Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans. I do, however, have a mustard bottle that Starfire would like.
I started writing this story right after watching Trouble In Tokyo around two weeks ago. It was intended to be a short oneshot idea I had for a Robin and Starfire-centric episode, and it grew to be over 4000 words! Despite some of my scientific guesses and inaccuracies, I hope you like it. :)
Heroes First
by danielie
"Robin!"
"Starfire?" Robin called, alarmed. He sat up in his bed as if hit by a bolt of lightning, looking around frantically for her. Waves of long, red hair flowed in the corner of his eye, and there was Starfire, hovering above his bed with a radiant smile on her face.
"I am sorry for startling you," Starfire said happily, "but I am most excited!"
Robin's mind was hazy from his interrupted sleep. "About what?"
"Today is THE day!" she squealed as she produced a calendar, pointing to a date covered in hearts and Silkie stickers. "You and I shall be going on the date, and the day has merely just begun!"
Robin looked at the digital clock beside his bed: 12:00 AM. He groaned. "Starfire, when I said I would take you out today, I didn't mean as soon as-"
Starfire flew gently down to the foot of his bed, kneeling and clutching the edges of his blankets. Her green eyes watered and her lips quivered. "Pleeeeease?"
The puppy dog face. Robin couldn't take that.
He sighed. "Okay."
"Success!" she rose back into the air, flying in a circle around his room and giggling. Robin smiled as he swung his legs over the side of his bed, pulling his gloves firmly onto his arms.
Starfire paused mid-flight. "Shall we venture to the mall of shopping?"
"Won't be open this early," Robin answered as he buckled his boots.
She put a hand to her chin pensively. "Then shall we journey to view a moving picture?"
"The movies won't be open either," Robin said, standing.
Starfire's skirt puffed slightly as she landed back on the ground. She blinked innocently. "What troubles you?"
He hadn't even realized he'd been staring. "It's nothing," Robin blushed and hastily averted his gaze. They had been a couple ever since the Titans had returned from Tokyo a month ago, but he still struggled to understand feelings he'd had for her from the very beginning.
"That's it!" Robin exclaimed, punching his left hand into his open palm. He faced Starfire with a confident smile. "I know where we should go."
The door to Robin's room opened automatically as they approached it, tiptoeing down the dark halls of the tower. "We shouldn't have a problem getting out," Robin whispered matter-of-factly as they reached the living room. "The others should all be asleep by now-"
"Boo!" Something jumped at them from behind the sofa.
Starfire let out a small scream. Her hand flashed green as she raised it to throw a starbolt, but Robin grabbed her wrist. She looked at him confusedly, and followed his glare to Beast Boy, illuminated in the green light.
"Um… hi," Beast Boy laughed nervously.
"Are you crazy?" Robin seethed with anger. "Why are you even awake?"
"Cyborg beat me three times yesterday in Mega Monkeys 4," Beast Boy whined. He regained his composure and pointed at himself confidently. "I'm on the GameStation for some late-night practice. And what about you?" He looked at them slyly and Robin froze, his face flushing. "Are you up for some late-night loooove?"
The implications in his words made Robin twitch. "Don't you dare-"
"We have awakened so that we may embark upon the date," Starfire said plainly. Robin felt his face get hot. "Beast Boy, would you please be more silent? I fear you will awaken the others."
"Aye-aye, Captain Star," he gave her a mock salute. "Cyborg sleeps like a rock anyway. And Raven… well, she's grumpy when she gets up, but then she's always grumpy."
Robin folded his arms. "You won't tell them a single word about this."
"Why not?" Beast Boy snickered. "Because you know Cyborg and I won't EVER let you forget it?"
"Pardon my intrusion," Starfire interrupted before Robin could lunge at him, "but we should depart lest our voices disturb them."
"Yeah, you guys go elope or whatever," Beast Boy hopped onto the sofa with a GameStation controller. "I'm gonna get ready to kick Cyborg's metal butt."
"Goodbye, friend!" Starfire called, grabbing Robin's hands before he could reinforce his threat. Taking flight, she zoomed through the tower until they flew outside its doors and over the surrounding ocean. Robin's boots skimmed against the salt water, and Starfire rose higher and higher into the night sky, giving him a breathtaking view of the city's lights; its skyscrapers reaching toward the stars.
Starfire laughed as she did a three hundred and sixty degree turn in the air, and Robin held tightly to her hands. The wind ripped through the boy wonder's hair and blew his cape behind him.
"Where shall we descend?" Starfire asked.
"See those colorful lights?" Robin nodded towards a circle ringed with bright lights. "They're part of a fair, and I think it's open all night. There won't be any lines since it's so early."
"Glorious!" Starfire said as she plunged downward at top speed. Robin's legs flew out behind him as she maneuvered past the tops of buildings and trees, dropping towards the fair. As they got progressively lower, she slowed her descent, switching to a standing position and holding her arms downward. Robin looked up at her, a vision in purple as her red hair billowed calmly around her slender form. He almost lost himself in the sight of her when he felt his feet touch the ground. Starfire landed seconds after, smiling at him.
"Thanks for the ride," Robin said smoothly. He noticed Starfire's blush as she traced the toe of her boot in the dirt.
"It was not the big deal," she said bashfully. "Why did you wish to come here?"
"The ferris wheel," Robin said, pointing behind her. Starfire watched the giant, lit circle spin in awe. "We were on that the day-"
"- Blackfire arrived?" Starfire looked away.
Robin frowned. "I was going to say the day you first had cotton candy."
"The vanishing sugar treat?"
"Yes," Robin said, and she smiled. He felt a twang of guilt for making her remember Blackfire. "We don't need to go on the ferris wheel. You can choose another ride."
Starfire looked carefully at all of the rides and booths around her. She gasped as a bright smile appeared on her face. "Look, Robin! It is a wondrous machine entailing both wildlife and carriages!"
"It's a merry-go-round," Robin explained, smiling back at her. Secretly, he loved explaining Earthly things to Starfire. She made the most ordinary things in his life seem incredible.
"May we ride upon it?" she questioned. When Robin nodded, she raced towards it, sitting on top of a brown horse and marveling at the details on his saddle. The horse was low, and when Robin stood beside it, he was taller than she was. He watched as Starfire traced the horse's mane with her finger. "It's beautiful," she breathed, and he put his hand on her back gently.
They smiled at each other for a moment before Starfire closed her eyes and leaned her body towards him. Robin moved closer to her, close enough for his body to ghost against hers, and Starfire shivered for more. He slid his hand up her back and into her hair, holding the back of her neck tenderly as he kissed her.
Suddenly, the floor beneath them shifted. Starfire gasped and Robin pulled her close protectively before he noticed the center of the merry-go-round lighting up in tune with carnival music. The ride was starting.
"Magnificent!" Starfire said in awe, and Robin gently loosened his grip on her while the ride spun. She gasped again when the horse she was on moved up and down, clapping her hands. Robin held the horse's pole in one hand and Starfire's shoulder in the other, enjoying the happiness she radiated so naturally.
"Well, don't you two make a charming couple."
Quickly, Robin looked in front of the merry-go-round and saw Dr. Light. "What are you doing here," he glared.
"I've only come to put on a light show," Dr. Light smirked at them.
Starfire stood up, her eyes glowing green. "You should not have interrupted us. We have defeated you time and time again."
"This won't be one of those times." Dr. Light put his hands on the merry-go-round triumphantly. Silver swirls surrounded his arms and a dreadful ringing noise rang through the air. The lights on the merry-go-round flickered, bursting bulbs and shattering glass all around.
"Starfire!"Robin yelled, grabbing her and jumping off of the ride. They landed in the dirt with a thud. The merry-go-round spun furiously, waves of silver light leaving it to be absorbed by Dr. Light's hands before it stopped spinning completely.
Starfire's eyes opened wide. "How did he-"
"I don't know," Robin said, pulling the metal staff out of his utility belt and spinning it, "but we're going to stop him."
He rushed towards Dr. Light and attacked him head on. The villain caught the pole in his palms, using the silver light to snap it in half. Momentarily stunned, Robin held the broken staff in his hands.
Dr. Light pulled an arm back to punch him when he was hit from above by a barrage of starbolts. Robin jumped out of the way as Starfire barreled in front of Dr. Light, swiftly punching him in the face. He rolled backwards, bumping into another ride and hurriedly pressing his palms against it. His hands were covered in the silver aura again while the ride stopped moving.
"He's absorbing the electricity from the rides," Robin asserted.
"Close," Dr. Light boasted as he stood before them. "I've absorbed the light energy from the bulbs. Absorbing all of the lights in the city will give me a limitless amount of power!"
"Don't count on it," Robin said, rushing toward him again. Dr. Light aimed beams of silver light at him. Robin dodged them all, firing a birdarang that exploded in the villain's chest. The yellow bulb in the middle of Dr. Light's costume exploded and sparked with loose electricity.
Robin punched angrily and Dr. Light dodged so that Robin's right hand went straight into the broken bulb. "Augh!" Robin yelled as the electricity shocked through his body, falling into to his knees in front of Dr. Light.
"Robin!" Starfire screamed. Her eyes and hands glowed green with anger. She hurled starbolts at Dr. Light, who used energy from the absorbed light to dodge them swiftly.
"You can't go faster than light speed," Dr. Light cackled. Starfire aimed at him, but within an instant he was out of the park.
Starfire's eyes returned to their regular green as she flew down towards Robin. He rubbed his head in pain. "Did you stop him?"
"No," Starfire said sadly. "I did not."
Robin gritted his teeth. "We have to call the others." He pulled out his communicator and pushed the button. "Beast Boy," he said. "We need your help-"
"Dude!" Beast Boy complained. "I don't wanna see you guys make out!"
Robin gripped the communicator tightly. "Not the time, Beast Boy. Dr. Light's on the loose, and he's using some kind of machine on his arms to-"
"Dude, enjoy your date-go-outy thing. Dr. Light's a loser; he can wait until tomorrow, when people are actually awake."
"Are you even listening to me?" Robin yelled. "Wake up the others and-"
"You're just nervous about your date with Star. She likes you; you'll be fine. See ya!" Beast Boy disconnected the call. Robin glared at the static on his communicator ferociously, grasping it with so much force that it cracked.
Starfire put her hands on his shoulders worriedly. "Robin-"
"You go back to the tower. Wake the others and tell them what's happened," Robin instructed her. "I'm going after Dr. Light."
"You are hurt!" Starfire protested as she cradled his right hand. His glove had been incinerated and his skin was burnt. "You cannot fight the Dr. Light on your own."
He pulled his hand away. "Starfire, that was an order."
"I will not leave you." Her green eyes were full of worry and care as she took his hand again. Robin stared at her angrily, but that anger faded with every second he looked at her.
"Fine," he said as he looked away. She put her hand on his face, gently forcing him to look at her.
"We're heroes first," Robin whispered, moving her hand from his face. He laced his fingers with hers, holding their hands between them.
"I know that," she whispered back, staring at their entwined hands. "But I do not wish any harm to befall you."
Robin felt the words rise in his throat. He felt his heartbeat race a little faster when he stared at their hands, at her eyes, at her body, at her. He could defeat any villain thrown at him, but he couldn't bring up the courage to tell Starfire those words. Swallowing them, he squeezed her hand, smiling. "Then let's get rid of him together."
Starfire smiled, but her smile quickly became a look of confusion when every light in the park began to flicker. She and Robin watched in horror as lights across the city flashed and burnt out.
"What is he doing?" Starfire panicked.
"He's attacking the power plant!" Robin yelled as the streetlight above them sputtered. "He's absorbing all the lights in the city! We have to move; now!"
Starfire grasped Robin's hands. Within seconds, they were in the air again, flying above the city streets. All of the lights below them flickered and vibrated dangerously. "There," Robin pointed towards the giant machines and cables that transferred electricity to the entire city. "Let's bring him down."
As soon as they landed inside the plant's gates, Robin charged straight ahead with Starfire flying next to him. They followed the trail of failing lights into the heart of the plant. Robin's eyes opened wide as they found Dr. Light holding tightly to the city's main electric generator, bolts of electricity flashing as silver swirls surrounded his entire body. He had grown to at least twice his normal size.
"He has obtained too much power!" Starfire yelled. Dr. Light's eyes rolled back into his head.
"We have to stop him!" Robin yelled, throwing five disks at Dr. Light's arms. They exploded on contact, and Dr. Light turned slowly and menacingly towards him. A flick of a finger was all it took to send a massive beam of silver flying towards Robin, who jumped out of the way just in time.
The villain flinched as a torrent of starbolts hit him in the back. Starfire threw them relentlessly, and before long, Dr. Light was shrouded with smoke.
"Are we victorious?" Starfire asked, hovering in the air with a starbolt at the ready. Without warning, a massive hand enveloped in silver light shot out of the smoke and grabbed her.
"STARFIRE!" Robin yelled. She struggled against the now-gigantic Dr. Light's grip, but he was much too strong.
"Pretty girl," Dr. Light cooed as he brought her closer to his face. She tried to pull away to no avail. "Tell me, what are those starbolts made of?"
"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Robin roared, rushing toward them and throwing as many birdarangs as he could. A flash of silver appeared in front of Dr. Light, reflecting the birdarangs back at Robin.
"Robin!" Starfire cried as the birdarangs exploded around him. Anger coursed through her as she shot at Dr. Light with her eyes. He let out a cry of rage when they hit him, but held onto her tighter, pulling her even closer.
"You never answered, so I'll tell you," he whispered dangerously. Starfire tried to free herself with all the strength she could muster. "I'm sure that at least one component of those green starbolts is light energy."
Robin's eyes opened wide in realization. "No!"
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Starfire's piercing screams rang through the air as Dr. Light began to drain her. Bright green swirls left Starfire and were absorbed into his suit.
"Let her go!" Robin rushed blindly into Dr. Light, but was pushed back by a wall of silver. "Starfire!" he punched the light wall with all of his strength. "Starfire, I'm going to get you out!" Starfire's screams were deafening and then became progressively softer. Robin called to her urgently, desperately, but she was getting too weak. Her eyes were closing. "No! Stay with me!"
"I will not leave you."
"STAY WITH ME!" Robin pounded his fists against the shield in frustration. Starfire went limp in Dr. Light's hands, her red hair cascading as her body arched backwards. "STARFIRE!"
Dr. Light's maniacal laugh echoed throughout the plant. "Nothing can stop me!" he yelled as Robin pummeled the unyielding barrier. "You Titans are worthless pawns. Beautiful," he added as he brought a fainted Starfire closer to his face, "but now completely worthless."
Robin watched in terror as Dr. Light flung her like a rag doll. Reacting quickly, he leapt into the air, catching her mid-fall and rolling across the ground.
"You said you would defeat me?" Dr. Light gloated.
Robin ignored him and put his palms on the ground, struggling to push himself up.
"I'm going to destroy both of you."
For a fleeting moment, Robin let his emotions come over him. He looked worriedly at Starfire by his side, lying still with her eyes closed.
Dr. Light noticed this. The lights of the power plant flickered around him. "Or perhaps I should destroy your girlfriend, and have you watch."
Robin grit his teeth, embracing Starfire tightly and standing with her in his arms. "I won't let you touch her," he growled.
"We'll see about that," Dr Light smirked.
Unable to attack while protecting Starfire, Robin sprinted away from Dr. Light. The villain tried to use the silver lights' power to propel himself, but draining Starfire and holding Robin back had used much of his machine's power. Greedily, he slammed his hands on the generator to charge the machine, taking so much that all of the lights around the plant went out. Robin and Starfire were shrouded in complete darkness.
Soundlessly, Robin ducked behind a broken, faraway generator. He peered over its side, gripping Starfire tightly.
In order to not use up his power too fast, Dr Light coated his hand with enough silver light to see a small amount of the surrounding area. Robin glared when he noticed green streaks in the silver— evidence of Starfire's energy.
Dr. Light went to search for them in the wrong direction, and Robin felt his shoulders relax. He looked down at the beautiful girl in his arms, supporting her head with his hands.
"Starfire, wake up," he whispered, shaking her gently. "We don't have much time." She didn't respond. As cautiously as he could, he felt her faint heartbeat. A horrible sinking feeling filled Robin as he realized he could lose her at any moment.
"I do not wish any harm to befall you."
Robin grit his teeth so hard it hurt. He could feel himself shaking. This was the closest he had come to crying in a long, long time.
"Listen to me, Starfire," he whispered quickly in her ear, unsure if she could even hear him. "I won't let it end like this. I'll save you. I have so much I want to tell you-"
A strip of silver light lashed out of the shadows. Robin twisted his body just in time for the attack to miss Starfire and hit him square in the back, scorching his costume. He let out an agonizing scream.
Dr. Light smirked as he approached them. "See the light, Robin. You should run with your tail between your legs."
Robin heaved, hunched over Starfire's body. "I'll never leave her."
Dr. Light's smirk grew larger. He aimed at them with a shining silver hand. "Then prepare to lose."
Another beam of silver light shot through the air and hit the ground. Dr. Light blanched, looking wildly around the plant for where Robin had run.
"We are up here," he heard Starfire's voice and craned his neck up. She floated in midair, her right hand firmly holding Robin's.
"How is that possible?" Dr. Light panicked as Starfire released Robin's hand. Her teammate landed expertly. "I drained so much of your power-"
"My powers are not composed solely of light energy," Starfire's eyes crackled with green flames as she charged a starbolt in her hands. Dr. Light took a terrified step back before she flung a massive starbolt at him, sending him flying into mess of wires. "My powers are enhanced by my feelings for Robin, and you will pay for hurting him!"
She fired beams from her eyes, burning an ominous trail in the ground as she aimed for Dr. Light. He tried to dodge frantically and wailed when she incinerated parts of his suit.
"End of the road, Dr. Light," Robin said cooly. "Suit or no suit, you were never meant to handle that much power."
Dr. Light yelled in protest as the fuses in his suit began to short out. A wave of electricity shocked him as the silver lights flew out of his suit and back into the generator. When he tried to reclaim the lights, he was hit by a rapid combination of starbolts and electric disks. The city's lights began to glow brightly again, and Robin threw a freezing disc at Dr. Light, trapping him in place.
Starfire's starbolts fizzled out of her hands. Her eyes closed and she drifted downward slowly, landing with her hands between her knees.
Robin rushed to her, kneeling beside her and putting a hand on her back. "Are you okay?"
"I am fine," Starfire explained, "I am merely… exhausted. Dr. Light drained a substantial amount of my power."
Robin remembered the green streaks in the silver light. His eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry."
"I shall be alright," Starfire cheered up. "My people are most resilient, and I only need some time to recover. I was very lucky to regain some power in time to protect you-"
"You shouldn't have to protect me!" Robin clenched his fist. "I'm supposed to protect you. I should never have let Dr. Light even touch you."
"We are heroes first, Robin."
He looked at her with surprise. She had the gentlest smile on her face. "We are heroes first, and therefore we protect each other."
"You're always first to me," Robin said. He couldn't shake the image of Starfire being unconscious and hurt out of his mind. He held her shoulders and she blushed. "I won't ever let anything like this happen to you again."
"Is that one of the things you wished to tell me?" Starfire asked.
"What?"
"After some time in the darkness, I regained consciousness in your arms. You said there were things you wished to tell me," Starfire nodded innocently. She leaned closer to him. "Now please inform me of the matters."
I love you. I want to stay with you.
The words were caught in the back of his throat. Robin felt his face get hot, and Starfire blinked as she watched him turn a thousand shades of red. When Robin began to nervously choke out the words, he was saved by the sound of the sirens in the distance.
"We need to give Dr. Light to the police," he said, helping Starfire to stand.
"Shall we return home afterwards?"
"I'm not sure I want to go back to Beast Boy's inquisition just yet," Robin said. A boyish smirk appeared on his face, and Starfire felt herself melt. "Plus, I haven't exactly gotten to take you out. Do you want to go to the bowling alley?"
Starfire clapped her hands excitedly. "We shall partake in the making of bowls?"
Robin smiled. "Not exactly," he said, outstretching his hand. Starfire looked at Robin's hand, then at his face, and she laughed when she grabbed him into a hug.
"Heroes first, Starfire!" Robin reminded her as the police car approached, but the feeling of her arms around him and the lilting sound of her laugh were so pleasant that he couldn't help but return her embrace.
Thank you for reading! Please review! :)
-danielie