Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/49958. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Underage Category: Multi, F/F, F/M, M/M Fandom: DC_Comics Relationship: Dick_Grayson/Koriand'r, Koriand'r/Jason_Todd, Grace_Choi/Koriand'r, Dick Greyson/Koriand'r/Joey_Wilson, Dick_Grayson/Koriand'r/Donna_Troy, Koriand'r/Original_Female_Character/Original_Male_Character, Dick Grayson/Roy_Harper/_Koriand'r, Koriand'r/Jason_Todd/Donna_Troy, Koriand'r/Grace_Choi/Jade Character: Koriand'r, Dick_Grayson, Roy_Harper, Donna_Troy, Jason_Todd, Joseph Wilson, Grace_Choi, Jennie-Lynn, Jade_(DC_Comics) Additional Tags: Threesome, Sex_Pollen, First_Time, Threesome_-_F/F/M, Threesome_-_F/M/M, Nonmonogamy, Loss_of_Virginity, One_of_My_Favorites, Threesome_-_F/F/F, Flying_Sex Stats: Published: 2010-01-12 Chapters: 7/7 Words: 10783 ****** A Certain Star: Six Threesomes For Kory ****** by Rubynye Summary Six threesomes for Koriand'r, Princess of Tamaran and superheroine Starfire. ***** Frontspiece/Headers for the whole story. ***** Title: A Certain Star: Six Threesomes Kory Was Never In Rating: NC-17 Pairings: Koriand'r/OFC/OMC; Starfire/Robin I/Speedy I; Koriand'r/Jericho/ Nightwing; Starfire/Robin II/Wonder Girl I; Starfire/Nightwing/Troia; Starfire/ Grace/Jade Warnings: Het, slash, femslash, threesomes, and some others specific to particular stories. Spoilers for: Kory's Backstory, Old Teen Titans storylines, Our Worlds At War, and the Outsiders "Most Wanted" storyline. Beta Reader: [[info]] glossing, who is awesomeness incarnate. Disclaimer: Nothing here is mine but the arrangement of the words, the concept of r'hael, and a few Tamaranian OCs. Part 1: Nestled in the Spiral Arm, Koriand'r/OFC/OMC Part 2: Wonder of the Weightless, Starfire/Robin I/Speedy I Part 3: A Breath You Can Afford, Koriand'r/Jericho/Nightwing Part 4: Bodies of Touch and Taste, Starfire/Robin II/Wonder Girl I Part 5: Comfort in Starlight, Starfire/Nightwing/Troia Part 6: Kick at the Darkness, Starfire/Grace/Jade Titles from "Orbiting Jupiter" and "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" ***** Nestled in the Spiral Arm ***** Chapter Summary Princess Koriand'r r'hael. Title: Nestled in the Spiral Arm Series/Segment: A Certain Star, Part 1 Rating: NC-17 Pairing: Koriand'r/OMC/OFC Warnings: Het, femslash, threesome, ritual sex; this is set during Kory's backstory, so decide how old she needs to be for you to read this. Spoilers for: Kory's backstory.   Princess Koriand'r, of the City of Tamarus on the golden planet of Tamaran, wakes slowly in the bright dawn of a new day, snuggled warmly between the family friends who last night bestowed upon her her r'hael, and feels herself reborn into her womanhood. She yawns and stretches between her bedmates, wriggling against warm skin to either side of her, and smiles with her eyes closed. She hadn't known it till this moment of waking, but her parents were right. Right when they assured her on her return from Okaara that her sister's twisted soul and dark destiny were not her fault; right when they sent her to be seen by their provincial governors, because one day she will be Queen, and not least because thence she met Tarryg'n, son of the Warden of the South; right when they kept her from his bed before she'd had a proper r'hael. Two strong arms entwine her waist, four long legs entangle hers, and the sum of all they taught her last night is incalculable. How could she have gone to him untutored and unknowing? It would have been like trying to direct a battle before her training on Okaara. And the pleasure she would have missed, to have not had a proper r'hael. Koriand'r gently pulls her arm from beneath Kar'damom's red-gold cloud of hair, curves her fingers around his muscles as she shifts Galang'l's arm a little ways down her chest, and sits up. The hanging bed swings minutely in response to the movement, and one of Kar'damom's unborn twins twists beneath the skin of her magnificently domed belly, pushing against Koriand'r's hip, then kicking at her through Kar'damom's flesh. Koriand'r giggles quietly, rubbing her hand lightly over the spot till the heel of the tiny foot withdraws, and then again a little longer just to feel the fineness of the golden skin. Kar'damom slumbers on, used to her babes' gyrations, her face so sweet in sleep. Koriand'r gazes on her in wonder as the pink light of dawn wells across the bedchamber, still a little amazed that such a beautiful lady, who's known her since her birth, whose postures and gestures Koriand'r has patterned hers after in dance and flight, spent the last night kissing her with those full smiling lips and tickling her with that soft glowing hair, biting her with the hidden sharp shining teeth and stroking her with those long hands now reposed on her hip and on the pillow. She remembers how Kar'damom's hands held her and braced her, as Galang'l entered her so slowly, murmuring hotly in her ear what they were doing and how wonderful she felt, and her face warms as if sunlight is shining from it. Maybe it is. She feels changed in blood and bone, filled with light as if a tiny star glows in every cell of her. Koriand'r turns to regard Galang'l, his slightly parted lips and his noble high-arched nose, his flame-red mustache that tickled along her arms and ribs and thighs. Every time she will walk past him now as he stands at attention in her father's throne room, every time she'll see him drilling the Palace Guard, she'll have to smile. And perhaps blush, if he's moving those shoulders, running or flying... Galang'l sighs in his sleep, hand tightening a little on Koriand'r's thigh, his other hand sliding sightlessly forward into his wife's hair. Koriand'r strokes his hair till he quiets; sitting between them on their bed, one hand on each of them, she breathes in the sweet scents of love and morning, and her heart expands within her in joy. Only her wish to not wake them keeps her from flying straight up to the ceiling, from shrieking in delight. Instead Koriand'r hugs herself, and wriggles for glee. The past night glimmers in her memory: how they had murmured how honored they were to perform the r'hael for such a beautiful, valiant princess; how they had kissed her, one after the other, and then at the same time, all over; how they had laughed cheerily and breathlessly as Galang'l, gently holding Koriand'r's hair back, directed her in pleasing Kar'damom with her lips and tongue till she gripped Koriand'r's shoulders with the strength of passion and screamed like a battle- song. How Kar'damom had braced Koriand'r's hands on the swell of her belly, and Galang'l had told her how to fly just a little, so she was touching Kar'damom without pressing her as he fucked her slowly and gently till she growled and hooked her leg over his to make him move faster, till Kar'damom laughed and pushed her back into his arms and he covered her breasts with his hands and made her weep for pleasure. And then Kar'damom had pulled Koriand'r back down into her arms, stroked her and kissed her till she had wept out all her happy tears, and petted her hair and arms and cheeks while Galang'l stroked her back, till her racing blood calmed to peace and she slept. Koriand'r can feel those finger-strokes now, all over her arms and legs and throat and ribs, feel the lingering soreness in her sweetly bitten nipples. She touches them lightly as she looks at Kar'damom's opulent breasts and ripe nipples, and wonders if her own will ever be as splendid. Koriand'r's mother has assured that she already resembles the grandmother she never met, who was as magnificent as she was fierce. Still, right now Koriand'r feels thin and small beside Kar'damom's abundance and Galang'l's broad strength. Thin and small, but as if she's growing faster after this past wonderful night, and shiningly well loved. Koriand'r stretches her arms over her head and smiles as the sunlight, now full and golden, pours over her flesh, and the happiness within her and the love- bites on her glow outwards to meet it. When she next visits the south, she has so much to tell Tarryg'n, and show him, and kiss and bite into his skin. BOOM. Koriand'r sprawls protectively over Kar'damom's belly even before she can tell the direction of the explosion. Her ears are muffled, she can't breathe, both babes are squirming beneath the skin under hers; Galang'l is covering them both as the sound rings in all their ears. It hasn't fully faded before there's another, closer and louder, and Galang'l pushes even as Kar'damom tenses awake, murmuring, "X'hal!" The sunlight flickers as the explosions intensify, shaking the palace, rattling the doors and the windows. Koriand'r slides across Kar'damom and off the bed, holding Kar'damom's shoulders to steady her as she rolls and they fly down to the floor. They crouch low, clinging to each other; Kar'damom's expression is serene and listening, but her fingers press hot bruises into Koriand'r's upper arms. Galang'l leaps down to join them, shielding them with his body; beyond him, Koriand'r sees the bed swinging emptily, and the smoke billowing outside the window. "It sounds like---" His voice is as shocky as his face. "It can't be!" Kar'damom lays a hand on his cheek. The door shakes beneath a fist. "Princess Koriand'r!" calls a cracking young voice, as another fusillade explodes outside and pieces of rubble fall past the window. Koriand'r looks to Kar'damom, who nods and stands with her, arm around her shoulders, and Galang'l stands too, placing himself again between the women and the window. "Enter," he calls. "Princess Koriand'r, Lady Kar'damom, Captain Galang'l." Guardsman D'llwiid opens the door, breathless and hastily dressed with his helm on backwards. "The King and Queen send for you, Princess, and for their Captain of the Guard. The Gordanians---" An explosion loud enough to feel the concussion through the air, and they all duck as the palace rocks, but blessedly no debris flies in. "They got through the defenses," Galang'l finishes. "But how?" Kar'damom is wrapping her in a garment, but Koriand'r gasps, shaking her head, her ears roaring so that she doesn't even hear the Guardsman's answer. All at once she knows how the Gordanians got through the planetary defenses, and the thought darkens the sunlight before her eyes. She should have killed that traitoress when she could, and now all Tamaran will suffer for her weakness. Komand'r. ***** Wonder of the Weightless ***** Chapter Summary Dick always knew Kory and Roy would get along. Title: Wonder of the Weightless Series/Segment: A Certain Star, Part 2 Pairing: Starfire/Robin I/Speedy I (Kory/Dick/Roy) Warnings: Het, slash, threesome, teenagers Spoilers for: Nothing, really.   Dick likes introducing people. Not just in that way; he's not tying on any babushkas or anything. But he likes it when people he knows could be friends get the chance to meet, so he likes making it happen. He knew Roy and Kory would get along like the proverbial house on fire, and every time they've seen each other they've ended up laughing and teasing each other, teaming up against Dick and making everyone else laugh too. They're laughing now, as Kory floats lazily around the medlab ceiling while Dick bandages the slashes over Roy's ribs. Maybe he can get Kory to help convince Roy to wear more armor. Or maybe he'll just have her hold the idiot down. "Ow!" When the bandage sticks Roy winces and stops waving. "Watch it, Shortpants!" "Then stay still, Harper!" Dick's own bruises ache, and he could probably be gentler, but Roy could definetely stop moving. Could, but doesn't. "You're just trying to distract me," Roy says, grinning, and looks up at Kory again. "Hey, Glow Girl, I've got plenty more stories from the old days, if you're interested!" Kory giggles, and Dick jerks the wrap tight; Roy winces again, but keeps right on going. "Wanna hear about how the Boy Wonder here landed in the monkey cage at the Central Park Zoo?" "It was a habitat, and she doesn't," Dick snaps. Of course, as he does, Kory says, "Really?", drifting closer like a giant falling leaf. A giant, really pretty falling leaf. "There is one thing I'm curious about." She turns in the air, floating down so all they see are long, long legs and that really nice butt. Roy is totally staring, but it's not like Dick can pull his eyes off the view to glare, as Kory alights on the edge of the table. Kory's smile makes Dick think of sunshine and beaches and bikinis, and he grins at her, wider when he sees Roy's grin shining in the corner of his vision. "Kory, what is it?" She leans back a little, hair falling over one shoulder, golden and red and busty and gorgeous. "I was wondering when you two stopped--- what's the word?" While she thinks of it, Dick watches her breathe, and watches Roy watch her, and thinks that this is not a bad day. "When you stopped dating." Dick stops breathing. Roy chokes. Kory keeps smiling, like she asked something they can answer, something normal. "We--" "Um---" Roy is still choking. Dick looks at him, which is a mistake, because he sees Roy's apple-red cheeks and the faint glittery fuzz of red stubble and his shock-parted lips, and remembers, Roy's head thrown back, his hair flopped over one closed eye, his teeth sunk in his lip, breathing hard, breathing fast--- "We didn't," Dick says at the same time as Roy says, "It didn't count," and they sputter down to silence. Kory's still smiling like this isn't completely weird. "I see," she says, and at least someone does. Roy's face is redder than his hair. The fluorescent light hums overhead. Kory's smile starts to fade. Someone has to say something. Dick clears his throat, and his face is burning so badly he can't look at Roy, but he has to try. "Uh. It's not like that, not really, it's just..." Roy makes some indecipherable noise, instead of starting to talk, so Dick has to keep trying. "Roy's my--- for a long time we were the only two hero kids. That we knew, anyway. We didn't have to explain, you know? The scars, the bruises, the running off at a moment's notice. We..." Dick runs out of words, and Kory tilts her head curiously, but Roy finally starts talking. "Yeah, like that. We knew each other." Roy grins sideways at Dick. "Then we met Wally and Garth and Donna, and got older, and stuff, but it started with us two. And... yeah. So it was easier. Not that it mattered." Not that what mattered? Dick opens his mouth, because Roy sounds strange and his smile's gone fake, but Kory's head tilts further and her smile's soft and knowing. Or maybe a little sharp... she does look like someone whose race descended from a cat, when she looks like that. "I see," she says again, and hops down from the table to wrap one arm around Dick's waist. And the other around Roy's. "Dinner's in two hours, right?" "Yeah..." Dick is completely confused. And facing Roy across Kory's purple- strapped breasts. "Is there anything you must do before then?" Kory gives Dick a little squeeze, and he can feel how soft her skin is, bare and glowing, and the strength of her arm. Still, there's always something to do, reports to write, equipment to restock... that's what Batman would say. Roy is looking at Dick like he wants to laugh, and like he wants to smile. Kory looks so hopeful Dick could never turn her down, even though he's still not getting what she's after. He shakes his head. Kory smiles--- and kisses Roy, tightening her arm around Dick before he can wiggle free. For a shocked, pulse-pounding moment, Dick wonders, as he watches Roy's eyes unfocus and fall closed, as he clenches his fists, if it's going to be like that awful, awful fight he and Roy had over Babs that one time. But then Kory kisses him, her mouth warm and sweet and spicy as ever, and it's not. Because this may be absolutely crazy and probably against the rules somehow, but she's Kory. "Well, come on then," she says, lifting them up into the air like she knows Dick needs the feeling of flight to match this leap. "How long were you two going to keep acting like you'd stopped?" Dick opens his mouth to say they had, awhile ago, but Roy reaches across Kory's back and catches his wrist, and, well, he couldn't say it if he meant it. "Be gentle with us, Star," Roy says cheerfully, "we're just mere mortals." Dick rolls his eyes, and turns his hand to hold Roy's wrist. Kory laughs, and kicks open the medlab door. ************** They miss dinner, and team meeting, and the movie too; Dick wakes up a little when Roy, whose head is on his shoulder like old times, sits up beside him and swears softly and happily. Cracking one very heavy-lidded eye lets Dick see Kory wearing his mostly-unlaced Robin tunic with a pair of very short red shorts; she's carrying a tray piled with cold pizza and a bowl of salad, and grinning brightly enough to light the room. Quite the outfit, but... it seems like too much effort to bother being embarassed. It's not like the team didn't know where he was even before she went down to the kitchen in that getup. If they'd really needed him Donna or Vic would've knocked on the door, if only to keep Gar from doing it. So, with that lovely hot image in his brain, Dick shuts his eye again. Roy's warm next to him, and he's drifting, he could sleep a little longer; when Kory asks, "is Dick awake?" he doesn't say anything. Roy touches his cheek, really lightly, very softly. "I think we wore him out." Kory laughs, and Dick can hear his tunic hit the floor, before the bed dips as she climbs back in beside him, draping her long warm legs over both of theirs. "So you never fucked each other?" That's Kory, not beating around the bush. Roy chokes, and Dick keeps breathing like he's asleep, and doesn't laugh. "Uh." Dick can hear that blush. "Um. No. We didn't get... that far. Anywhere near like that far. We were just kids, you know?" "I suppose," says Kory, slowly. "When I was that age... but that's best not remembered." A pause, and Dick can feel Roy reach across to squeeze her hand, hear her little happy sound. She must be smiling. "Not when I'm here now, with Dick who loves me, and you our friend." Roy makes that little happy embarassed noise that means he's two more words away from saying something cheerfully assholic just to change the subject. "And it's a pity. He makes the most wonderful noises." Dick manages not to snort, but it's a near thing. Roy makes a noise like he's been kicked in the chest. "God all-fucking-mighty, Kory. You're gonna be the death of me." She just giggles. "I mean, now I gotta... and... how do you..." Kory's laughing, now, her 'oh, you stupid cute humans' laugh. "How does that work? You're all girl far as I can see, I mean, I--" Kory laughs merrily, and Dick is getting less sleepy by the second. "Stay the night with us, and when he wakes up I'll show you." There are some cues a guy just has to take. "Mmm, do I smell pizza?" Dick opens his eyes. ***** A Breath You Can Afford ***** Chapter Summary Joey tries to help his friends. Title: A Breath You Can Afford Series/Segment: A Certain Star, Part 3 Rating: NC-17 Pairing: Koriand'r/Jericho/Nightwing (Kory/Dick/Joey) Warnings: Het, slash, threesome, all that good stuff. Spoilers for/Based on: The Wolfman-era Teen Titans storyline where Kory is forced into a political marriage. Can I find the issue numbers?   There are times when Joey's tempted to misuse his powers, despite his mother's lessons. When someone dear to him steadfastly refuses a good thing because of a misconception, sometimes he just wants very badly to catch their eye and take them over, show them and make them feel how the alternative they're rejecting would be best for them. He usually doesn't do it, of course. But he'd like to. He thinks of that now, when Dick rolls out of his arms and twists out of Kory's to sit up with his knees drawn in and his head in his hands, looking just as unhappy as they hadn't wanted him to look tonight. "Dick?" Kory reaches for him and he shies away from under her hand, and this is just not how the evening was supposed to go. Joey sits up, too, but he doesn't reach to hold Dick, even when his dodge away from Kory pushes his shoulder against Joey's chest. Joey reaches for Kory's hand instead, and she takes the reassuring squeeze and lies back down, quiet but with worried green eyes. Joey pushes the silky bedsheets down out of his way, and waits. Dick overflows with motion; he won't be still or quiet for long. Meanwhile, Joey watches the muscles of Dick's shoulders move with his breathing, the planes of his shoulder blades. The near one is marked with a healed bullet wound, a dark pucker in the low light, and Joey makes a note to trace it with his lips, later, once Dick comes back to them; just as Joey thinks it Dick lifts his head, still pressing his hands to his face, flexing his back as he drags in a deep sobbing breath. According to Kory, Dick doesn't know how beautiful he is, so Joey doesn't sigh. He just waits. And Dick sighs, long and ragged. "I can't," he moans into his hands. "I can't do this, I can't." "But, Dick," Kory murmurs, warm and soothing, and Joey doesn't know how Dick can resist sinking into that voice, those arms. He was half-drunk on her plush- lipped kisses before Dick called this halt. "It's your birthday." "Kory, God, I..." Dick trails off, voice thick. He drops his arms to his knees, rests his forehead on his wrists. "Joey." Joey dares laying a hand on Dick's shoulder, the dented scar beneath his fingers. "Thank you for my birthday present, but I... I can't. Every time you touch me, Kory, you feel as wonderful as you always do, and I just can't... you're not mine anymore." In the softly lit bedroom the flash of Kory's eyes is bright enough to make the walls glow. "I'm still your Kory. I'm the same Kory I've always been." She sits up now, and when she touches his shoulder Dick shudders, breathing hard, tense as a spring. Joey has a thought, and he knows gladly that Kory trusts him even before he catches her eyes over Dick's bowed head. Smiling at her, he leans in close enough to brush Dick's cheek with a sideburn, almost but not quite close enough to kiss. Dick startles, looking up into his eyes, and there. Dick gasps as Joey takes him over, as Kory leans over him and Joey uncurls him, lays him down, and unclenches his fists. He's still hard, achingly so, and Joey briefly remembers his mother's stories of Gotham and wonders if there's something about the city that encourages insanities such as self-punishment. Maybe it's just Dick. But Joey and Kory can handle that. Joey looks up through Dick's eyes at Kory leaning over him, her round golden breasts and the long smooth lines of her body, the lengths of her sleek strong thighs. She's so beautiful Joey's sorry he hasn't painted her more often, and she's smiling at Dick with eyes bright enough to light the room, easy and relaxed and waiting.There. Dick gasps again, eyes wide and night-blue, as Joey looks down at him through Kory's eyes. She giggles wonderingly. "Oh, this feels strange," she murmurs, Joey leaning her down close enough to breathe over Dick's ear. "I'm not--- this is Joey touching you, can you feel him?" Kory's a little taller than Joey, and he folds those long strong arms around Dick just as he would in his own body, pushes her curls against his cheeks as if they were his sideburns, kisses Dick just as gently as he would with his own mouth. It's a little different in this body with her curves and magnificent breasts, but Dick clutches her and presses his face to her shoulder, sobbing, "Kory, Joey, Kory," between desperate sucking kisses. Dick melts all at once, twisting in her arms, thrusting up against her soft belly, gasping and abandoned to her again. All it took was a little push, and Joey wants to stay and feel this pleasure in her body, but he's done what he set out to do. He leans back, out of Kory, and she moves right into it, lifting her head enough to grin at him over Dick's closed eyes and parted lips as she rocks down. Joey smiles back and kisses her forehead, kisses Dick's temples and his gasping mouth. Dick catches his shoulder with a strong hand, kissing back hard and deep and desperately, sucking on his lips and tongue. Such a beautiful, confident man, and yet he needs so much loving sometimes, Kory says and Joey sees. But then, he's earned it. Joey strokes Dick's cheek and Kory's shoulders, feeling her move and kissing him tenderly till Kory pushes gently at his shoulder. When he looks up at her fierce glinting smile and red-gold cheeks he has to kiss her too, and she squeezes his shoulder and kisses back hard, never slacking the roll of her hips, Dick gasping in her rhythm. When she eases Joey back she smiles radiantly, her plan in her eyes; all she has to say is "help me?" and he nods. Kory pulls Dick up and rolls them into Joey's arms, and he lays them down, kissing the back of Dick's neck and both their shoulders, the firm muscles beneath Dick's skin and the sleekness of Kory's. Dick moves with their rhythm, lost to sensation, eyes closed and mouth pressed to Kory's collarbone, breathing moans, exactly as they want him. Now to keep him there. Joey drags one finger firmly down the ridge of Dick's spine, feeling shudders ripple outwards, and sucks the index finger of his other hand. If he does it a little showily, to watch Kory's eyes and smile gleam even as her lids sink and she purrs, well, he's only human. Smiling at Kory, Joey leans over Dick, laying himself against Dick's back like a blanket, one hand planted for steadiness. Dick shudders as if it hurts to let go of the tension coiled in his muscles, and Joey kisses all of him he can reach, ears and cheeks and nape, as he traces the dimples bordering his spine, the curve of his ass, the fine textures of his most hidden skin, and slowly, gently, eases a finger into him. Dick moans long and low, eyelids crinkled tight as he clings to Kory, and Kory moans with him, her glowing eyes on Joey's. She draws her leg up, wrapping it around both their backs, and he can feel the solidity and smoothness of it, but not its weight. She's flying just a little, floating just enough to bear them both up, and Joey has to kiss her for the wonder of it, of both of them. Her mouth is pepper-sweet, and she bites his lip, laughing with the thrill of it till his lips buzz. Maybe Dick can feel Kory's laugh, when Joey presses his mouth to the nape of Dick's neck again. Maybe he just feels them both, moving carefully with him between them, kissing him and loving him as a team. "Oh," he moans over and over, sounding a little less lost, a little closer to found, as Joey slowly kisses the scar on Dick's shoulder, as Kory bites her lip and rocks slowly as a dream. Slowly, with Kory's glowing flush swelling like a sunrise, Dick's thick scars standing out white and his thinner ones darkening to lines of red across his pinkening skin. Slowly, slowly, holding Dick wrapped up in them both, till he gathers and tenses, and Kory bears down with a triumphant shout. It's as if her orgasm sets off Dick's, and Joey can watch and feel them both as they clutch his arms, as she throws her head back and her mouth falls open, as he presses his face into her shoulder and shudders with aftershocks. Joey pulls out gently and wipes his hand, strokes Dick's back and Kory's arms, and holds them both as long as they'll let him. Too soon, wonderfully soon, Kory grins and stretches and pushes Dick by his shoulders, rolling him into Joey's arms, and he reaches up and back, his arms slipping around Joey's neck. This is what they wanted, Dick sleepy and sated and happy, not tormenting himself over what he can't change. Joey watches Kory sit up, all aglow, and in his arms Dick breathes, once, twice, three times-- - and twists, startlingly fast, to push Joey down and kiss him, hard and open- mouthed. Joey falls back beneath Dick, breathless as Dick curls around his side and drags a hand down his chest, kissing down his chin and writhing onto him; when Dick nibbles the long scar across Joey's throat, his mouth shiveringly hot, Joey's hands tighten reflexively on Dick's shoulders, and before he can ease his grip Dick moans and presses into the hold. Spice and sweat waft over him, and Joey pries open his eyes to see Kory as she shimmies across them; Dick pulls away, gazing up with wide dark eyes as she settles beside them, and the look they trade is like a laser slashing through the air. For a moment Joey's worried he's somehow undone all their work, but Kory smiles as she takes Dick's hand, licking the palm slowly and warmly till Dick shudders against Joey's side, then wrapping that hand around Joey's penis, warm damp calluses and the nervous intelligence of strong fingers making him shudder too. Dick sighs, almost a groan, pushing his face against Joey's cheek as he starts stroking him, and it's an effort for Joey to keep his eyes open and on Kory's face as she takes his hand in turn, wrapping her fingers around his wrist, stroking his palm, smiling her thought. Joey grins agreement, shaping his hand to one of her beautiful breasts, letting her push it down her strong chest and rounded belly as she wriggles a little. Joey's other hand presses to the scar on Dick's flexing shoulder as Dick strokes him, kissing every inch of his face with trembling lips. He reaches Joey's mouth as Kory settles, slick and hot and wet, onto his hand, riding it like she might have ridden him. She growls and leans forward, palms hot on Joey's chest, and kisses him, kisses Dick, kisses him again. One hand on each beautiful friend, Joey founders beneath the magnificent feel of them. Kory's biting his mouth, her groan almost tenor, when she squeezes around his fingers so tightly and shudders against him, and Dick gasps warm in Joey's ear and speeds his hand all the more, till Joey sees light flash through all the colors of flame behind his eyelids and comes in the tight ring of Dick's fist. Dick moans with him as if he's the one who came, and Kory murmurs something incomprehensible and sweet in his ear as they collapse together, shaking through the aftershocks, trembling down to quiet. Submerged in their warmth and scent and strong limbs, Joey drifts for a long, sweet time; when he finally comes fully to himself, he finds their hands wound together over his heart, and Dick peacefully asleep on his shoulder, face smoothed and restful. Kory isn't asleep yet, fingers softly lax in Joey's hair, her question in her eyes. He nods, glad to be the one she trusts to watch the man she loves while she's gone, glad to accept this responsibility. Of course, he tells her with a smile; she rests her forehead against his, her eyes warm and heavy-lidded, and sweetly smiles in answer. ***** Bodies of Touch and Taste ***** Chapter Summary Jason fucking loves working with the Titans. Chapter Notes In my head, I'd dedicated this segment to [[info]]sharpest_rose, who made me love Jason Todd. Then she put Rosie The Riveter on my userinfo, so I think the dedication will be outside my head too. *beams at Mary* Title: Bodies of Touch and Taste Series/Segment: A Certain Star, Part 4 Rating: NC-17 Pairing: Starfire/Robin II/Wonder Girl I (Kory/Donna/Jason) Warnings: Het, slash, femslash, threesome, sex pollen Spoilers for: Again, nothing, really.   Breasts everywhere, Jason thinks, and wobbles, and he's not gonna giggle. He's not a girl. He's with two gorgeous girls, Titans girls, and Kory's already naked and giggling and staggery-floating, one hand in Jason's hair and one around both their waists holding them together. Donna looks confused by her giggles, like she can't believe her mouth is making them; her costume's down her shoulders and her feet bare, her boots gone somewhere in the last five miles. Looks like Apple Annie's powder wasn't poison after all, Jason thinks, breathing sharp green apple and sugar and Donna's sweet clean hair; he really hopes Donna's the only one the Tower sent after him and Kory, and he giggles, dammit. But Kory pulls his hair, and when he gasps Donna grabs his shoulders and kisses him, her eyes as wide as if it went the other way, so it's OK. More than OK. Donna's mouth's as bossy as her round stoned eyes aren't, as she kisses him hard as an Amazon and sweet as a chick, kisses him till he can feel her soft mouth like it's all over his skin, perfect and hot and he's so turned on he can't see. Jesus. He grabs for the damp slippery folds of her costume, sliding and sinking even though she's holding his shoulders tight enough to hurt, her fingers pressing hot dents into him, and Kory clutches his hair in a fist, her arm behind his back wrapping around him as they all tilt and roll, sun-dapples sliding warm patches across them. They roll right outta the air, bounce Kory off a tree trunk and thump onto the grass beneath, which figures when both the fliers are so completely high. Too high to fly, the lamest fucking joke, and Jason's snickering into Donna's mouth, that gorgeous mouth deserves better. She bites his lip, gasps like he bit hers, and bites him again more sharply, a little too hard in the best way. Kory's plastered tight and hot to Jason's back, vibrating, growling as she yanks his hair so hard his mouth pops off Donna's. Her mouth's like a strawberry with sharp teeth, all sweet and ripe between bites, and his cape chokes him a little when she yanks it, and Donna's gasps puff into his hair. "Kory," Donna says, like she's trying to say responsible things, like she's not groaning underneath. Kory makes some deep hot sound in her throat, a laugh or a growl or both, and Jason's cape pulls tight in her fist, her teeth sharp on his bottom lip as it tears. "Kory," Donna says again, a little firmer, but her hands on Jason's shoulders don't feel like they're pushing him away, her legs are long and tight and still wrapped around his hips. Kory pulls off Jason, lunges over him to kiss Donna, and he spends about one half a second wishing he could watch before he sees it's Kory's breast blocking his view, damp and round and golden and there's no way he can keep his mouth off. He listens to Donna moan and Kory growl, licking along the sweat-sweet curve, and Kory yanks and he coughs as his cape rips free, breathless and dizzy. Kory's doing a number on Donna's suit, too, shoving it down around her waist, and her shoulders and breasts and skin are all right there, pressed up against Jason's arm, if he can just get his damn gauntlets off without flailing like a spazz. Last time he got laid outside was behind the music rooms on scraggly city grass, with Rena fussing about messing up her clothes almost too much to get off. And before that, he remembers with Kory's nipple crinkling hard as a clit against his tongue, apples-sweat-spice tingling in his throat, he was in uniform on a Gotham roof after a really good fight. Neither of those was anything like this, cool grass thick and soft under him, Kory and Donna kissing the hell out of each other, a tangle of hot sleek gorgeousness around him. Kory's got Donna's suit down her hips now, and her other hand's hooked over Jason's belt like she's three seconds from trying to yank it off, or maybe one. Donna's tit is soft and her nipple's so hard it's almost like a pebble against his palm, and pulling his hand away is the hardest thing ever, but it's not gonna help anything if Kory sets off the booby-trap with all three of them in range. At least he can keep his mouth where it is, squashing his nose into that soft warm heaven while he fights his belt off, and Kory tastes warm and spicy like gingerbread, and she drags his shorts off fast enough to scrape down his hips. He's lucky he doesn't break his dick, really, and when that makes him laugh Kory growls over him and Donna's moan is next thing to a growl and he throbs like he'll come just from hearing that, head spinning with apple-stonedness and gorgeous hero girls hugging him tight as they clutch each other. He has to gasp, try not to hyperventilate, drag out one of those fussy breathing patterns and lose it laughing and groaning with Kory's teeth in his ear; he kicks the shorts off and away, where they hopefully won't get crushed, so he doesn't have to go home bareassed. Not that Bruce'd actually be mad if Jason lost his uniform; he'd just act like it, order him not to see the Titans, ground him or some shit. But how was Jason gonna turn this down? How would any guy with enough blood in him to lift a dick turn this down unless he was completely totally off the scale queer? Kory twists, pulling her nipple from his mouth, and before Jason can chase it she's rolling him onto Donna so his face lands right between her beautiful pink tits, soft warm skin and her breastbone and her heart pounding. Kory's hand on his belly is hot like the glow off a fire, like if she heats it up any more she'll scorch off his pubes, and it should be at least a little scary and it just makes his dick strain towards her. He could come just from her heat washing across him. He could close his eyes and bury his face in Donna and come till his head blows up, but... but Donna's saying something, panting under him, and Jason can't even hear her through the roar in his ears but he has to look up. It's beyond stupid to think of him taking care of a girl who can throw a car, who was heroing before he had pubes, but... he tilts his head back, and Kory bites the side of his neck, and he grits his teeth and groans as she sucks and the bite flares, and his eyes try to close but he looks up. Donna looks as blown-eyed stoned as he must, as they all are, her face glowing pink and her lips red like hickeys, but she meets his eyes, and gasps, and smiles openmouthed. "Hey," Jason manages, and Donna smiles wider, her hand on his face, and he has no idea what he's gonna say but he opens his mouth again-- - ---and cries out, high and loud and fucking girly, because Kory's in him with one long finger, burning deep, and she's growling into his ear, and her breasts rub against his back even through his suit. No armor could keep Kory out, and Donna's blown blue eyes fall shut as she hauls him up and kisses him. His thumb got hooked on her suit somehow and she twists, skinning it halfway down her thighs, and her hair's wet and silky-rough and holy crap it somehow makes it that much more real that they're doing this. Jason's doing this, with Donna and Kory. They're doing this with each other, Donna's arm pressed tight to his hip as Kory bucks against his ass, riding her own wrist, and he can taste them both in his throat, sweaty sweet delicious. Donna kisses him till his tongue feels like it could come like a dick, pulls off and kisses Kory with a luscious wet noise, and when Kory reaches up Jason turns his head to lick the spicy curve of her arm and Donna's hand slides up into his hair and tangles there. Kory comes with a battle-cry that rattles Jason's eardrums, bouncing around inside his head; her finger crooks inside him and her hips shove his against Donna's, and he doesn't know how he hasn't come yet, he can feel it pounding up to overload, pulsing in every muscle in his body, and Donna's shaking like he'd never've imagined. His face's pressed between her breasts again, impossibly soft on his cheeks and her pulse beating hot under his mouth, and he can hear his own voice but he has no idea what he's saying into her skin, just that Kory's fucking them both on the grass, into it. When Dick called her a force of nature, he wasn't fucking kidding, and-- And Jason can't hold the thought because he's coming, red fireworks behind his eyelids and Donna's coming too, thighs pressed tight around Kory's hand and muscles tensed like iron as Jason rides her hip; Kory nudges his prostate before he can even come down, makes him see flying stars. He can't come again that fast, even though she's rubbing herself against his back like he's stroking those magnificent tits with his suit, and maybe he is, and her hand's all wet from Donna when she wraps it around his dick, and ok, he can come again that fast, so hard it feels like his head's blown off. Jesus. Christ. And Gotham. Which is way far away from sunlight and trees and the sweaty pile they all flop down into, Donna's chest heaving under Jason's cheek, and his eyelids weigh five tons each. Kory's nicely heavy sprawled purring across Jason's back, random tendrils of her hair waving against his skin, and it takes awhile to do anything but notice little things, soft skin all over him and the gorgeous little noises Donna makes, her little happy moans as she kisses Kory again. Jason turns his head and grins, finally getting to watch. Now that's a sight to inspire a man to heroics. Jason wonders if Dick's ever seen it, and for a second he can't breathe. It's not like stressing about something ever kept it from getting fucked up anyway, but now Jason's thinking about how, though he'd never admit it to anyone, even Alfred, he was really glad when Dick stopped wanting to beat him half to death every time they saw each other. Jason can't think of a thing in any of Bruce's mind-control protocols that covers wild stoned sex with the best friend and the girlfriend of the guy whose job you took. He loved being a Titan today, and holy hell this was the best supervillain poisoning ever, but... But Kory's head lifts as Donna's falls back, her eyelashes dark on her glowing cheeks and her lips red and wet and parted as she arches up under Jason all fluidly like the kiss melted her bones, and Kory gives him a brain-fryingly hot grin, her eyes heavy and sharp at the same time. "Come here, Little Wing," she murmurs, and yeah, somehow he knows they talked about him. Somehow, it's ok. Jason grins back, and Donna's arm is smooth and tight around him as Kory pulls him up for his own bone-melting kiss. ***** Comfort in Starlight ***** Chapter Summary Dick and Donna love Kory, and wish that helped. Title: Comfort in Starlight Series/Segment: A Certain Star, Part 5 Rating: R Pairing: Kory/Dick/Donna (Starfire / Nightwing / Troia) Warnings: Het, femslash, threesome, some angst Spoilers for: Our Worlds At War   By the time Donna's caught her breath, Kory's not sobbing anymore, or shaking, or clutching intensely tight; she's just breathing quietly, her hand unfurled on Donna's thigh, and Dick's lying still beyond her. Donna opens one eye, then the other; in the light of the bedside lamp Kory's hair is damp and ember-red, and past the luxuriant tangle of it Donna can see Dick's in little black tufts over his ear, his shoulder marked with a crescent of dark bites, and his arm loosely draped over Kory's ribs, moving with the tide of her breath. Cautiously, Donna sits up, but they've done their job well, and Kory doesn't stir. She looks so young now, forehead smooth, cheek round, tender lips parted. She looks like she did when Donna met her, except for the tear-tracks. Donna wants to lick her fingers and rub them away, but she knows only time's going to get rid of them for good. A lot of time. Dick looks up at Donna, his heavy-lidded eyes the same blue as the pre-dawn sky through the window, one ringed with a bruise of sunrise purples and reds. Kory must've smacked him by accident, sometime when Donna's head was down between her thighs. His smile's soft and tired, and Donna drags her thumb across the ridge of his cheekbone and smiles back, probably a little guiltily since she should've been the one in front. She's not a goddess anymore, but she's still strong, less damageable than an ordinary mortal. Not that Dick's any ordinary mortal. But he's built of the same stuff, and Kory's left him covered in darkening bites and bruises. If Donna were any ordinary girl she'd have just as many; she can feel them healing, tingling patches scattered from her jaw to her thighs, a deeper itch than drying sweat. Passionate Kory, Donna thinks, remembering Kory's teeth over her pulse and strong arms tight around her ribs, painfully wonderful. "Hey," Dick mouths, and Donna smiles wider and holds out her hand. He peels his fingers from Kory's skin and takes it, pulling himself up to sitting. Kory curls a little tighter between them, pressing her face to Dick's side, but they both know how soundly she sleeps. Especially when she's exhausted. So Donna leans over, feeling Kory breathe against her belly, and cups Dick's cheeks to hold him as she looks at him, the first prickles of shadow just tickling her palms. He's always had a bad habit of downplaying his injuries, and she's not going to let him get away with it. Mostly they're just bruises, but the bite on his shoulder has started seeping blood; this is Donna's bed, so she feels completely justified in ripping a strip off the sheets to bind it with. He rolls his eyes but at least he holds still for her. But then, he's kind of worn out. So's Donna. She tugs him back over and kisses his forehead, feeling his jaw move under her hand as he smiles, then lets him go. "How are you?" she whispers. "There's nothing like an enthusiastic Tamaranian," he says with a sideways grin, and a sigh. "But she's finally passed out." Glancing down, he brushes a little of Kory's hair back from her face, looping a curl round his finger; when he shifts, he winces into a chuckle. "God, I'm sore. I don't think I'll be able to make love for the next week." Donna feels the same way, as banged up as by a massive fight; her nipples are as achingly swollen as they were at the end of her pregnancy, and Kory's handprints on her hips and inner thighs are prickling as they fade. She can also feel how many orgasms she's had, like a banked fire inside her, and the combination is dizzyingly heady. "Anyone we need to apologize to?" Donna asks, winking, and watches Dick's cheeks turn pink. He's always been so cute. There were times in her adolescence she was glad he wasn't a girl, times she really, devoutly wished he was, and times he made her feel nothing but girly. And then she met Kory, who always makes her feel like an Amazon. Dick's blushing, so there must be, and he still grins. She's missed that grin. "There's this girl... this woman. I should tell you about her. But no, nothing serious, not yet. And, anyway..." The grin fades. "Kory needs us." "Yeah." Kory's skin is deceptively soft under Donna's hand, plush and golden, glowing a little in the dim lamplight. "She needs us." Dick makes some kind of sound, low in his throat; Donna looks up to see his mouth thinned and his jaw set hard, and wonders about that girl, what he was doing when Donna called him. She never had a chance to ask. When Kory lifted her head from Donna's lap to ask for him, Donna called him without a second thought, and by the time he arrived they were kissing desperately, both already in tears. "I mean, Dick, if you'd rather be somewhere else---" Dick snorts; when he stops chewing his lip his face softens to match his eyes. "Just a little late for that, Wonder Chick," he says, but this smirk's fairly gentle. "And no. If Kory wants me here, I'm here. Just like you are." He curls his hand loosely around Donna's wrist. Donna turns her hand over to intertwine their fingers. "Thank you." Dick ducks his head as he smiles so his hair hides his eyes. She reaches over to push it back, stroking his cheek with the heel of her hand, and he reaches up to catch her wrist, pressing his face into her touch. Then he takes a breath. "Besides... she did the same thing for me. On Tamaran, when she was engaged." Donna hadn't known that. She tries to make her gasp anything else than echoing shock, as Kory sleeps between them and Dick holds her hand against his face. Dick nods, smile so twisted it barely deserves the name, and she can hear the self-reproach in his breathing before he speaks. "She and Joey. For my birthday, after the party, they took me to bed. For that moment... I wish I'd let it help. I wanted to let it help, and Joey made it clear as day he was there to help, but I just couldn't. And then..." And then a lot of things happened, people struggled and people died, and at the end of it all Kory had returned, and Donna was too glad to have her back to think about what it was like when she was gone. "Yes," she says, and Dick squeezes her wrist. A moment, and he laughs quietly. "I... this would be too much information to anyone else, but to you..." He looks at her the way he'd touched her tonight, the way he always has on the infrequent, important nights they've spent together, glad to be with her out of everyone he could have. It's warmly, profoundly mutual, and Donna drops her hand to his arm to squeeze it. "After she came back from Tamaran and got it through my thick head that she wasn't married, we had this dust-up that ended up being our first real fight. In the middle, well, what I thought was the middle, she grabbed my shoulders and kissed me. I was surprised, yeah, and when she kissed me again I think I tried to push her off." Dick shakes his head, grinning ruefully. "I know I asked if she wasn't mad, and she said she was, that because she was mad she needed to understand me better. We didn't even make it to the couch." Donna smiles at that image for as long as she can before the realities of the present make it fade again, until Dick's smile fades as he looks down at Kory, sinking his hand in her hair. "God, Donna. Look at her. The way she used to laugh..." His voice is hushed and sad. "She's... since she left," and he doesn't add 'me' aloud, but their ill-starred wedding was at Donna's house, back in the days when she had one with Terry. She knows. "I dreamt of her so many times. I've wanted her back..." A bitter little laugh. "If anyone knows how badly, you do. But not... not like this, Donna. Not like this." Donna turns her hand in Dick's hold and squeezes his, and wishes she had any idea what to say. If the Titans could bring Kory's world back, Dick and Donna would lead them to it. But they can't, all they can do is be here tonight, and Kory's shivering, and frowning. She never used to frown in her sleep, ever, and there were nights Donna needed those midnight smiles, needed Kory's solid light and her dependable joy. But now... Donna drags the sheet up over all three of them, but Kory's frown only deepens, and she shivers harder and mumbles something incomprehensible and agitated. It hurts to watch, like it hurt to kiss her while she cried, to ride her fingers while she sobbed with every thrust. So Donna can't look away, any more than she could have denied Kory anything else tonight, any more than she would've wanted to. She holds Dick's hand as she leans over Kory, stroking her forehead and murmuring, "shhh," till the frown finally fades. Dick's doesn't, as he watches. "She never used to have nightmares," he whispers. "But I guess, after the second planet..." And her husband, Donna thinks quietly. "And the baby," she says instead, just as mournfully. Kory's lost so much. Deep down where she occasionally indulges her self-pity, Donna had thought her own losses were staggering, but if Themiscyra vanished, could she possibly go on? And Paradise Island was her world, but it's just one island on this planet. She'd never want to see Dick lose Gotham, but it's just one city. How could they lose all Earth and keep their minds? While Kory's lost her planet, twice. "I wish she had her baby," Dick cups Kory's shoulder, eyes dark and tender, words slow but even. "I wish she had her planet, and yeah, her husband. Even if it meant I'd never seen her again, I wanted her to be happy." "I know, Dick." No one who knows him couldn't. Donna slips her hand beneath Dick's chin, stroking his jaw with her thumb. "She knows. That's why she came here." Dick's smile is lopsided against her palm, his eyes downcast and half-closed. "Well, there's Paradise Island too. If she belongs anywhere now, it's with the Amazons. And because you're here." He turns his gaze up, and when he looks at Donna he smiles as openly when they were fourteen, but with the little sensual curl Kory gave him. Tired or no, Donna could kiss him. Well, considering everything tonight... she leans forward and does kiss him, and he smiles under her mouth before he shapes his lips softly to hers for an unhurried moment. Then Dick pulls back, and sighs as he rests his forehead against Donna's; he strokes Kory's hair as Donna strokes her arm, as she sighs in her sleep and her body relaxes, as the three of them just breathe. After awhile, Dick yawns, laughs quietly and lies down again, reaching up to gently push Donna's shoulder. So she folds her hand around his and lies down too, hooking her ankle over his, and they wrap themselves around Kory and hold on to each other, waiting together for the morning. ***** Kick at the Darkness ***** Chapter Summary "To freedom!" Kory shouts, thinking of children rescued from slavery, and women rescuing themselves. Title: Kick at the Darkness Series/Segment: A Certain Star, Part 6 Rating: R Pairing: Starfire/Grace/Jade (Kory/Grace/Jennie-Lynn) Warnings: Femslash, threesome, het mentioned Spoilers for: The Outsiders "Most Wanted" storyline.   "How in the hell am I supposed to remember, Green Pea?" Grace throws her shoulders back, spreading her arms wide so her customary white halter-top strains over her breasts. Jennie laughs from near the ceiling, turning loops till her T-shirt flares out. "That's why it's a good question!" Streamers spiral behind her, tinting Grace's apartment with a golden-green glow like spring sunshine in Tamaran's northern forests. The thought makes Kory's eyes suddenly ache with the pressure of tears, and she blinks them back. The drink and the recent gruesome mission are pulling her towards melancholy; she pulls against them, towards life. That's why she's here with her teammates, sipping this teeth-numbing liquor from Grace's cabinet, watching Jennie-Lynn swirl green light across the ceiling and Grace's sleek muscles shift as she leans forward. Grace is big and strong and wholly unafraid as too few of Earth's women are; when she fights or smiles she reminds Kory of Donna's Amazons, and there's another memory of pain and love that could bring tears to Kory's eyes if she let it. Instead, she thinks of how Grace would bray laughter at the comparison, and laughs herself. "If Grace forfeits the question--" "--I forfeit nothing, Sparkles--" "--You should answer it, Jade." Kory waves to Jennie, who punctuates her tipsy midair dance with a twirl, stops, and falls, possibly a bit heavily, onto the couch between them. "Whoof!" Jennie shakes her head, whisking Kory's shoulder with her straight soft hair. "All right, Kory, and the name's Jennie-Lynn already." She reaches for the bottle Grace holds, which Grace promptly hoists out of reach of her flailing hands. "Hey!" "You sure it's legal to fly drunk, Short Stuff?" Grace waggles the bottle, its crimson contents sloshing appetizingly. "I'll show you sho--ooh!" Jennie flies up to grab the bottle; Grace lunges forward, nuzzling her belly, and her eyes fly open round and green and bright, and Kory's laughing. Perhaps a little wildly, but it feels good to laugh. It looks like it feels good to be where Grace is, too, chuckling deep and nosing her way up Jennie's breastbone, pushing up the loose T-shirt as Jennie catches her shoulder, and closes her eyes, and doesn't move out of reach. "I -- dammit, I forgot my answer. Forgot the question. What was--?" "You are seriously hammered, Boss Lady." Hands encircling Jenny's waist, Grace kisses her lightly on mouth and hairline, and sets her on the couch. "Might have to cut you off." "Insubordination, Grace." Jennie brandishes the bottle, and most impressively doesn't choke as she takes a swig. "Yeah, I remember now. Alcohol's good for the brain." Grace laughs loud enough to echo, nearly drowning out Jennie's question as she turns to Kory. "Who's the first villain you ever fought? What'd they do?" Jennie's face is bright and expectant, and Kory wishes the answer didn't dampen her smile till Jennie's brows draw down. "My sister." Jennie's leaf-green eyes go round again; Grace's widen as well. "We never... got along." A terrible oversimplification, but as Gar's fond of saying, they don't need the whole story. "Sounds grim." Grace drapes her arm around Kory's shoulders, and Kory leans into the muscled strength. "Did you take her down?" Kory shakes her head, taking another sip of sweet fire to wash away the bitterness of memories. "No. I should have, I've had several chances, but I never quite could." "Never saw the point of families, anyway." Grace drops her head back against the couch; Jennie folds her warmly glowing arm through Kory's. "Not for people in this business." Jennie's smooth arm stiffens with the rest of her. "The best day of my life was when my dad found me, after all those years in group homes." She spits the words the way Kory speaks of the Citadel. "Must've been a Kodak moment," Grace parries. "No one swooped down and saved my ass. And in my personal experience, most fathers suck somehow or another." "Anissa wouldn't agree." Jennie's counter is mostly sighed, and she sinks a little into the couch, nestled against Kory's hip. "Yeah, well, Sorority Girl headed home for a nap hours ago," Grace growls sullenly. "Besides, how many shitfits has her old man pulled so far about her being a cape?" For a moment their recent case echoes in Kory's thoughts, Grace's childhood ordeals, Lian abducted to strike at Roy. She can understand Grace's attitude, after the horrors of her own youth, with her sister their foremost architect. And yet, she still wants a family so badly she can taste the longing on the back of her tongue. "I would have risked anything for Nightwing and I to have made a home together." "Huh." Grace takes the bottle from Jennie-Lynn, eyes narrowing over it as she drinks and looks at Kory appraisingly. Both the challenge and the interest are familiarly welcome, and Kory tilts her head and smiles sideways in return. "Lemme ask you a question, Starfire." Kory nods. "When you two were together, did he ever take off the damn mask?" Kory opens her mouth, and laughs; they all laugh, and Grace squeezes Kory's shoulder with her strong wide hand. This is the team Kory wanted to belong to, peers and fellow warriors. She grips Grace's arm, skin smooth and dense under her palm, and traces the dark lines of ink with her fingertips, a little surprised as ever that tattoos don't alter the texture. Grace snickers, turning her arm to allow Kory better access, tilting her knee till it rests against Kory's. "It's kinda hard to picture, y'know. Nightwing ever unbending enough for a date. Enough to enjoy a girl like you." Jennie snorts, hair soft and slightly damp where she's leaning against Kory's side. "Yeah, looking at him now, you'd never think it, but he used to smile all the time, crack these terrible jokes... Remember when we worked together, the Titans and Infinity, Inc.? He was a better leader back when he used to smile." "He was," Kory ruefully agrees. "And he will be again." She clenches her fist, thinking of the horrible stubborn set of Dick's jaw, and how she intends to see it ease. "All righty then." Kory only realizes her fist is glowing when she sees Grace's raised eyebrows, her face shadowed in its light. "Y'know, Kory... When you first showed up, I thought you'd been called in to pretty up HQ. You're Nightwing's ex, and Roy can't keep his eyes off your ass." Kory can't help giggling at that, warmth streaming under her skin. "I thought Jade was just doing Butch and Cassidy there a favor." Ignoring Jennie's "hey!" Grace continues, "But then I saw you up there, in action." Her whistle is loud and long, and it tingles down Kory's spine. "Kory's a decorated warrior, famed in several solar systems," Jennie-Lynn pointedly informs Grace, as a giant green pair of pliers pulls the bottle from her hand and pivots to place it in Jennie's. "If I'd hired her for her looks it'd be to model for me. Which we can discuss." She hiccups. "Later." "Too bad; cameras are fun." Jennie produces an equally giant camera, and Grace laughs and bats one-handed at it till it dissolves. "So, Sparkles. You and Roy?" "Are old friends," Kory replies, smiling, momentarily wondering how this evening might have gone if he hadn't stayed home to tend his daughter. Grace's slow, wicked expression makes Kory's smile widen to a grin. "So you two never had sex, ever?" Kory still misjudges these matters sometimes, but Grace doesn't at all appear to be someone who'd mind knowing. She draws a breath, but before she can say anything, Jennie kneels up so her head isn't quite so far below theirs. "It's not fair to make her kiss and tell." "What, we should kiss and---" Jade cuts Grace off by indeed kissing her, and Kory leans into Grace's hand kneading her shoulder, murmuring appreciatively as she watches Jennie's little mouth move over Grace's full one, green and red hair interweaving. She realizes she's holding her breath when Grace comes up laughing and she has to gasp for air to laugh with. "So this's how you are with the stick out. You should get sloshed more often!" Jennie shakes her head even as it tips back, the movement twining down her body into a shimmy. "You just wanna undermine my authority. And anyway, tonight we've got a reason to get drunk." "And what's that?" Grace's hand stills, her eyes narrowing warily. "To freedom." Jennie's mouth is firm for a moment, a battle plan glinting in her eyes; then she grins widely and hefts the bottle overhead, its slosh rather diminished. "After all," she adds, and now her eyes gleam ingenuously, "if Kory an' I were married we couldn't have this little girl's night in!" Maybe and maybe not, Kory thinks, remembering the generous young man Dick was, and could have been. But Grace is laughing and nodding, so, letting her teammates' laughter draw her along, Kory backs Jennie's cheer. "To freedom!" Kory shouts, thinking of children rescued from slavery, and women rescuing themselves. "And to not being married," Grace adds, and leans over and kisses Kory, her mouth strong and sweet under the alcohol burn, lush and full over Kory's. This isn't the Titans, it's a team all its own, and one Kory's starting to very much enjoy being on. Jennie laughs, falling against them, and Kory wraps her arm around Jennie's little waist as she leans into Grace's kiss. Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!