Here Without You, a teen titans fanfic

Here Without You

Genre: Romance/Angst
Couple: Rob/Star
Song: Here Without You - Three Doors Down
Notes: One-shot, rather short. First Rob/Star in a while.
Dedication: To all the Rob/Star fans who continue to support even my Rae/Rob fics. You guys are amazingly open-minded and supportive, so thank you.
Disclaimer: The lyrics nor the characters are mine, but enjoy never the less.

- Raventhedarkgoddess
2/11/06

A thousand days have made me older
Since the last time that I saw your pretty face.
A thousand lies have made me colder,
And I don't think I can look at this the same.

He looked ratheralone standing there all by himself, his eyes to the sky and his hand shoved deep in his back jean pockets as he looked toward the clouds. His black hair blew in little strands across his deep blue eyes as he looked out across the city, more content to be outside of it by the ruins of his old life and closer to the pain than within it's contraints, knowing he could no longer protect people from the things he heard about every day.

Richard Grayson. That was who he was now, or at least it was the mask he wore by day. But staring in the windows, he wished he could somehow scale them and look in on the four people he knew to be in there. The more he thought about it, the more the urge was there, and so he crept forward.

The giant T-shaped building before him was a mocking memory even in his mind, and even though he had left it once so long ago, he couldn't stop from coming back to stand in it's glow and see it.

Finally, he figured out which window he wanted and leaned forward. He was short, but a rock served as a decent foothold, and so he found himself once again on the outside looking in. His breath came in a gasp as he looked forward, unable to believe that what he was seeing...

Was identical to his memory. Raven seated in the corner with a cold and cynical look, Cyborg and Beast Boy watching some form of TV, and the redheaded girl...

Starfire. Her emerald eyes were cloudier than he remembered, and...

He felt his throat go dry with shock as he noticed that she was looking his way. I can't let her see me! He fell hard, landing on his back and laying there, stunned simply because he'd seen her sitting there, looking as well as ever...

And what did I expect, anyway? I left them all... I left her.

But all the miles that seperate,
Disapper now when I'm dreaming of your face.

I'm here without you, baby.
But you're still on my lonely mind.
I think about you, baby.
And I dream about you all the time.
I'm here without you, baby.
But you're still with me in my dreams.
And tonight, girl, it's only you and me.

The real shock for Robin was to have his eyes pop open, not to reveal that he had been at the Tower peering in at the lost object of his affection but was, in fact, laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling of his musty apartment.

"Dammit, why am I dreaming about her again?" His fist came down on his pillow, bare and cold looking, and he stood up.Briskly he walked over to the mirror, looking himself squarely in his deep blue eyes and seeing how much hatred there was there.

The memory seemed to coax itself to come out in a simple look, and Robin found it overpowering him... What he had thought at the end of his dream did hold the truth of it all being his fault.

"Friend Robin," Starfire said in a quiet, low voice, "Why will you not come out of your room?"

"You're all a disgrace! You obviously don't need a leader because you won't obey me in battle anyway!" His team had, after all, failed today to beat even a group of common thugs, failing to listen to what he had wanted them to do.

"Friend Raven would have been injured had we not..."

He had appeared at the door, roughly yanking it open to reveal himself and his distaught state. He wasn't sure why he did it, but he grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer to him until they were face to face, and touched his lips to hers.

"You can take that as a goodbye."

"So you would really leave as if I mean nothing to you?" Her hair had shimmered in the low light of his room, but nothing shimmered as clearly as those eyes...

Green emeralds set in a lost line of white stone, shining painfully bright as they clouded over with tears.

"That's not... It's not like that, Starfire!" But it was too late- She had turned on her heels and left him by that time.

Why do I have to be so stupid...?

Standing there in his own dully lit apartment, staring out at the sunrise, the very same question burst from his lips. "Why was I so STUPID?" His hand went to the wall and struck it in a brute display of anger and force.

"Why can't I just accept it's my own fault I'm here without you...?"

The miles just keep rolling,
As the people leave and wave to say hello.
I've heard this life is overrated,
But I hope that it gets better was we go.

It happened, of course, that the day could not pass quickly for Robin. He found himself staring out over the city, and in that same sense looking at the Tower as he neared the shimmering lake it sat in the middle of, barely visable through the light drizzle that had started.

"Why are you looking out there like that?" Asked a voice behind him, and all at once, he knew who's voice it was, because sometimes she spoke in dreams, and other times she did not. The T-car was just driving away- Robin was amazed he hadn't heard their fighting- but still, there she stood, almost the way he remembered her.

"I was told you had gone miles away, friend Robin," Starfire said softly. "I am glad to see that you are safe." Still, her voice was still, and behind it was a concelled emotion Robin could only recoginize as pain.

"Starfire..." His arm moved to try to catch her hand, but she pulled it back. "Starfire, would you mind walking with me...?"

"So that you may leave me again when we are done?" She paused for a second, but he didn't bother to respond. "I suppose we can." And she took a few quick steps before falling into a reasonable pace, waiting for him to catch up to her.

And so he ran as fast as he could after her.

Everything I know,
And anywhere I go, oh.
It gets hard but it won't take away my love.
And when the last one falls,
When it's all said and done.
It gets hard but it won't take away,
My love.
Oh...

I'm here without you, baby.
But you're still on my only mind.
I think about you baby,
And I dream about you all the time.
I'm here without you, baby.
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight girl, it's only you and me.
It's only you and me.

They took several steps together, Starfire still keeping a few paces out of reach, and they were silent the entire time, until suddenly, she turned to look at him. "I must know why you left me," she said suddenly, and he crashed into her and found himself looking into her eyes.

"I... I guess I was just tired of losing all the time."

"That is why you left the team. But why did you leave me if you supposably loved me...?" And again, he saw just how tainted her eyes were, yet she was still beautiful.

"Did I tell you I've done nothing but think about you? Have I ever told you... that I made a mistake, a terrible mistake?" He was practically soaked, having been out in the rain as it came down around them for so long, but they ignored the rain and his arms found her waist. "Did I ever tell you... You're beautiful?"

Starfire stared at him, lost in his eyes even though she tried not to be, the ice of betrayal melting away as Robin brought his face closer to hers. "Friend Robin, I do not know what to say..."

His lips brushed hers lightly. "You don't have to say anything. I have to say something, baby..." He paused, running his hands over one of hers as he looked for the words to say inside his mind. "I'm sorry."

"Friend Robin... Will you come home with me?"

"Yes." And the set off in the rain by themselves.

"I'm here with you now," he whispered.

Both just smiled at that.

Rushed and overly-fluffy.
Reviews still appriciated.
-Raventhedarkgoddess-
(END)