The next morning Robin was still reeling from the similarities between Starfire and Star. It wasn't like he hadn't noticed that they both had deep Auburn hair or verdant green eyes. But the personalities were mistakenly the same. At first, he thought it was a coincidence but now he wasn't so sure.
What if…what if Roy was right?
Jump City 2010
A few hours after Starfire fell from the sky, the group of teens decided they worked so well together that they were meant to be a team. Robin was skeptical given he recently left his dutiful place as Batman's sidekick ,but when they appointed him leader he accepted his new role.
At the time four of the five members had a place to stay, but for a certain alien princess, she had nowhere to go.
Before Robin had a chance to ask a member of the team to take her in, they were all gone.
Robin rolled his eyes and turned to Starfire.
"I guess you're coming with me" he gestured for her to follow him as he made his way down a dark alleyway where he left his R cycle. Starfire hovered close by and watched as Robin clicked a button on his utility belt, revealing his R cycle from where it was camouflaged.
The young alien tilted her head at the strange technology.
"Do all human vehicles hide in plain sight?" She asked, curiosity etched in her voice.
Robin tried his best to hide his smile at her naivety, but failed when he saw her poke at the Ducati.
"Your planet is strange"
He chuckled lightly.
"You'll get used to it" he said. He walked around her and mounted his bike and revved the engine. He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to hop on behind him.
He patted the empty space behind him, "Hop on." She stared at him for a moment longer before she floated over to the bike and straddled the seat behind him. Robin felt her shift on the seat before she finally settled.
"You…um…y-you have to wrap your arms around my waist, so you don't fall off!" he was glad he was wearing his helmet or she would see his subtly tan complexion mirroring his red uniform. It wasn't that he's never been close to a girl. Before he moved to Jump, he was sorta seeing Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl. But he never had strong feelings for the girl, if anything she was more in love with his brother Jason, but he never cared enough to give her the time of day. Before Robin left Gotham, he let Barbara know they were better off friends, but she was still upset by his lack of feelings. But Bruce was right, having feelings for a teammate is not intelligent. If anything, it was a distraction from what's important.
Like being a hero.
His thoughts were interrupted by Starfire's warm hands finding their way from the sides of his waist to gently wrap around him, pulling herself firmly against his back.
"I have heard that humans are not as resilient as aliens. Please, friend, tell me if I am holding on too tight." He voice rang close to his ear. He glanced sideways to see her centimeters from his face, her auburn hair flowing gently in the wind.
He smiled at the remark 'friend' for if the almighty Batman saw him befriending an alien, he would have fired him as Robin sooner. But then it would have been best for Robin regardless. He needed to get away from the Dark Knight. If Robin stayed any longer, he would become just like him and that was the last thing he ever wanted to be.
Another Batman.
Willing to bask in darkness instead of fighting in the light.
But Robin hasn't felt the light since Star disappeared six years ago. But sitting on his R cycle with Starfire made him feel different. He felt part of himself become whole again, but he wasn't sure what changed.
"I'll let you know if you're holding on too tight." And with that he revved the engine before releasing the clutch, sending them off into the clear night.
It was nearly midnight when Robin and Starfire pulled up to the side of an old building. The street was deserted except for a few drunks hanging around the pub on the corner. The building was a rundown red bricked apartment building. It had only a few lights on that could be seen from the exterior, but most of the windows were busted in and graffiti was plastered along the the eroded walls. Robin could easily identify a few of the gang signs on the marred building.
Robin eased the bike down the side of the building until he came up to a keypad. He swiftly typed in four digits before the gate to the back of the complex opened and he eased the Ducati forward. He came across a shed that was a little further out from the complex and parked his bike. He kicked the kickstand and eased the bike and shut it down. He felt Starfire loosen her grip on him.
Robin took his helmet off and hung it on the handle bar of the bike. He ran a green gloved hair through his hair and glanced behind him at Starfire. He saw her taking in the new surroundings trying to understand this foreign planet.
"Where is it that we are, Robin?"
"We're in Blüdhaven" he replied before he gently pulled her hands from his waist and hopped off the bike; Starfire following along.
He clicked the button on his utility belt again and watched his bike blend into the decaying gray shed. He watched Starfire's reaction as it happened. Her green eyed glowed in amazement. It made his heart beat faster at the sight, but he quickly scolded himself.
No, never going to happen.
He quickly turned away, adjusting the collar of his cape realizing it felt a bit tight all of a sudden. He grunted "follow me" before taking off from where they entered, but instead used a back door to enter the old building.
Robin opened the door for Starfire to enter first (he was raised a gentleman after all). She entered the lobby where there was no one but a few pieces of garbage and dirt that littered the halls. Robin titled his head in the direction off the elevator. He pushed the up arrow of the elevator and waited for it to arrive. When it did a distant sound of a DING! was made and the pair stepped inside.
Starfire watched as Robin punched in the same four digits into the keypad in the elevator before it started to move upward.
"Where is it that we are going" Starfire was fairly quiet up to this point. She knew after Robin helped free her from the Gordonians that she could trust him. But the state of the place he lives is unsettling for her royal status.
"I've been crashing with a friend here, his name is Arsenal."
Starfire nodded, "How do you know Arsenal?"
Robin contemplated his answer, not wanting to tell her too much, "Through a mutual friend."
"A friend…tell me, does this friend also have a strange name?" Starfire titled her head in a way that made his palms sweat and his heart race.
"No she um…she went by many names. But she was always one name to me." He looked anywhere but at Starfire, hoping she'd drop it.
"What was that name?"
He felt his throat close up, "Don't worry about it." He spit out, unable to control the change in his tone.
Starfire recognized it immediately and touched his shoulder, "I am sorry, she must have been important."
He nodded, "She was special."
Before Starfire could ask another question, the elevator stopped and the doors opened to a cement wall. He saw Starfire reach out and touch the wall gently, questioning why there was no opening. Robin stepped forward and glanced up at the camera in the corner of the elevator and holding up two fingers to indicate to the person on the other side that there was company. Within a few seconds the cement wall parted, revealing a well polished hallway with hardwood floors and high ceilings. It was a narrow hallway that lead to a plain titanium white door with an orb on it. Robin motioned for Starfire to hang back while me moved forward for the device to scan his face.
There was a sound of locks turning and the door came open with ease. He gestured for Starfire to follow him inside. They were greeted by a young man dressed in dark red leather, a red mask dawning his angular face, a quiver full of red arrows, and a red bow. His light red hair was gelled back and styled flat compared to Robin's more groomed locks that fell gracefully on his forehead.
"I see you brought company. Didn't take you as the playboy type, man." Arsenal looked at the young alien before him and lost all amusement…
"Do I know you?" he asked, stepping forward towards Starfire.
"I just arrived on you planet mere hours ago, I only know Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven." Replied Starfire.
Arsenal lifted a dark red brown, "Are you sure? You look just like my niece."
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Robin cut him off, "Enough!" Starfire was taken aback by Robin's sudden change in mood.
"Robin?" Starfire could see that Arsenal's words upset him, but didn't understand why.
Ignoring Starfire, he walked away.
She hovered near Arsenal and asked him, "What is a niece and why do I look like them?"
Arsenal sighed and started to head in the direction Robin went. He stopped to take his quiver off and hang his bow up. They passed by a living area that was decorated with a large grey couch, a glass coffee table in the center, light grey walls, and a large flat screen tv that took up an entire wall.
The pair continued down the hallway and entered the kitchen. It was a largely lit room with overhead lighting. There was a large light gray marble island in the middle of the room complete with a built in oven on the left side of the wall, a matching microwave above it, a stainless steel double fridge with a water and ice dispenser, and a flattop electric stove on the light gray marble counter.
Arsenal pulled out a stool from under the island and gestured for Starfire to sit.
"I'll be right back" Arsenal left the room to change into something more comfortable. When he came back he was in a pair of black sweat pants and a red hoodie. He no longer donned his mask, displaying his slightly freckled face and bright blue eyes. Starfire noticed that Arsenal had to be older than Robin given the mature features of his face.
He walked over to the cabinets, pulling out a blue box, three different green spices and two cans. He went to the fridge and pulled out minced garlic and a small onion. He crouched down and opened a cabinet under the island and pulled out a large black pot. He walked over to the sink an filled the pot with water and set it down on the burner and turned it on high. He opened the cabinet above the stove and pulled down a salt shaker and added a pinch of salt to the water to help it come to a rapid boil.
He pulled out another pot and tossed it onto the stove next to the boiling water and grabbed a green bottle that was sitting on the counter and added a dash of olive oil before turning it on at medium heat, then added in a smidge of minced garlic. Nex,t he pulled a wooden cutting board from the cabinet above the sink and set it down across from where Starfire sat. She watched in amazement as he moved around the kitchen in ease.
"On my planet, I was not allowed in the room of cooking. It was seen as a job for those of not royal status. But you make it seem…I'm unsure what the English translation of the word is but it is close to joy?" she tilted her head towards the end, executing her confused terminology that is the English language.
Arsenal smirked and started to peel the onion before he cut the onion in half and scored part of it before cutting it horizontally.
"I think you mean fun." He said before taking the cutting board and hovering it over the pot with the oil and minced garlic. He used the blade of the knife to swipe the diced onions into the pot causing a hiss to erupt from deep within.
He lowered the heat and stirred the concoction before tossing the board into the sink and grabbing the two cans of tomato sauce. Pulling open a drawer, Arsenal searched for a can opener.
"Fun, yes. I do believe that is the word. You seem to enjoy the cooking very much." He glanced at her and frowned slightly.
He put down the can opener once he propped both cans open, "Before, when I said you looked like my niece, it was not an assumption. You do look like her, but it's not possible. You're not human."
Starfire furred her brows, unsure what he meant by his words.
"What is it you mean, Arsenal? Is a niece a type of pet?"
He laughs lightly as he pours the cans of sauce over the onions and garlic, then adding dashes of parsley, basil, and Italian seasoning, and a pinch of salt for flavor.
"No, it's the daughter of someone's brother or sister. I lost my niece a few years ago and you happen to look like her." He twisted his mouth a bit. "Actually, you happened to have the same colored eyes as her and the same red hair. It's unmistakable. But if you were really her, you'd know who I am. You'd know who Robin was too." He seemed to have closed himself off after his words floated off. It was difficult for Arsenal to move on after they spent so much time looking for Star. He was supposed to protect her like everyone else, but it wasn't good enough.
"Was she also Robin's niece?" she asked, fascinated by who this person was.
"No" a voice said from behind her. She turned to see robin standing there in a pair of black sweat pants, a maroon V-neck and his mask. He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a blue Gatorade, let the door slam shut, and made his way to where Starfire was and sat down next to her.
Starfire turned to face Robin, her knees grazing the side of his upper thigh, "Who was she to you then?"
She watched as Robin held his breath before releasing it. He popped the cap off the Gatorade bottle and took a heft sip before answering her, "She was my best friend." Starfire could hear the sorrow in his voice.
"I am sorry for your loss, may I ask what happened?"
Starfire noticed Robin tense before Arsenal decided to butt into the conversation, "Hey, have you ever had Italian food?"
"What is Italian food?" she asked. Starfire was confused as to why Arsenal was interrupting her conversation with Robin. But she can understand that loss is difficult to speak of. She herself is mourning as well.
Arsenal quickly opened a the blue box of pasta before pouring the whole thing into the rapid boiling water while stirring it with a plastic cooking spoon. He then lowered the temperature and stirred the red tomato sauce with a wooden spoon.
"Well, you're in luck. Tonight I'm making rigatoni pasta with red sauce, and garlic bread. Speaking of which…" Arsenal pulled a loaf of Italian bread from the counter and placed it onto the island. He went to the fridge to grab a tub of margarine and placed it next to the loaf of bread. He grabbed two spices from the cabinet, a butter knife from the utensil drawer and a bread knife from a knife block.
"I bet the Green Arrow is proud of your cooking abilities. Was browning onions part of your training regime? Along with pouching eggs and boiling water?" Robin snickered.
"If there wasn't a lady here I'd use some colorful words" Arsenal replied as he used the bread knife to slice the loaf open and began lathering it in butter.
Robin's smirk deepened, "Since when has that ever stopped you?"
Starfire smiled at the exchange, seeing the playful banter take place between two friends.
"Well, for starters her English seems to be a bit off, wouldn't want her to learn words that won't make her stay here better." Arsenal shook some garlic powder onto the bread and added some parsley before closing the loaf and wrapping it in foil. He tossed the bread into the preheated oven and set the timer for 12 minutes.
"It is strange," Starfire noted, "my English should be the same as all humans, but there are some exceptions with the language transfer that can cause the issues."
Arsenal regarded her as he tested to see if the pasta was tender, "How do you learn language?"
Robin took a swing of his drink to help clear his ever drying throat, and felt the back of his neck warm. Starfire still had her knees pressed into the side of Robin's thigh, which alone was making him stressed, but Arsenal asking these questions will surely kill him.
"Oh! It's quite easy, Arsenal! Us Tamaraneans are able to learn language through lip contact." Starfire smiled as she saw Arsenal glance at Robin, noticing how the boy went from tan to red in a few seconds.
"Although," Starfire continued, "I have discovered that on your planet lip contact means something else? This is what my sister has told me."
"That is true." Arsenal replied before turning off the stove and carrying the pot of pasta over to the sink to drain into a strainer. He shook the pasta in the strainer for a few seconds before tossing it back into the pot and adding a teaspoon of butter, a dash of salt, and a pinch of garlic for flavor before mixing it together.
"So," Arsenal said as he opened the oven as the timer beeped, grabbed the foil wrapped bread with bright red oven mitts, and set it down on the island. "who was the lucky person to get to kiss you?" Arsenal already knew the answer to this, but he wanted to watch Robin squirm in his seat.
"Kiss? I'm not sure what you mean." Starfire looked at Robin expectantly, waiting for him to help her understand.
Robin was grateful for his mask, without it Starfire would see how big his eyes were, "Uhh, Starfire, a kiss is the lip contact you were talking about earlier."
"Oh! Thank you friend Robin for explaining!" Starfire finally turned away from Robin, her knees no longer touching his thigh, and faced Arsenal fully "I kissed Robin."
Arsenal almost dropped the plates he was holding but caught them before they hit the ground.
"You and your red heads, man." Arsenal muttered as he laid the plates on the island and started portioning food onto the three plates.
"Shut up" Robin muttered, his entire face the same color as the bright red oven mitts.
"Whatever, man." Arsenal grabbed forks and napkins and passed a plate to Robin and then a plate to Starfire. "She's you responsibility now. Star here obviously doesn't know this planet but needs guidance."
"Don't call her that"
"Call her what?" Arsenal replied around bites of pasta.
"'Star', don't call her that." Robin warned.
"Why not? It's her name. Don't get bent out of shape because it happens to be the same as-"
Robin stood up abruptly and grabbed his plate and drink and stalked away. Starfire watched as he turned down a corner and slammed a door behind him. She felt her heart sink into her stomach. She stared at her plate before deciding to try the pasta.
"This is glorious, friend!"
Arsenal smiled at the young alien. "Thanks, my mentor taught me to cook."
"This mentor must be wonderful to have taught you this marvelous skill." Starfire ate more of the food and the flavors exploded in her mouth.
"Thanks, it was his way of teaching me to calm down and take a step back sometimes. Being a hero takes its toll sometimes." Arsenal finished his plate of food and dropped his dish into the sink. When Starfire finished she hovered from her seat and flew over the island to place her plate and fork into the sink.
Arsenal's eyes grew big, "You can fly?"
Starfire smiled, "Yes, most Tamaraneans learn to fly at a young age."
"What else can you do?" Arsenal asked as he cleaned up the kitchen.
"I have abundant strength, I can produce star-bolts, I am quite agile. I come from a warrior colony. We learn to fight at a young age and choose a weapon that we use in battle as well." Starfire helped Arsenal clean the pots he used to cook.
Arsenal leaned down to open the dishwasher and place the pots inside of them. He shut it and turned the machine on.
"Follow me, I'll show you where your room will be." Starfire floated behind Arsenal as they walked down the same hallway Robin stormed down a half hour before.
They stopped at the first door, "This is my room. If you need anything, Star. Do not hesitate to knock on my door. You're a guest here and I want you to be comfortable. Even if Robin is acting like a jerk." They continued down the hallway and he gestured to the door to the left, "This is Robin's room. And this," he pointed to the room across from Robins on the right side, "is where you will be staying."
He opened the door and turned on the light. It was a large room, decorated minimally; the walls were a light blue with a thick white trim. The floors were dark hardwood like the rest of the penthouse, the bed was a black framed queen size with a dark blue comforter and a mountain of pillows. There were two matching black nightstands each with an antique lamp and the one closer to the door had a small touch screen device on top. Against the wall was a large black dresser with silver handles for accent, and a vanity was set between the two windows that look out to the rest of Blüdhaven.
Arsenal walked into the room and Starfire followed behind. He opened the top drawer of the dresser and pulled out a pair of sweats and t-shirt.
"Here," he handed Starfire the clothing, "You can wear these, I don't think Robin will care." Starfire took the clothes from Arsenal and sat down on the bed. She looked at the small device on nightstand. She picked it up questionably and touched the smooth surface. The screen lit up with a bunch of words she doesn't understand.
"What is this, friend?"
"Oh, it controls the temperature in here and also turns out the lights so you don't have to get out of bed to turn them off."
"Oh." She put the device down and looked down at the clothing in her hands. This was the first time she'd sleep in a normal bed in over two years. Her cell on the Gordonians ship was not accommodating. And all at once she felt herself break. The two years caught up to the young princess and couldn't keep herself from crying. Between the pain of being enslaved by the Psions and experimented on, and being sold to the Gordonians. Then her sister betraying her and forcing her to fall into earth, and her brother.
Oh Ryand'r, the youngest of the royal family.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Arsenal sat down next to the young alien and pulled her into a tight side hug.
Starfire sniffled, "I am having the bad day, that is all." But Arsenal knew better.
"Look, I know you don't know me. But I think I know who you are, but for some godforsaken reason you don't remember who you are. And that's okay. But know that I'm here for you, okay?" his words hit home causing a new course of tears to fall.
"I am grateful, Arsenal. I truly am." She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his shoulder.
"Call me Roy" he replied.
She smiled and pulled away.
"I knew Arsenal was not a true human name." Starfire replied as she wiped away her tears and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
Roy smiled, "Yeah, well. We're supposed to keep our identities hidden, but you're not a threat."
"Will Robin ever tell me his true name?" Starfire asked, hope laced in her words.
Roy gave Star a sad smile, "Unfortunately, not all of us are forth coming with our identities." Starfire frowned.
"Hey," Roy continued, "I have a feeling you might be special thought. I wouldn't worry. Give him some time."
Starfire nodded and watched as Roy stood up from the bed and walked over to the door, before leaving he turned around, "One day, I hope you remember." And with that he closed the door, leaving Starfire to her own thoughts. But unknown to the pair, Robin's door was opened slightly listening to their entire conversation.
It's been a hot second since the last time I've updated this story. But I hope you enjoyed the third chapter of Becoming my own Hero!
~Pink-Bird-30
