Exhaustion didn't even begin to cover what he was feeling as he trudged towards the main room, doing so as quietly as he possibly could. Such a skill wasn't usually difficult for him considering his level of stealth.
But when fatigue was thrown into the mix, his footsteps were a little louder and stealth kind of went out the window.
Robin yawned as he moved. His legs felt sluggish and his signature red backpack was weighing heavy on his shoulders, even though there wasn't that much stuff inside. He had a feeling his mask was slightly askew too but he wasn't too bothered considering he'd be taking it off soon enough.
As the doors opened with a whoosh, Robin couldn't help but smile as the familiar scent of home filled his senses. The faint aroma of pancakes with the smallest hint of tofu in the air, the slight burn smell from the game station running throughout the day, whiffs of the girls' respective perfumes.
It always hit him harder when he'd been away for a while.
"Rob!" Came a surprised but upbeat voice.
Robin turned his head and his smile grew as his eyes found Cyborg in the kitchen, stuffing a BLT in his mouth. The phrase 'midnight snack' floated around in Robin's mind, even if it was about 2am.
"Hey, Cy." The boy wonder replied, keeping his voice to just above a whisper,
He wandered over and leaned against the counter to have a chat before slinking off to pass out in his bed.
"I thought you weren't due back for a couple more days?" Cyborg wondered, licking his fingertips as he finished his snack off.
Robin shrugged, "I finished up a little earlier than expected so I decided to head home instead of sticking around."
Cyborg nodded in understanding, "I did wonder who it was when I heard the beeping from the security devices being unlocked and then locked again."
Chuckling, Robin crossed his arms over his chest, "Who else would I be?"
"Ya never know with this place."
The masked teen smiled, "True."
"So, how was your training?" Cyborg asked, crossing his arms as well.
Robin nodded, "It was good. I learnt a lot more moves from the true master that I've never seen done before."
"Awesome. Wanna demonstrate tomorrow?"
"Definitely." Robin grinned before yawning,
Cyborg smirked, "Tired, man?"
With a sigh, Robin ran a hand through his hair, "I don't mind training but I wish it wasn't on the other side of the world. It leaves me completely wrecked."
"Do they even have good food to make up for it?"
Robin pulled a face, "Not really. I've missed pizza."
Cyborg laughed a full belly laugh and shook his head, "So, we've got dinner figured out for tomorrow night then."
With a grin, Robin nodded before the two of them started on their way back towards their rooms.
"How's everything been while I've been gone?" Robin queried, the need to know about criminal activity burning just a little,
Cyborg shrugged, "Good. I mean, what you've been gone about 3 weeks... we've only really had a few alerts, all things considered."
"Good... paperwork filled out?"
The cybernetic teen rolled his eyes, "Yes, mom."
"I'm just covering my bases to know if I have that to look forward to when I walk into my office tomorrow."
"Well, no. I was a good little second in command and did it for you."
Robin exhaled, "Thanks. I really didn't want that hanging over me."
"No problem, man."
"And the team? Everyone good?"
Cyborg nodded, a grin tugging at his lips, "Yup. Beast Boy's been his usual, annoying self and Rae's pretty much just done her usual thing."
Robin paused, "And... Star?"
"Well, your girlfriend has been as what you'd expect."
Although they had been together for a good couple years now, Robin couldn't help the tinge of pink that filtered onto his cheeks at the term. It was just always a nice thing to hear that, yes, she was his girlfriend.
"Oh?" Robin responded, quirking an eyebrow,
Cyborg sobered from his teasing a little, "Yeah... she's been a little mopey. Not too much but she's missed you. She'll probably pass out knowing you're home early."
Robin snorted but a soft smile etched itself onto his lips, "She's asleep, I take it then?"
Nodding, the robotic teen smirked and cleared his throat as they halted outside of Robin's room.
"Yup but she's not where you'd think she'd be."
Robin furrowed his brows in confusion. What was Cyborg talking about?
With a shake of the head, his friend proceeded to type in Robin's override code, letting the door slide open without hesitation.
His eyes widened a small fraction at the serene sight before him.
There, lying in the middle of his bed was his Princess. She was snuggled into his comforter, her hair spilling across his pillows like a ruby waterfall. Starfire looked so peaceful in the way she was positioned. Her body was curled into itself ever so slightly and her head was tucked down, a bit like that of a foetal position.
Robin shook his head slightly, his mouth opening to form words but Cyborg got there first,
"She's been sleeping in here since you left. Like a pet or something."
He raised an eyebrow at Cyborg, "You wanna rephrase that to not make my girlfriend sound like a dog?"
Cyborg challenged him with a smirk, "Nope. I'm good." He paused and chuckled, "I just mean, it's almost like a puppy surrounding itself with its owner's stuff to feel like they're still here."
Robin rubbed the back of his neck. He wouldn't admit it to Cyborg but he actually really liked the fact that Starfire had been residing in his bedroom, rather than her own. It gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling in his stomach to know she had sought familiarity from his room whilst he'd been gone.
He narrowed his eyes, noticing something draped over her.
"What is that covering her?"
Cyborg smiled, "Oh, that? It's one of your capes. She's been using it like a blanket. If it was anyone else, I'd call it creepy but it being Star... I guess it's kinda sweet."
Robin's smile only widened and the weight of sleep he'd been feeling suddenly lifted. Seeing her after weeks apart was good enough but knowing she'd been surrounding herself with him made him feel even better.
Knowing she'd been wrapping herself in one of his capes gave him an assortment of feelings. It was utterly and undeniably adorable, in Robin's opinion.
He felt Cyborg clamp a hand down on his shoulder, "Right, I'm heading to bed. Please, if you're waking her, don't let her squeal. We'll all hate you."
Robin smirked and saluted his friend as he lumbered back to his own room.
The ebony haired boy stared into his room, feeling the calm aura wash over him. As he stepped inside, he could hear the faint and even breathing that was coming from Starfire.
Still smiling softly, Robin slipped the straps of his backpack from his shoulders and dropped the thing to the floor. He peeled off his mask and kicked off his boots before creeping over to Starfire.
He crawled onto his bed, biting his lip and being careful not to wake her just yet. He enjoyed simply looking at her like this. Her face was so tranquil. During the day, she was so energetic and expressive, which was amazing. But, sometimes, it was nice to take in how beautiful she was whilst her face was so undisturbed.
Robin gently leaned over her and brushed some hair behind her ear, making her shift only slightly.
"Star..." He whispered, "Starfire... baby... wake up..."
She mumbled something incoherent before shrugging and tugging the cape around her body a little more.
Robin grinned and fingered the hem of the cape before giving it a light yank.
Starfire furrowed her eyebrows and murmured, with an adorably angry tone, tightening the cape around her once again.
He bit his lip to stop himself from laughing. Part of him wanted to leave her be and just cuddle up behind her and sleep. But, another part of him wanted to see her eyes light up at his early return.
With that in mind, he pressed his lips to her cheek. Then, he moved to kiss her jaw, her neck and her earlobe, even going so far as to nuzzle her mass of hair.
"Mm... whosh... dereee." Starfire mumbled.
Robin found her sleepy talk completely hilarious and he struggled not to burst out laughing.
Rolling his eyes, he gently pushed her onto her back, smiling as she squirmed a bit like a cat; which wasn't unusual for her.
Brushing her hair out of her face, he carefully cupped her cheek and melded his lips with hers. Her skin was warm and her lips felt like velvet against his. God, how he'd missed her these past few weeks.
Training with the True Master had kept him busy during the day but at night, his mind wandered and he found himself feeling cold and very lonely without his girl wrapped in his arms.
The longer his lips were fused against Starfire's, the more she started to come around. She gave into a few muffled noises as he kissed her.
She lifted a hand and patted his shoulder, seemingly confused.
With a soft smile, he pulled back and gazed down at her.
Starfire blinked and shook her head, before rubbing her eyes with her hands.
"R-Robin?" She asked, sleep still disorientating her,
"Hey beautiful..." He whispered,
She whimpered, "This is the dream, yes?"
"Guess again, Star."
Starfire squeezed her eyes shut before they flew open. She reached up, caressing his cheek with her fingertips before he got the look he had been going for.
Her emerald orbs lit up immediately and she sucked in an excited gasp. Her hands were everywhere at once; no doubt reassuring herself that he really was there and not just some illusion at the sandman's hand.
She suddenly grabbed his shoulders and brought him down to her, their chests pushing up against each other. Robin chuckled and wove his arms around her waist, returning the embrace and dropping a small kiss against her shoulder.
"Robin!" She squeaked, holding him so tight, it was as if she was afraid to let him go.
"I missed you more than you can imagine, Star." He hushed, stroking her hair,
She let up on her grip so she could stare into his cobalt eyes in the darkness of his bedroom, with only a shimmer of the moonlight streaming through the window.
"Oh... Richard... please, do not do more of the training for a while now?" She pleaded, running her fingertips up and down his spine.
Robin pecked her lips, "I'm not going anywhere for a while, don't you worry."
Starfire beamed up at him, "I am so happy you have returned home! Please, what caused your premature return?"
He shrugged, "Training was finished sooner than I thought it would be. Sides, I wanted to get home to a certain Tamaranian..."
She giggled, running her fingers through his dark locks. He stifled a pleasure filled groan, loving the way she tugged on his hair but not hard enough to grate on him. It was oh-so good when she touched his hair like this.
With a sigh, her hands fell from his hair and above her head,
"I have missed you, my love." She murmured, eyes solely focused on him.
Robin smiled, just staring back at her. It felt good to be home with her again after what felt like an eternity but was in fact just three weeks.
His expression shifted into a smirk and he raised an eyebrow at her. He ran his fingertips against the material of his cape still covering her.
"So..." He began, "you really like my cape, I see?"
Starfire suddenly flushed brightly and bit her lip, "Oh... I... er... um-"
He nuzzled her nose with his own, "I'm just teasing you. But, feel like explaining it a little?"
With a sheepish smile, Starfire cast her eyes to the item of interest.
"I felt the sadness during your absence and wished for the comfort. I... started slumbering in your bed and came across your cape also... I..."
He tilted his head, urging her to continue.
"It sounds strange... but your bed and cape... they smell like you and being able to surround myself with your scent made me feel a lot better about your being away." She finished, shyly looking away from him.
Robin simply smiled down at her.
"It... it is weird, yes?"
He chuckled, "No. I'm happy you could find something of mine to cheer you up while I was gone." He leaned closer, "I had nothing to console myself."
Her smile was cheeky, "Oh, that is awful."
Robin mock pouted, "I know... I was so very lonely, especially at night."
She giggled and wove her fingers into his ebony locks, "Well, we shall have to rectify that problem, yes?"
Descending on her once again, he grinned just beforehand, "Definitely."
Oh, how good it was to be home again.
Author's Note: Post Tokyo. This has been sitting as an idea on my phone for a lifetime so I thought I'd write it up.
Please favourite and review! Thanks!
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.