Chapter 1: Curiosity (Robin x Starfire)
"Now, Starfire!" Robin shouted and the alien swung with all her might. Robin swung his legs with her movement and his feet hit the approaching robots full-force, sending them flying into the air.
"We have to make a run for it!" Cyborg shouted and together, the 5 titans dashed out of the warehouse before it burst into flames behind them.
"Close call," Beast Boy said as they watched the burning building.
All except Robin.
Starfire saw that his eyes were on a robot that was thrown out of the building as the explosion occurred. His eyes narrowed at the orange and black face as the body sizzled and emitted blue sparks.
The alien felt her heart sink as she heard Robin mutter a word under his breath – a word she hoped she wouldn't have to hear anymore.
"Slade…"
And just as she expected, Robin immediately went to his room after they had arrived back at the Tower.
Newspaper clippings, notes and pictures were pinned on his wall and his desk displayed a similar sight.
Robin sat on the chair, moving notes and pictures off his table and pulled out the picture of the robot he took in front of the burning warehouse and threw it in the middle of his desk.
The robot had an orange and black mask on him, an exact copy of Slade's mask. But what was it that Slade was after?
What were the robots doing in the warehouse?
What did Slade want from him?
The boy wonder compared the picture with the actual mask he brought with himself but they were absolutely identical.
Robin's eyes shifted to the ground around the fallen minion but there was nothing unusual to find. He tried to remember as much of the interior of the warehouse as possible but there wasn't much to remember. Except for shelves of construction cargo that was due for shipping, there wasn't much to find.
His eyes wandered over to his bulletin board and his eyes rested on a particular headline about a theft in Wayne Enterprises several months ago. His eyes narrowed before they wandered over to the next headline that mentioned an earthquake all around the city, destroying large parts of it and endangering hundreds of people.
All because of Slade.
But why?
What exactly did he want?
An apprentice?
Conquering Jump City?
"Who are you, Slade?" Robin murmured before he rested his head in his hands as he tried desperately to find the answer to his question.
There was a knocking on his door but Robin was too absorbed in his quest for answers to care about it.
"Robin?"
It was Starfire.
"I'm working. I'll join you guys later."
There was a short silence before Starfire gently opened the door.
He turned to face her. "I told you I'm busy, Starfire!"
She glanced at the floor. "B-but it has been quite some time that you have done the locking up of yourself in your room," she murmured.
He frowned at her, making her take a step back. "I need time to think. I have to find out what Slade's planning!"
She looked worriedly at him. "Don't you at least want to do some resting? You do look exhausted. I have made some-"
"I told you to leave, Starfire!" he shouted angrily, causing her to flinch.
Her eyes dropped before she turned away. "I am sorry…if I have bothered you."
Robin watched from the corner of his eyes as she floated away.
"How could I have thought to help you when all I know…is that he only makes you wonder about him? I should have known that it is better to leave you alone to your unresolved thoughts about your nemesis."
Starfire floated out of the door and Robin's head turned towards it after he failed to get his concentration back – even though he wouldn't find any answers even with his concentration intact.
Robin clenched his teeth, realizing that it was just as Starfire said – the only thing that he found out was that he was still left in the dark…and that his curiosity with the villain only increased, the more questions he had.
And he was sure that Slade secretly enjoyed Robin pondering about him, something that at times, bordered on obsession.
"I will never rest. And neither will you!"
Slade's voice echoed inside his head as images of his hallucination from some months ago flashed before his eyes.
It wasn't just the illusion.
He had been haunted by Slade from the first day he heard of him!
Images of a tearful Starfire faced him as he had grabbed her arm and shouted at her after she apparently let Slade pass her.
His eyes dropped to the floor in sadness.
And whenever he thought about Slade he hurt his friends.
He glanced at the photograph on his table but no clue was there, no matter how hard he tried to force one to appear.
Meanwhile Starfire was in the kitchen looking after her traditional dish she made since they were running low on earthly food products as Cyborg had already almost emptied the fridge 2 days ago when he decided to recreate an 'all-you-can-eat-buffet'.
The bright pink stew bubbled wildly on the hot stove and Starfire managed a small smile. Her stew was almost done.
"What's that smell?" Cyborg asked as he entered the kitchen and Starfire grinned, hearing that her tester had arrived.
"Smells like my dirty laundry from last week," Beast Boy said, before Starfire could say anything.
"The one that's still on the floor of your room?" Raven asked the green teen who shot her a dirty look before she entered the kitchen - only to walk out as fast as she smelled her 'lunch'.
Beast Boy and Cyborg followed after they took a peek at the unnatural bright color of the contents in the pot, leaving Starfire distraught. "I guess I have to eat my lunch alone again," the alien murmured sadly.
"What do you call this?" a voice said and Starfire looked up to see Robin standing over her pot, watching the stew bubble quietly.
"Do you not want to continue your search for Slade?" she asked confused.
"Slade's not the only thing I'm curious about," the leader replied and the alien smiled.
"It is traditional Tamaranian lunch that gives my people feelings of well-being."
Robin smiled unwillingly at her – he already felt it when he saw her happy face.
"Would you like some of the 'Blorkfa'?"
"Huh? You mean right now?" Robin asked nervously. "Don't you want to wait until the others come?"
He saw that Starfire had already filled a spoon with the still bubbling and pink stew before she nodded vehemently. "Does nodding your head mean that you will wait or-"
The spoon quickly flew into his mouth while he was talking and Starfire looked confused as his face turned blue before it got a greenish tint to it.
"What does the change of color indicate, Robin? Are these signs of affection and liking towards the dish I made?" Starfire asked, before Robin started choking as he tried desperately to swallow the bitter dish that tasted more like spoiled milk than an exotic energizer.
Starfire tilted her head in confusion. "Is it to your liking? I do not understand what you mean by making these strange sounds."
Robin shakily gave her a thumbs-up, trying hard not to bring the food back up. And suddenly Starfire threw herself around him in a bone-crushing hug, threatening the boy wonder to hurl.
But her smile erased the nausea he had. He really did feel happy. "And…what do your people say if they liked your dish?"
She blinked before she blushed, causing confusion on Robin's part this time. "Thank you!"
"But that's English!"
"I think that…it is more appropriate in this situation," she said, secretly thanking him for making her feel better.
"But next time you have to tell me."
She nodded.
"Thank you!" Robin said, thanking her secretly for helping him out of his obsession.
And he wondered if Starfire knew of a particular saying.
If 'curiosity killed the cat'…then what would have happened to Robin if Starfire chose not to interrupt his confusing thoughts?
That…they had to find out another time…
"Now, Starfire!" Robin shouted and the alien swung with all her might. Robin swung his legs with her movement and his feet hit the approaching robots full-force, sending them flying into the air.
"We have to make a run for it!" Cyborg shouted and together, the 5 titans dashed out of the warehouse before it burst into flames behind them.
"Close call," Beast Boy said as they watched the burning building.
All except Robin.
Starfire saw that his eyes were on a robot that was thrown out of the building as the explosion occurred. His eyes narrowed at the orange and black face as the body sizzled and emitted blue sparks.
The alien felt her heart sink as she heard Robin mutter a word under his breath – a word she hoped she wouldn't have to hear anymore.
"Slade…"
And just as she expected, Robin immediately went to his room after they had arrived back at the Tower.
Newspaper clippings, notes and pictures were pinned on his wall and his desk displayed a similar sight.
Robin sat on the chair, moving notes and pictures off his table and pulled out the picture of the robot he took in front of the burning warehouse and threw it in the middle of his desk.
The robot had an orange and black mask on him, an exact copy of Slade's mask. But what was it that Slade was after?
What were the robots doing in the warehouse?
What did Slade want from him?
The boy wonder compared the picture with the actual mask he brought with himself but they were absolutely identical.
Robin's eyes shifted to the ground around the fallen minion but there was nothing unusual to find. He tried to remember as much of the interior of the warehouse as possible but there wasn't much to remember. Except for shelves of construction cargo that was due for shipping, there wasn't much to find.
His eyes wandered over to his bulletin board and his eyes rested on a particular headline about a theft in Wayne Enterprises several months ago. His eyes narrowed before they wandered over to the next headline that mentioned an earthquake all around the city, destroying large parts of it and endangering hundreds of people.
All because of Slade.
But why?
What exactly did he want?
An apprentice?
Conquering Jump City?
"Who are you, Slade?" Robin murmured before he rested his head in his hands as he tried desperately to find the answer to his question.
There was a knocking on his door but Robin was too absorbed in his quest for answers to care about it.
"Robin?"
It was Starfire.
"I'm working. I'll join you guys later."
There was a short silence before Starfire gently opened the door.
He turned to face her. "I told you I'm busy, Starfire!"
She glanced at the floor. "B-but it has been quite some time that you have done the locking up of yourself in your room," she murmured.
He frowned at her, making her take a step back. "I need time to think. I have to find out what Slade's planning!"
She looked worriedly at him. "Don't you at least want to do some resting? You do look exhausted. I have made some-"
"I told you to leave, Starfire!" he shouted angrily, causing her to flinch.
Her eyes dropped before she turned away. "I am sorry…if I have bothered you."
Robin watched from the corner of his eyes as she floated away.
"How could I have thought to help you when all I know…is that he only makes you wonder about him? I should have known that it is better to leave you alone to your unresolved thoughts about your nemesis."
Starfire floated out of the door and Robin's head turned towards it after he failed to get his concentration back – even though he wouldn't find any answers even with his concentration intact.
Robin clenched his teeth, realizing that it was just as Starfire said – the only thing that he found out was that he was still left in the dark…and that his curiosity with the villain only increased, the more questions he had.
And he was sure that Slade secretly enjoyed Robin pondering about him, something that at times, bordered on obsession.
"I will never rest. And neither will you!"
Slade's voice echoed inside his head as images of his hallucination from some months ago flashed before his eyes.
It wasn't just the illusion.
He had been haunted by Slade from the first day he heard of him!
Images of a tearful Starfire faced him as he had grabbed her arm and shouted at her after she apparently let Slade pass her.
His eyes dropped to the floor in sadness.
And whenever he thought about Slade he hurt his friends.
He glanced at the photograph on his table but no clue was there, no matter how hard he tried to force one to appear.
Meanwhile Starfire was in the kitchen looking after her traditional dish she made since they were running low on earthly food products as Cyborg had already almost emptied the fridge 2 days ago when he decided to recreate an 'all-you-can-eat-buffet'.
The bright pink stew bubbled wildly on the hot stove and Starfire managed a small smile. Her stew was almost done.
"What's that smell?" Cyborg asked as he entered the kitchen and Starfire grinned, hearing that her tester had arrived.
"Smells like my dirty laundry from last week," Beast Boy said, before Starfire could say anything.
"The one that's still on the floor of your room?" Raven asked the green teen who shot her a dirty look before she entered the kitchen - only to walk out as fast as she smelled her 'lunch'.
Beast Boy and Cyborg followed after they took a peek at the unnatural bright color of the contents in the pot, leaving Starfire distraught. "I guess I have to eat my lunch alone again," the alien murmured sadly.
"What do you call this?" a voice said and Starfire looked up to see Robin standing over her pot, watching the stew bubble quietly.
"Do you not want to continue your search for Slade?" she asked confused.
"Slade's not the only thing I'm curious about," the leader replied and the alien smiled.
"It is traditional Tamaranian lunch that gives my people feelings of well-being."
Robin smiled unwillingly at her – he already felt it when he saw her happy face.
"Would you like some of the 'Blorkfa'?"
"Huh? You mean right now?" Robin asked nervously. "Don't you want to wait until the others come?"
He saw that Starfire had already filled a spoon with the still bubbling and pink stew before she nodded vehemently. "Does nodding your head mean that you will wait or-"
The spoon quickly flew into his mouth while he was talking and Starfire looked confused as his face turned blue before it got a greenish tint to it.
"What does the change of color indicate, Robin? Are these signs of affection and liking towards the dish I made?" Starfire asked, before Robin started choking as he tried desperately to swallow the bitter dish that tasted more like spoiled milk than an exotic energizer.
Starfire tilted her head in confusion. "Is it to your liking? I do not understand what you mean by making these strange sounds."
Robin shakily gave her a thumbs-up, trying hard not to bring the food back up. And suddenly Starfire threw herself around him in a bone-crushing hug, threatening the boy wonder to hurl.
But her smile erased the nausea he had. He really did feel happy. "And…what do your people say if they liked your dish?"
She blinked before she blushed, causing confusion on Robin's part this time. "Thank you!"
"But that's English!"
"I think that…it is more appropriate in this situation," she said, secretly thanking him for making her feel better.
"But next time you have to tell me."
She nodded.
"Thank you!" Robin said, thanking her secretly for helping him out of his obsession.
And he wondered if Starfire knew of a particular saying.
If 'curiosity killed the cat'…then what would have happened to Robin if Starfire chose not to interrupt his confusing thoughts?
That…they had to find out another time…