Well my very patient and wonderful followers, it's been swell, but this is the last chapter. I hope that you get everything you've ever wanted in this section. (Well, at least what you've wanted from this story.) Yet again, I have another story planned to go up soon. So be on the look out! You guys have been great, and remember to tell me what you've thought of it!
I felt her hands on my sides, right above my rip cage. My own gripped her shoulders, not too hard, but just enough to hang on. My feet were mere inches from the floor as we zipped along through hallways. Neither of us knew the way to the exit, so we simply went every direction. My arms were slowly getting tired, and it was a safe bet that hers were too.
We turned down a new hall to hear shouting. "Look! There they go!"
"Crap." I muttered. In the other direction, a very ticked reptilian came rampaging towards us. "Double Crap….Star! Maneuver Twenty Three!" I commanded.
She nodded and pulled my arms up. I hooked my ankles with her, and she spiraled. We were almost in the clear when Pas Tous Lá knocked us out of the air. I recovered first, coming out to the fall with a somersault. Starfire just fell on her face and rolled a bit. Before she could recover, I had her up in my arms as I sprinted like a mad man.
"But what about-…?"
"No fight now please!"
I take pride in my stealth and agility. I was lightweight and it made me ideal for speed. Heck, with the amount of gel I put in my hair, I probably was more aerodynamic. I kicked off my clunky boots mid run, making my steps lighter and quieter. I gripped Star tighter to me as she put her arms around my neck. She was so close, her hair teased my neck and I could hear her heavy intakes of breath among the shouting of the guards.
How romantic.
After passing an unfamiliar entryway, I caught sight of the escape pods. They were unguarded and only a few feet away. We were home free! I found the one that we used earlier and placed Star inside. I fumbled with the key as the guards came closer. She yanked it out of my grip.
I jumped and grabbed the handle of the door. As it was almost closed, a guard gripped the other side and was trying to tug it open.
"Starfire! Get us out of here!"
The pod roared to life as I braced both of my feet on the edges of the door to pull it shut. The pod pulled away from the docking station and the guard let go. I closed the exit and sealed it shut. Angry guards yelled at me outside the window. I smiled at myself.
The craft took off, speeding away from that nightmare ship. I sunk into the seat. We were out, we were safe, and we were on our way home. I let out a relieved laugh. A part of me couldn't believe that we had made it, another part never wanted to move again. I looked over to Starfire who was still, her hands fixed on the analog stick, her shoulders tense.
I reached over and turned on the autopilot; the coordinates she programmed in earlier were still set. "You relax now." I smiled at her.
It was if she hadn't even heard me. Her eyes were fixed directly in front of her, her face in a scowl. Her lips were twitching and her hands were shaking.
"Starfire?" I asked softly, resting my hand on hers.
She was startled as she released her grip on the controls. Dents had formed were her hands had been. She looked at the damage she had caused then back up at the windshield. Never once did she glance at me. Fat tears leaked from her eyes and ran down her cheeks.
"Star!?" I was worried now. This didn't just seem like an expression of relief.
She took in a trembling breath and let out a scream that shook the vessel and cracked the front window. In fear, I grabbed her and pulled her into my chest; muffling her sobs. She threw her arms around me, digging her nails into my back. I didn't mind, she was in so much more pain.
It felt like hours that I held her. Each one of her moans sent vibrations through my metal bones. I didn't know what to do. Comforting had never been my thing, heck I was never good with words in general. I just held her tight and patted her hair. She curled against me, her legs resting on mine and her arms around my waist. My stitches were probably poking her cheek. I could feel her tears on my chest and I felt utterly helpless.
After what seemed like an eternity, her sobs had begun to subside and she looked up at me. Puffy-eyed, tear-stained, and snot-ridden, she was still the most beautiful girl I had ever laid eyes on. I reached out and gently wiped her tears away with the cotton gloves on my hands.
"I'm sorry..." She choked. "Thank you."
First thing was first; I needed to fix this language barrier. I lifted her chin and leaned closer to her. She looked at me in question for only a moment before I closed the distance. The kiss was more tender then the one we had on the ship. I figured it had to do with the fact that I was still trying to comfort her. It was meaningful and I wasn't nervous this time.
We broke apart, but I remained close to her. "Can you understand me now?"
She nodded with, "Mmm-hmm."
"Alright, why don't you tell me what happened back there? What did they say, what did they do to you?" I asked each question softly.
She leaned her forehead against mine, seeking comfort. "It was not what they did to me…they…" Her lip quivered. "He was just a child…" She choked.
My eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"
"My little brother, Ryand'r…they…" She broke out into a fresh round of sobs. "Oh, Robin! They killed him! I barely even knew him because we had been separated for so long…but he was so young!" She buried her face into my chest. "And it was my entire fault…"
Again, I resigned to hushing her. "Star, do you have any proof that they actually killed him?"
She looked a little insulted. "What?"
"Did they kill him in front of you? Or did they just say that they killed him?"
She looked at our knees. "I took them at their words…the Gordanians are so ruthless, I thought they…" She fell silent. The look on her face was of humiliation and anger.
"Don't beat yourself up, okay? They tricked you, oh well. You were under a lot of stress. But I guarantee you, it was only a trick."
"How can you guarantee it?! You do not know!" She raised her voice.
I rested a hand on her shoulder. "Ryand'r is the crown prince of Tamaran. While I was undercover, I found out that the Gordanians are really big in business. And it seems as though you were really valuable. I would imagine he would be too."
"But should we not go back-…?"
"If your brother is anything like you, he would have taken the opportunity to escape when he could. I think the distraction we caused was helpful to him." I gave a soft smile. "But it's time we went home."
She lowered her head onto my shoulder, a tad acquiescent. "I am a bit sick for my home."
"Three months is a long time to be gone." I rested my head on top of hers.
She looked up at me. "I wonder how our friends have faired without us…"
"I imagine relatively well, Cyborg's been itchin' to take over the leadership position. I don't blame him of course; I just hope he did all the paperwork so I don't have a pile the size of the Himalayas waiting for me."
She chuckled. "I meant, I wondered if they have missed us."
"Oh." I released a nervous laugh. "I don't see why they wouldn't. Mmm, knowing Cy and Beast Boy, they were probably happy for the first few days."
Again she chuckled. "They would have free reign to fight over the tofu and meat, correct?"
"Most likely…until Raven had enough."
"Then she would throw Beast Boy out the window."
"I knew it was a good idea to get the common room facing the bay…"
We both sighed.
"I miss them." She sniffed.
"I do too."
"They are the only true family I have besides Galfore."
I sat up quickly. "Did you want to go see him?"
She gave me a startled look. "Whatever for?"
"Well, I don't know. I thought you might want to go and talk to him about stuff. Your siblings and what not."
"I love my Knorf'ka very much, but there are some things he does not understand. Besides, I would much rather talk to you." She turned a cute shade of pink and pulled me so that she could rest on my shoulder again.
I felt goose bumps form on the back of my neck, but ignored it. "Well, you know you can talk to me about anything."
"As can you to me."
I felt a small pang in my heart as the lessons I had learned with Tuor surfaced in my mind. It was time I told her the truth. I had trusted her with my life for the last few years, now it was time her to trust her everything else. "My brother died last year."
Her head whipped up to look me in the eyes. A hundred emotions crossed her face, horror, confusion, shock, sympathy. But the only thing that came out of her mouth was, "Your brother?"
"Not biological. I was an only child. But when Batman adopted me, he had another girl he was training, named Barbara, or Babs." My face coloured a little as I thought about her. "Not too long after I ran away, Batman found a young man, not much younger then me, stealing the tires off of the Batmobile. Instead of taking him to the police, he brought him home and made him part of the family. I knew him only a little. Jason Todd was his name. Unlike my parents who died in a tragic accident, his parents…left him. He went out one day, only to come home the next to a completely empty house. He was sour, and had a rotten attitude to everyone. Still, he fit with us, and it made sense he was there. I came to really like Jason, as minimally as I saw him through the last couple years. Up at the end, he began to have a very positive outlook on life…well, by then it didn't matter.
"Batman and the new Robin went on a tour of Europe, which Bruce later revealed was not a vacation, but another flight of action. He had been tracking a big wig in the black market business. I was never sure what he was doing; Bruce kind of kept us out of it. Ra's Al Ghul was out to ultimately topple the economy of Europe. He hired a psychopathic serial killer after breaking him out of the asylum. God, I hated that man. Anyway, the Joker crossed their paths in Bosnia. Jason went after him, decidedly leaving Ra's to Batman." I had to stop a moment to breathe. The next part of the story always hurt the most. "Bruce found him the day after in a warehouse. His skull cracked, and a bloody crowbar riddled with Jokers's fingerprints lying next to him."
Star laid a hand upon my own. "And what has become of the Joker and Ra's Al Ghul since then?"
"Joker is confined to an Asylum for life, since he can't get the death sentence because of insanity. Ra's went into hiding somewhere in Tibet. He later sent Bruce a letter, announcing his retirement and his deep grievances for Jason's death. He disclosed a check to reimburse him for the funeral." I sighed. "Bruce hasn't been the same since then. He's been…colder. Harsher. He blames himself entirely, for everything."
"Why did you tell me all of this?"
Starfire was smart; she knew all of my stories had a reason. "I understand the pain you feel for your brother. It may not be exactly the same, but I know you're worried about him." I wrapped an arm around her. "So I'll be here to ease the burden."
"I appreciate it much." She snuggled closer to me. "Robin?"
"Hmm?"
"You spoke of the Joker as if you encountered him multiple times."
"Oh, I did. And he ended up in the asylum multiple times in a full body cast. See, not only did he kill Jason, he shot me in the shoulder, paralyzed Batgirl, and kidnapped Alfred. No one messes with Alfred."
"Who is Alfred?"
"My mom." I spoke casually before catching my blunder.
"So…Bruce is your father…and Alfred is your mother…does that mean…?"
"NO! Oh God no! I meant he has the mom role! He did the cooking and cleaning, and his scones…oh his scones…anyways, Alfred is Bruce's butler."
"Oh! That makes much more sense! I have met Batman on a few occasions, and he never struck me to be the 'homosexual'."
"Hard to think of him that way…"
"Thank you for telling me about your past. I know you have had a hard life, as I have, and do not wish to share everything, but I am glad you did."
"Well, I hope you won't regret saying that."
"Why would I regret it?"
I grinned at her. "It's a long drive home."
I started with the beginning. The very beginning. I told her of my home and all off the places I've been. I described my parents, what it was like growing up in a circus. I told every detail from their tragic death to first fights I had with Batman. She hung onto every word. Sometimes she cried, sometimes she laughed, and sometimes she clenched the fabric of my jacket, listening in anticipation. One thing was sure and constant; I shared her emotions. Never before had I felt so connected with her. Maybe it was because this was the first time in a long time I got away from work, criminals, and every other distraction in the book. Or maybe I just understood her now; I could fathom how strange it had to be for her.
Maybe I even loved her more because of it.
"Robin, I really hate to do the interrupting of you, but there is something which is bothering me."
"What is it?"
She looked hesitant. "It is…well…the lip contact."
"Oh." I gulped. "What…about it exactly?"
"Well, I am sorry if this startles you…but I was thinking…I decided I did not like it."
Ouch, her bluntness! It stings! "Oh…I see…I understand though…"
She rested a hand against my chest. "I did not like that we had lip contact to achieve the goal of language assimilation. I would much rather do the 'kissing', but I am having a difficult time figuring out an excuse to get you to do so."
Well, shoot! I cleared my throat. "Well, on Earth, there are many reasons people kiss."
"And what would those reasons be?"
"Um…" I raked my brain. "Kissing removes stress; we've endured a very stressful situation and could use a positive attitude boost. It'll give you an adrenaline rush, which counters hydrocortisone, a hormone that's produced when we're stressed."
"Interesting, but not quite good enough."
"It fights tooth decay."
"Lame. Try again."
"It burns calories."
"I am skinny enough!"
"Tones facial features?"
"Benefit, not a reason."
"It boosts your morale and self-esteem."
"I can believe that."
"I could trick you. Say, 'There's a weird bird over there,' and you'll turn to look and I'll move in close and then when you turn around, you'll run into my lips. I'll respond with 'I guess it was a woodPECKer.'"
She pushed me. "That is buttery."
"Buttery? You mean cheesy?"
"Yes." She tilted her head. "I am still not hearing any sufficient reasons."
"How about kiss for the sake of a kiss?"
"No, not special."
I became smug. "Or we could practice."
She shook her head with a pout.
"Got any good news?"
"Not any worth kissing over."
"I'm a guy and you're a girl."
"With that logic, we would be married by now."
"How about a smooch as thanks for comforting you earlier?"
"Too long passed."
"How about I kiss you as thanks for listening to my life story?"
"Maybe on the cheek."
"An early goodbye kiss?"
"I never wish to say goodbye."
I drew closer. "Because the day ends with a 'Y'."
"Come now Robin, there has to be a better excuse."
"Because we both secretly wish to be more then friends?"
She smiled and breathed a little sigh, which I felt on my face. "I believe we are getting closer."
My breath was a little shaky. "Do you mean physically, too?"
Her nose tapped mine. "You are running out of time, boy blunder."
"Well…There's only one other excuse I got, but I don't know how adequate it is."
Her eyes looked a little sad. "It is worth a try, yes?"
I gave a soft smile. "I think we should kiss…because not only do I consider you my best friend, but as the most important person in the world to me. Because you turn me into a stuttering moron, and you're the only one who can do that. Because I trust you with my life, my soul, my heart. And most importantly, we should kiss because I hold so much care and affection for you, sometimes I wonder if you can see it pouring out of me. Koriand'r…I love you." I let my lips brush against hers. "And, no, that's my excuse. You have to get your own." With that, I erased the space between us.
Finally, no pressure, no life threatening situations, no alternate reasons, just a kiss. A tender and passionate one for that matter. What can I say? I was making up for lost time. Her fingers were in my hair, on my neck, my face, my chest, everywhere; making fluttering touches. A small part of me worried that I was going too far. Maybe she didn't feel exactly the same way, maybe she just liked me. Heaven forbid she was only lusting after me. I swallowed and pulled away, suddenly very nervous and self-conscious.
All that vanished when she smiled at me. "You are so very adorable when you blush." She smirked.
Now she was just teasing me. "Um…"
"Yes, it is time for my excuse. But yours is very good, so I think I shall steal it." She snaked her arms around my neck. "I love you too, Robin."
This time she kissed me, and boy, now that our feelings were out in the open, she just went for it! I didn't even know she knew how to kiss, since Tamaranians didn't practice such things. I blamed the chick flicks she forced Raven to watch with her.
My arms locked around her waist to keep her close to me. Even when we parted, she still stayed close, only shifting slightly so her head rested on my shoulder. I held her tightly, my heart thumping deeply in my chest. I felt pain, and I had no idea why. Maybe it was the feeling of not having to bottle things up anymore.
"Robin…"
She must have heard my shaky sigh. "Star, you were with me the whole time…but I missed you so much. Your anger and sadness…it was so overwhelming. I missed your smile and your tenderness…"
"Robin. You are bleeding."
My eyes shot open. "What? How!? Where!?"
"Turn around and take off your jacket." I did as I was told and felt her hands examining my back. "Yes, you have a wound back here, it is not very deep, and is not bleeding so bad as it looks like it had previously. What did you do?"
I thought a moment. "I think I got shot."
"As in, with a gun?! But how do you not hurt!?"
"I felt it when it first happened, but I think the bullet bounced off."
She stared at me. "How?"
"I think it had to do with my new ribs."
"That is most extraordinary!"
"Could you cauterize it to keep it from bleeding?"
"I thought you said you wouldn't ask me to do that again."
"Yeah, I know. But we have nothing else to wrap it with. And it's not that bad, I promise it's okay."
"Oh fine! But I better not hear a sound from you!" I heard the sound of her hand igniting.
"You can slap me if I do."
"I shall indeed!"
The feeling of heat on my back increased until I felt her fingers surrounded by flames. This was the second time she and cauterized one of my wounds, the first was a huge scratch across my chest. I screamed the whole time and she made me promise I would never make her do it again. So this time, I made it easy on her by biting my lip and clenching my fists. I stayed absolutely silent.
"The deed is complete." She said solemnly.
I turned and smiled at her. "There, that wasn't so bad was it?"
She slapped me.
"What was that for!?"
"You promised I'd never had to do that again!"
"Would you have rather used the medical thread I had in my belt?"
She sighed, "no."
"Then let's forget about it, come here." I put an arm around her.
"I wish to be merry and joyful. Can we engage in the 'kissing' again?"
"Well, I don't know if that-mmm!" A yet again, she was wrapped around me like a vine, her lips firmly against mine. The only reason I protested was because we were two rather hormonal teenagers alone in a space ship. But hey, I had great self-control.
Yeah, about as much self-control as Charlie Sheen.
I pulled away from her carefully. "You really like kissing, don't you?"
"I do indeed! It is most wonderful and fantastic! I have seen it in the movies and how in human culture it is so important, but I never knew how fantastic it could be! It…It is like a whole new world!"
"Shining, shimmering, splendid?"
She looked at me in awe.
"Tell me princess, now when did you last let your heart decide? I can open your eyes, take you wonder by wonder. Over sideways and under, on a magic carpet ride."
"You are speaking of the 'making out' correct."
Well, I'll be damned. I try to be romantic and the moment just flies out the window! "Umm…" I blushed.
"Your face is turning red again!" She giggled.
Darn her ignorance to culture. "No…Look, I don't mind kissing you. Trust me, I really like it, but I think we should take this things slow…besides this isn't really the best place to do that kind of…stuff." I gave a weak smile and hoped she understood.
"I do not know much about affairs of Earthen romance. But if that is what you say, I will trust you." She smiled. Then she got a tremendous smile across her face and grabbed my shoulders, startling me. "Does this mean we are the girlfriend and boyfriend? And not just the friend who is a girl and the friend who is a boy, but the 'couple' that buys floral arrangements and sugary confections to express affection for each other?"
"Yeah, I guess. Nice summary."
She squealed and tackled me. "Would it be petty to say I have been waiting for this?"
"No, I waited a long time too…"
"Then why did you not act on it sooner?!" She hit me.
"Ow! Because I'm a coward!"
"That you are!"
"And you're beautiful." I smiled as I tucked some hair behind her ear.
"And you are stupid."
"And you're amazing in every sense of the word."
"And you smell like boy."
"Sorry, haven't taken a shower in three months." I laughed.
"Despite all these flaws, some how, I still managed to fall in love with you."
"You forgot stubborn, massive workaholic, and mentally unstable."
"Those I am willing to overlook."
I began to feel lightheaded. "and I thank you for doing so."
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah…Why do you ask?"
"Your skin is pale."
"My skin…is always pale."
"No, it is abnormally pale…you have dark circles around your eyes and your breathing is strange."
"I'm just feeling…a little light headed." I took another shaky breath and heard some crackling noises. "Star…how long do you think we've been in here?"
"I would venture to say about six hours."
"And…how much oxygen…do you think this pod holds?"
Her eyes went wide. "Not enough to get us home. I surmise we still have a few hours left."
I swallowed. "When you do breathe, what do you inhale and exhale?"
"I breathe in carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen."
"Starfire, Please…I need you to take…long deep breaths."
She started hyperventilating. "I shall not let you die!"
I chuckled. "I'm not going to die. You just need to keep breathing at a constant rate, nice deep breaths. And, I'm going to warn you…I may pass out…but just keep breathing and…I'll…be…whoa…"
"Robin!"
Bruce was right when he said you can only last so long without oxygen. Poor Starfire must have been scared out of her mind.
When I came to, I was laying on a mattress. Something was covering my face, and my hand was cramping up. I opened my eyes to look around. I was home, in the medical bay of our building. I glanced over to my hand to see it in the firm grip of a disheveled Tamaranian. Her eyes were closed, and tears were still running down her cheek. My heart clenched.
I wriggled my fingers.
Her emerald eyes shot open and she began to float out of her chair.
"Told you I wasn't going to die." I smiled.
She screamed and tackled me. I discovered the thing on my face was an oxygen mask, which I kept securely on, unsure if I could breathe on my own yet.
Star's scream alerted the other inhabitants of the building that I was awake and soon, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven came bounding into the room.
"Dude! Where the heck have you guys been?!" Beast Boy asked first.
I looked at Starfire. "You didn't tell them?"
She shook her head.
Cyborg jumped in. "Man, she didn't say anything! Scared the crap out of me hearing the doorbell ring in the middle of the night! I answer the door and there she is, holding you like you were dead. All she said was 'he requires medical attention' and ghosted into the room." He shivered. "After I got you hooked up, I tried to get stuff out of her but she wouldn't say anything!"
"Now, you're awake. What happened?" Raven asked in her usual monotone.
I opened my mouth to answer, but Beast Boy interrupted me. "And you were the one who said we weren't allowed to take vacations! I bet you two eloped to Vegas."
"Elope?" Starfire asked with a tilt of the head.
"It means to get married in secret."
"Oh," She smiled at the team. "Do not worry. When we decide to get married, you shall be the first to know."
'When' she says, not 'if'. "We were abducted by aliens." I explained.
The three looked at each other and then burst into laughter. "Aliens?! That's seriously the best excuse you can come up with?!"
"Gordanians to be exact." Star piped in.
"Wait…you're serious? The Gord-heads from when we all first met?"
"Yes, precisely."
"Oh."
"Don't worry, darling. They're too dense to believe such things." I spoke loud and clear.
"Oh, I am quite aware of that, my love." She laughed.
"Dude…Since when do you speak alien?!"
"Hessen, my fine fellow. I can speak Tamaranian too."
"A lot of things happened in these past three months." Starfire smiled.
Cyborg raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Like what kinds of things?"
I shrugged while Star put her arms around my neck and kissed my forehead.
"Dude! Not fair! How did you get a girlfriend before me? I am so better looking then you are!" Beast Boy flailed his arms.
"Says the boy named Garfield."
"Oh yeah? 'Hey I'm Raven Roth, and my name's alliteration!'"
Cyborg pushed passed the bickering teens. "You two have been gone a long time. Want something to eat 'fore I tell y'all whatcha missed?"
"Mustard." Star said firmly.
"You know what I want? I really want a double cheeseburger with fries and a large Dr. Pepper."
"On it. You two just hang tight." He turned to BB and Raven who were still fighting. "Okay you love birds, we're making a food run."
"We are not love birds!"
"You were just complaining about not having a girl friend…"
After the team had left, Starfire climbed up on the bed and snuggled into my side. "Can you believe it Robin? We are home!"
"Yeah," I smiled. "Home sweet home."
I don't consider myself an emotional person, but that cheeseburger was just so beautiful, I blubbered like a baby.
Oh, so you want to know what happened after all this? Well, Star and I can't even sit next to each other on the couch without a jibe from tweedledee or tweedledum AKA Victor Stone and Garfield Logan. I can't get a kiss goodnight without Raven coming out of nowhere saying 'keep it PG you two.' It's frustrating, really.
At night, when it's clear, we go up to the roof and look at the stars, reminiscing of our adventure.
About a month later, we were all sitting in the common room. Raven read, Beast Boy and Cyborg battled it out on Mega Monkeys 4, and Star and I watched content. Something zipped passed the front window and we all stopped and stared. The object backtracked and looked in the window. It just barely registered who I was seeing before Starfire had whizzed from the spot next to me to the window, frantically trying to open it.
"Brotch'm!"
'Brother.'
