Yeah, I know. I should be finishing "Things don't always have to change" first. But I just had to. Puppy dog face

-x-

Just tell me why

Everyone was doing the usual at titans' tower. Beast Boy and Cyborg playing videogames (and occasionally fighting because of them), Raven was meditating, Robin was locked in his room doing his research, while Starfire wondered why he always worked so hard, even though there was no need to at the moment.

They came back from Tokyo several months ago, yet, Robin was every day more distant. And every time she went to his room he would barely talk to her and ask her to leave with the whole 'I'm working right now' thing.

She sighed, he wasn't the Robin she knew anymore.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud "Boo-Yah!" She turned around and saw Cyborg doing his victory dance.

"Dude, that's so not fair!" said Beast Boy.

"What? The fact that I'm better than you at video games?" said Cyborg, grinning.

"No, the fact that you cheated!" he said.

Raven, whose meditation was also interrupted, sent an annoyed glance at the two teammates.

"Oh, Great. It's going to start again." She said.

"I didn't cheat!"

"You so did!"

"Didn't."

"Did."

"DIDN'T.!"

"DID!"

"QUIET!" yelled Raven. Starfire got up of her spot and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going, Star?" asked Cyborg.

"I am taking some food to Robin." she said, pointing to the plate of pizza she was holding.

"Then go ahead, the boy's gonna starve himself if he keeps locked in his room." he said, smirking.

She was now at Robin's door.

"Come in." she heard when she knocked on the door. She got in the dark room.

"Greetings, friend, I thought you may be hungry." she said happily, putting the plate on his desk.

"Thanks." he said coldly. "But now I need you to leave, I'm working."

"Robin, do you not think that you have been overworking?" she asked.

"No." he simply said.

"But, Robin…"

"I don't need your concern."

She sighed. It was hard trying to get his softer side to appear, mostly now that he was so distant.

"Please leave." He said.

"Richard…"

His eyes widened at the mention of his real name. Memories hit him like a bullet.

He was standing near a younger version of himself. Nine-year old Richard Grayson walked towards his parents.

"Mommy, are you sure you're going to be ok?" he asked.

"Don't worry, sweetie." Said a young woman who he recognized as Mary Grayson. "We've practiced for months."

"Yeah, son, nothing's going to happen." said a man who he recognized as John Grayson.

"And now, the most spectacular presentation you've ever seen." said a voice from the stage. "The flying Graysons!"

"It's our turn." said John. "Whish us luck."

Minutes later the young boy panicked as he saw the trapeze ropes breaking.

And his parents falling.

Falling…

Robin was now shaking, his face sweaty as anger passed through his nerves.

"Don't…ever…call me…like that again…" he said through gritted teeth.

"But…" said Starfire, who now had her eyes widened in fear.

"GET OUT!" he yelled. "GET OU AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Starfire gasped. Her eyes teared. She gave Robin one more frightened look before running out of the door. Robin sighed and hit his fist into his desk.

Stupid, stupid, I'm so stupid! He thought

Starfire got quickly into her room, tears falling from her eyes. She'd never seen Robin so angry. She lay on her bed and kept sobbing.

…

Next day at breakfast, Robin appeared at the common room.

"Well, look who's gotten out to the light!" said Cyborg.

"Dude, we haven't seen you in days!" said Beast Boy.

He walked towards where Starfire was.

"Look, Star, I…" he started.

She walked away, ignoring him.

"Hmpf!"

"Star, I need to talk to you." he said.

She turned around, her eyes filled with both sadness and anger.

"I believe you want me to "leave you alone"." She said, then walked away to her room. The other titans looked at Robin wide-eyed.

"Dude, not cool." Said Beast Boy.

"I agree with BB, you shouldn't have treated her like that yesterday." said Cyborg.

"How do you…?" said Robin.

"We were able to hear your soft voice." Said raven with her usual sarcasm.

…

Starfire was sitting on her bed, when she heard a knock on her door.

"Please leave, I do not want to talk to anyone." she said.

"It's me Star." Said Robin. "Please let me in."

She sighed and opened the door. Then sat back on her bed. He got in the room and say next to her.

"Starfire, please talk to me." He said. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that, I'm sorry."

"You always say that." she said. "But then you do it again."

"Starfire, listen…" he started.

"No, you listen." she said, suddenly getting mad. "Is enough!"

"Star…"

"I do not even know why do I keep trying." Her voice softened as her eyes teared. "Robin, you are the leader, so how could you be so blind? You always hurt us…me…"

He was surprised by her sudden reaction. His eyes widened as she continued to talk.

"I always try to be by your side. I want to understand you, but maybe I am too innocent for you. I wish I could help you taking away what troubles you. So I still don't understand, why you try to avoid us if we are always there for you!"

"Star…I…"

"And now you seem to forget everything! Don't you remember all the times you closed the door on my face? Do you remember?"

"Star I don't rememb…"

"Because I do remember, and you hurt me when I just tried to help you…"she said, a single tear running down her face.

Now he did remember, that night…when he was being haunted by Slade.

"Robin!" Slade whirled and ran in her direction.
"Starfire, stop him!"
Their enemy charged straight past, but she looked wildly around as if still trying to figure out where he was. Up came Robin after a moment, finding nothing but rain-soaked forest as far as the eye could see. Teeth clenched in frustrated fury, and pan to the totally bewildered Tamaranean. She looked around, still trying to bend her brain around what has just happened, and Robin seized her arm, startling a gasp out of her.
" What happened?"
"You are hurting me."
" Slade ran right by you! How could you let him get away?"
Starfire's eyes teared up briefly.

"But...Robin...there was no one there."

"You don't even care!!! You always push us away!!! But I am tired of your games and secrets." said Starfire, tearing up again. "You never open."

"I…"

"You are always, as they say… "cold"." As she said that, she started sobbing again. Guilt covered Robin, he hated to see her like that.

"Starfire…" he said softly, then gently put his arms around her.

Once tense, she relaxed to his grip and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm really sorry." He said. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

-x-

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