was kid flash here once. you can find me on discord at rook#9485
Jan 12, 2023 13:11:35 GMT -6
The roleplay takes place after the series end of the original Teen Titans animated show, but does not include the movie Trouble in Tokyo. Since then Robin has been on something of a recruiting spree, and many new young heroes have found themselves a home in Jump City as well as Titan Tower.
SILVRISABESUALISHATRINITYsupport boardsw3schools Images (c) DC Character and everything else belong to their owners. if there is something that is yours here, but it isn't credited for, please contact an admin and we will immediately add you to the credits.