Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or anything in the DC Universe.
3. Sisters
The gray-skinned sorceress muttered her customary incantation, hovering a couple of feet over her bed. Although she was thoroughly convinced it meant absolutely nothing, her mind kept drifting back to the same words that have haunted her for the past few weeks, "Who knew we had a doctor in the house? Thanks." She sank down to her bed, grumbling in frustration. It didn't make sense. She couldn't understand how his pointy-ears and dumb smile kept making an appearance when she was trying her hardest to focus. Determining she needed a more hands-on approach, she marched toward her dresser where her meditation mirror was laid and snatched it grudgingly. Before she could get swept in, a loud knock on her door interrupted her.
Starfire, meanwhile, was sitting on the edge of the Tower's roof, her legs pulled into her chest with her chin propped on her knees. The sun was peaking just above the horizon, etching beautiful streaks of pink, orange, and blue across the sky. It had become one of Starfire's favorite practices, to come to the rooftop and view the setting of the sun. Usually, a certain masked teen would make an appearance by then, but he hadn't yet.
About once a week, if there wasn't a bad guy to fight, she would spend an hour before sunset sending her k'norfka and her sister each a transmission giving them an update and asking how they were doing. Galfore almost always responded, but she never heard from Blackfire. As she sat on the roof, she contemplated her relationship with her sister. She knew Blackfire didn't particularly care for her, but she was still so desperate for a friendship with her sister. She briefly considered if human girls experienced the same longing for relationship with their sisters, but her thoughts were interrupted.
Robin opened the door to the roof gently and smiled gingerly as he noticed the alien princess in her usual spot. He plopped next to her, "Hey, Star."
"Greetings," Starfire smiled at him.
Robin leaned back, his left arm holding himself up, "Hey, Cy and Beast Boy were talking about going to the docks and checking out the carnival down there. There's supposed to be fireworks, and I thought it might be fun to watch them from the Ferris wheel if you're interested."
Definitely not a date, he reminded himself internally. If it were a date, the rest of the Titans wouldn't be there. Besides, he reasoned, it'll be a nice break from the Slade research. That isn't going anywhere fast anyway.
"That sounds most glorious," responded Starfire almost too readily, but Robin didn't notice. She had no idea what Robin was referring to, but she enjoyed doing 'the hanging out' with her friends, especially Robin. It had been a week since they won Titan's Tower back from the Hive. Robin had spent most of his free time holed up in the evidence room trying to find any connections to Slade, desperate to uncover who he was. Starfire, who had been badly went shaken up when Robin went missing, was now eager to spend as much time as possible with him. However, now she was frequently met with a mumbled explanation of "doing research" and having a door closed in her face. Once she caught a glimpse of a masked teenaged girl with ginger locks on a video call. Although she didn't know who she was, Starfire couldn't help but feel a slight pang of jealousy.
The rest of the Titans were relieved, though, since Robin being distracted by research meant they had less time for extremely long combat practice. That was a change they all welcomed. The team also determined it would be best to implement a schedule for chores. Robin wasn't pleased that it took having them kicked out of their own home for the place to get cleaned up. Beast Boy had also made a recommendation of having a movie night at least once a week. Starfire had hoped to begin that tradition that night, but she was intrigued at the idea of exploring their humble town.
"Sweet," Robin grinned boyishly. "We'll have to convince Raven, of course, but we'll have fun either way."
An hour later, they were all at the carnival. Raven had her hood pulled over her head to cover her face, appearing completely disgruntled despite her features being hidden. Beast Boy and Cyborg were engaged in efforts to convince her to "lighten up" and to "have fun." Cyborg recommended they all take photos together, but only got one with Robin before Beast Boy found an activity that caught his eye.
"Dude," Beast Boy pointed excitedly at a booth and gave Cyborg an ecstatic nudge, "I bet we can win Raven a prize."
Raven huffed and rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Yeah. Every girl's dream."
Raven normally didn't like being pulled out of her room unnecessarily, let alone to willingly surround herself with a mass of strangers who couldn't figure out which direction they were headed in an environment that was oozing with upbeat music and overly cheerful characters. She was fully convinced that people who smiled that much were either insane or were on something. She had been surprised and irritated to hear Beast Boy knocking on her door to ask her to the fair with the rest of the team. She responded with a resounding, deadpan, "no," yet here she was. She still wasn't sure how he convinced her to make an appearance.
Before she could make further protests about the carnival games, Cyborg was already at one of the booths, asking the employee there to explain the rules. Beast Boy had reached for her arm and pulled her along, but was met immediately with a death glare that could have sent his soul to the seventh layer of hell. He backed off with his arms raised, offering a nervous laugh. Starfire giggled at her friends.
Robin, meanwhile, was paying a concession stand employee. He was handed cotton candy that was pink, fluffy, and at least twice the size of his face. He turned back to Starfire, "Do you want to ride on the Ferris wheel with me?"
Starfire offered a bewildered look. She recalled he mentioned the 'Ferris wheel' earlier in the evening, but never found out what it was. "Please, what is this wheel of the Ferris?"
"Ferris wheel," Robin corrected kindly, and pointed to the giant spinning wheel. "It's that. You sit on a bench and it takes you around in a circle."
"That sounds most pleasant. I would like that very much."
As they sat down on the bench that would eventually be rotated to the top of the giant wheel, Starfire inquired about the fireworks Robin had mentioned earlier in the evening. Before Robin could respond a loud crackle and boom emitted through the air, causing the masked teen to chuckle. "It might just be easier to show you."
Starfire was immediately alert upon hearing the explosion and asked Robin if they were under attack.
"Not at all," he pointed to the sky where the light from the fireworks were starting to fade as another round started to race to the sky. "They're basically a light show… an explosive light show. We use them on Earth for celebrations."
Starfire eased at his lack of concern, "I see."
Robin popped a bit of cotton candy into his mouth as the ride jolted them backwards. Starfire gasped in surprise, but then eased. In spite of herself, she began to think about her sister. Robin studied her carefully. She looked absolutely stunning against the night sky, and her face shown from the carnival lights, but she was unusually quiet. That struck Robin as odd, as the alien always had a question about something or a connection to her home planet. He frowned, realizing she looked sad.
"Penny for your thoughts?" He nudged her.
Starfire blinked at him, not understanding.
"Uh, is there something bothering you?" Robin rephrased with a brief-but-awkward laugh.
"Oh," Starfire looked away, down to where their friends were playing carnival games. "It is not much to do the dwelling on, I suppose. I am just feeling a bit of the sickness for my home, and I am sad I have not heard back from my sister."
Robin inquired incredulously, "She still hasn't responded?" He took another bite of cotton candy.
Starfire nodded sadly, studying the creases in her folded hands.
Robin swallowed loudly. He felt unprepared. He knew his friend was upset, but he had no idea how to comfort her, or if there could be any solace from feeling rejected by your own sister. Deciding it would be better to not shove his foot in his mouth, he settled for, "I'm sorry to hear that."
Starfire glanced at him sweetly and thanked him. The car they were sitting in was inching its way toward the top of the Ferris wheel, providing the pair a better view of the pyrotechnics than they had before. Starfire's eyes sparkled at the site, fascinated by the magical display painting the sky. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments. Starfire leaned forward and rested her elbows on the front of the car, her fists holding up her face.
"Beautiful," she breathed finally. "Tell me again what they are called."
"Fireworks," Robin repeated as a few more explosions echoed through the sky.
Suddenly, a concerned expression made its way to Starfire's face, "On my home planet, such explosions would mean the Gordanians were attacking. You are certain Earth is not under attack?"
"Positive," Robin reassured her. "Cotton candy?"
"The last time I ate a ball of cotton it was white, and it did not taste very—"
"This is different," Robin pulled off a chunk of the sugary substance and popped it in his mouth. He made a mental note to kick Beast Boy's butt for convincing Starfire to eat cotton ball.
Starfire cautiously mimicked his actions, relieved, and delightfully surprised, at the sweet taste, "Mmmm." Then, she yelped in astonishment as it dissipated on her tongue, "It vanished!"
Robin chuckled, unexpectedly feeling more fascinated with the alien than the light show. "Yeah, it'll do that."
Starfire sighed deeply, "When I first came to this planet, I did not think I would ever fit in. Earth was full of strange things. But now, I see that–"
She was caught off by a bright flash of light and a series of loud, ecstatic pops and explosions as the volley doubled in intensity.
"Here comes the finale! Yes!" Robin leaned toward the edge of his seat excitedly, "Woohoo! Amazing!"
"Earth is full of amazing things, too," Starfire's eyes glimmered, glowing against the lights of the fireworks display. She was grateful, for the moment, that Robin wasn't looking at her because she could feel her cheeks start to flush. She wasn't sure if it was because of him or because of the heat of the explosions.
"Best planet I've ever been to."
Before Starfire could provide additional comment, a zipping and whirring sound hit their ears, and she was grabbed by something that had bright pink tentacles. It yanked her from her seat and pulled her to the sky. As she was screaming, Robin jumped to his feet and yelled, "STARFIRE!" There was nothing he could do; she was gone.
Meanwhile, Raven stood with her arms folded over her chest. She rolled her eyes as Beast Boy missed another shot on the ring game. It was the fifth carnival game the boys had played in attempt to win a prize for the sorceress. While she took painstaking efforts to emit an annoyed vibe, she was secretly grateful. With Cyborg and Beast Boy distracted, she could focus on her breathing. She was able to quietly meditate, to attempt to deal with her unfinished business.
A ring rattled around the neck of a bottle in a near miss, and another easily settled on the target. Beast Boy laughed excitedly, and Cyborg yelled out, "Boo-yah!"
"Sweet!" The two young men traded a high five.
Raven leaned comfortably against a pole, looking bored as Beast Boy was handed a giant stuffed chicken.
Beast Boy turned to her and offered the puffy toy animal to her, "Told you we'd win you a prize."
It bawked as it landed in her arms, causing Raven to grimace more. "A giant chicken. I must be the luckiest girl in the world," she droned. She truly was at a loss as to how she ended up there, but before she could remark about how she was going to turn in for the night, Robin landed in a crouch near them.
"Titans, trouble!"
"Where's Starfire?" Cyborg questioned, having noted the alien had accompanied Robin on the Ferris wheel.
"That's the trouble."
After the teens defeated the pink, tentacled monster that attacked Starfire, they determined it would be best to head back to the Tower for the night. When the doors entered the main ops room, Starfire twirled with delight, "Come, friends. I shall thank you for my rescue by reciting the Poem of Gratitude, all six thousand verses."
Before Starfire could turn to see the disdained look on her friends' faces, she heard a voice by the couch say, "I see you haven't changed a bit." The voice laughed, explaining to the other Titans, "When we were little, I was always rescuing Starfire."
A teenaged girl similar in height and stature to Starfire was leaning against the couch. She had black hair, narrow and violet eyes, and the same skin tone as Starfire. She was wearing the same outfit Starfire had worn when she first arrived on Earth, as an escaped prisoner of the Gordanians. The other alien stepped forward and opened her arms to welcome a hug as Starfire squealed, "Sister!"
Blackfire held up a necklace that appeared to hold a giant emerald stone, "Brought you a present."
"A Centauri moon diamond?" Starfire gasped, "Where did you get—"
"On the Centauri moons, of course," she fastened it around Starfire's neck. "Oh, look, it matches your eyes."
Starfire's eyes widened with joy. After a moment, she grabbed her sister by the arm and yanked her toward her friends, "You must meet my friends!" Addressing her team, Starfire started, "I wish to introduce my big sister."
"Blackfire," the alien stepped forward boldly, catching Starfire off guard. "And since Star told me all about the Titans in her transmissions, let me guess." She pointed to Cyborg, "Cyborg."
Starfire watched carefully as her sister introduced herself to each of her friends. She felt a slight pang of jealousy as Blackfire had something kind to say about each of them, particularly noting how impressed they were. It didn't escape Starfire that Blackfire had picked up on all the details of her friends.
"And you must be Robin," Blackfire noted as she reached the end of the line, a little more flirtatiously than she had with the other Titans. She zipped behind him, holding up his cape in admiration, "Oh, I am loving this cape. It's positively luscious!"
Having held their guest in suspicion until that moment, Robin couldn't help but accept the compliment. "Thanks. It's a high-density polymerized titanium, ten times stronger than steel." After all, he wanted to make Starfire's sister feel welcome.
"Fascinating," Blackfire breathed, as Robin offered an appreciative glance over his shoulder.
Starfire emitted a gasp at the exchange, her heart pounding with anxiety.
Blackfire leaned in closer, "And this mask makes you look very mysterious."
Starfire, unable to take the scene anymore, inserted herself between them, "So, beloved sister, what brings you to Earth?"
Robin blinked, as if he had just been shaken out of a trance. He wasn't quite sure what had come over him and watched Starfire carefully. He was intrigued by Blackfire, but he thought it best to be highly suspicious of her. He wasn't sure how long she would be on Earth, but he resolved to make an effort to spend time with her if he could in order to learn more about her. He also wanted to see if he could find out, for Starfire's sake, why she hadn't responded to any of her transmissions. Hoping for the best, he wondered if the girl simply wanted to surprise Starfire with her presence. Still, he noticed there was something not-quite-right about Blackfire's sudden appearance, and he couldn't shake the feeling that the pink, tentacled thing that grabbed Starfire wasn't the only one. It also hadn't slipped by him that Blackfire was able to get into the Tower, which meant he needed to have a word with Cyborg about the Tower security system.
"I was in the quadrant," Blackfire responded coolly, walking toward the couch. "Thought I'd see if Earthlings like to party." She hopped over the back of the couch and leaned back easily, "Besides, I needed a rest. Nearly got sucked into a black hole on the way here."
Raven reached for her meditation mirror, finally ready to deal with whatever was going on with her emotions. She had just gotten back from open mic night at her favorite depressing café with Starfire's sister. Raven was pleasantly surprised at Blackfire's talent and had been cautiously glad for the company, but she was ready to finally deal with whatever was preventing her from meditating effectively. She turned out the lights so it was completely dark in her room.
Before the mirror swept her inside, a gentle knock interrupted her. The sorceress groaned, placing the mirror back on her dresser. She pulled her hood up and opened her door slightly.
"Is my sister in there?" A sweet, but unwelcome voice inquired.
"No," Raven moved to shut the door, feeling impatience toward Starfire for interrupting her. She considered the alien her friend, and she genuinely appreciated her tender heart and admired her abundant strength. However, she also preferred being alone. Starfire most assuredly did not like being alone.
"Oh," Starfire said, preventing Raven from closing the door all the way. "Might you wish to hang out with me? We could visit your favorite depressing café."
Raven didn't let it on, but she appreciated Starfire's attempt to do something that Raven enjoyed doing. However, she was grateful she had already gone. Starfire, in her all her genuine excitement, was too cheerful and talkative to go to the café. "Already been. It was open mic and Blackfire wanted to share. Your sister's poetry is surprisingly dark." Raven closed the door and turned her attention back to the meditation mirror before Starfire could disrupt her again.
She sighed and picked it up. A second hadn't passed before she was swept inside her head. It was a tricky and dangerous practice, especially given what lurked in the depths, but it was also an incredibly useful tool. She wandered the paths of her mind aimlessly until she reached Happy's meadow of flowers and stopped. She grimaced at the sight; the normally tame meadow looked as if springtime threw up on itself, more so than usual. "Gross."
In the distance, she could hear Happy giggling ferociously. Raven walked calmly toward the sound, and she soon found Happy rolling down a hill of wildflowers with butterflies dancing ahead of her path. Happy reached the bottom of the hill and sprang up to go for another turn when Raven called out, "Happy!"
Happy turned on her heels, her face somehow lighting up even more, "Raven!"
Raven rolled her eyes, as the personality ran toward and enveloped her in a tight hug. There were times Happy annoyingly reminded Raven of Starfire.
"Happy, what's going on?" Raven asked in her normal monotone after being let go.
"What'd'ya mean?" Happy twirled in a circle, her pink cloak gliding behind her.
"Why is it happier than normal in here?"
"Oh, that's Love's fault." Happy giggled.
"Love?" Raven snorted, not aware of that particular emoticlone.
"She only comes out sometimes and only in the past few months," Happy mused, "but she's been helping me spruce up the place."
Raven looked briefly horrified, "Why?"
Happy giggled again, covering her mouth with her hand, "Silly Raven! We have a crush."
Raven blinked and refuted, "No, we don't."
Happy's laughter didn't cease, "No, silly; you don't, but we do."
Raven folded her arms over her chest in annoyance, "Explain."
Happy bolted into a cartwheel and explained, "Beast Boy, silly. It hasn't come to fruition yet; it's still small enough that only me and Love recognize it, but it's definitely there."
Raven was horrified at the thought but didn't give it away, "But you're Happy. How can you have a crush on anyone? Wouldn't that be Love's role? And is that why I've had a hard time focusing on my breathing?"
Happy shrugged, "I'm not entirely sure how it works, but I think it has to do with like-personalities. Beast Boy is cute and funny, which appeals to me. That might be why the rest of you hasn't caught on yet." Happy pursed her lips and added, "As for Love, she's more insightful than others. She woke up because she heard me laughing harder than usual a few months ago. She explained what was going on."
"So how do I make it stop?" Raven groaned.
Happy shook her head, "You can't!"
"Happy," Raven's eyes flared with a hot flame, "I need you to help me find Love. I can't have either of you acting up. I need to be able to meditate and control my emotions."
Before Happy could respond, there was a small tug on Raven's cloak. Raven turned to see a smaller, more child-like version of her, wearing a deep-red cloak.
"Uh," Raven started, a ball of sweat forming on the back of her neck.
"I'm Love," the child said matter-of-factly.
Raven's cheeks reddened, "Why are you a child?"
"I'm a newer emoticlone," Love explained. "We all start out this small."
"Great." Raven huffed. Not only was that incredibly weird, she was also horrible with kids. "Can you do me a favor?"
Love arched a brow, "Depends."
"Can you go away so I can focus?"
"No," Love stated firmly. "It doesn't work that way."
Raven huffed, "Then how does it work? I cannot possibly have a crush, let alone be in love with Beast Boy of all people. Gross. One, that needs to stop. Two, it needs to stop so I can focus."
The butterflies that were following Happy earlier were now hovering around Love, and one of them caressed her left cheek. She giggled at the touch. Raven coughed loudly, regaining the young emoticlone's attention. Love frowned, explaining, "Once I exist, I can't go away."
"Okay…"
Love studied Raven carefully, continuing, "That's the case with any emotion you have. I grew because of the love you have for your friends, a philia type of love. Before them, you didn't really know any type of love except for the small amount you have for Arella, storge. It's the same love she has for you, in spite of her best efforts given all she knows." Raven looked down at her shoes, embarrassed, but Love continued, "I technically came into existence then, but really haven't had a chance to grow until recently. Like your other emotions, my presence and activity will vary depending on my relevance." Love held out her finger for a butterfly to land on it. "I started to grow more because of a small crush Happy started to form on Beast Boy, which is why I'm in her meadow instead of my own place in your mind."
Raven shot a glare at Happy who blushed and scratched the back of her head. "Hehe, sorry."
"But how did it form to begin with? And how do I make it stop?"
Love lowered her hand and the butterflies flew away, "Happy's attention was caught when Beast Boy first made you laugh. Ever since then, you've been doing amazingly well to suppress acknowledging how funny you think he is." Love exchanged a glance with Happy, "However, something happened recently that caused the crush to deepen a bit."
Raven breathed deeply and closed her eyes, "When he thanked me for healing him."
"Exactly," Love nodded. "There was something about that gratitude that warmed Happy. It even touched Gratitude a bit, but she mostly keeps to herself." Love hesitated, "I don't want to tell you this because I like being relevant." She bit her lip, "Love is comfortable, exhilarating, horrifying, and fun all at the same time, and I obviously want to see it come to fruition with Beast Boy someday."
A chill ran down Raven's spine, causing her to squirm slightly.
"However," Love continued, noting Raven's clear discomfort, "I also love you, Raven. No matter how much hatred you feel for what you are, Raven, everyone loves themselves deep down – even if it's only a little bit. That is why I'll tell you the reason you haven't been able to focus on meditating."
Raven allowed a gentle smile, "Thank you. Why haven't I been able to?"
"You're too focused on what Beast Boy said," Love stated matter-of-factly. "I think you already knew that, but sometimes it helps to hear it audibly… well, close to audibly, anyway. We're still in your mind, after all."
"So if I stop thinking about it, I should be able to concentrate and be able to control you and Happy better?"
"Theoretically."
With that, Raven breathed out her normal incantation. She felt at peace for the first time in a week, and a portal to exit her mind appeared. Love looked a little bit smaller, as if she had grown weaker, but she and Happy beamed at Raven as she departed.
After Raven had closed the door in Starfire's face, the alien girl sighed heavily. The feeling of betrayal sank deeply from her chest to the pit of her ninth stomach. She couldn't help but feel like an imposter, and that each of her friends liked Blackfire. It wasn't bad that her friends liked Blackfire, but her real fear was that they liked Blackfire better than her, or even Blackfire instead of her. I do not understand my sister, she thought. How is it she received my transmissions, knows all the fun details about my friends, but she never did the responding to me?
She hugged herself tightly and resolved to look for Robin. He had a way of making her feel better even when he didn't know exactly what was going on. She determined he was probably training in the gym around now, so she quickly strode in that direction.
Before she reached her destination, she spotted two shadows in the gym standing closely together. As she watched in horror, they moved closer as one of the shadows said, "That's perfect, Robin. Hold me just like that and—" The shadow that belonged to Robin was thrown out of sight, followed by a yelp from Robin and a loud bowling-pin-like crash.
Starfire took a calming breath and stepped into the gym, "Hello Robin… and… my sister… Am I interrupting?"
"Not at all," Robin stood with a grin, shaking himself off a bit. "Blackfire was just showing me some alien martial arts. How come you never taught me these cool moves?"
Starfire, at a loss for words, looked deeply wounded.
"Probably because she doesn't know them. I always was the better fighter," Blackfire grabbed Robin and led him away. "Come on. I'll show you the technique I once used to stop a raging orthax."
Robin felt a large pit form in his throat as he watched Starfire hang her head sadly. Blackfire was leading him to the top of the Tower to show him her next move, but he stopped her before they reached the stairs. "Hey, hold on a second, I really think we need to check on Starfire."
Blackfire blinked at him, "Why?"
"She seemed like she was upset, didn't you notice?" Robin inquired, feeling all-the-more suspicious of Blackfire and her intentions.
"Oh, come on," Blackfire grabbed his arm in a flirtatious way that made his cheeks flush. He was grateful it was dark in the corridor. "It's nothing serious. She always gets this way when I show her up in combat."
Robin shook her off and started to walk away, "No, I think it's more than that. I'm going to go check on her." He paused and turned back to her, "Why don't you come with me? I'm sure it would mean a lot to her."
Blackfire folded her arms over her chest with a bored grimace, "Pass."
Robin looked surprised, "Why are you even here? You know your sister adores you, and you haven't once responded to her transmissions. But you clearly got them, otherwise you wouldn't know so much about us. Why is that?"
Blackfire suddenly felt hot. She hadn't anticipated anyone catching on to her, yet here Robin was. Thinking on her feet, she shrugged, "I just wanted to surprise her. Like I said, I was in the Draconis Nebula for a bit. It's not exactly a place you can stop to respond to a transmission."
She floated next to Robin and grabbed his arm again, leading him back up the stairs. "Besides, Star really is okay. She just needs to blow off some steam. I used to embarrass her like that all the time when we were kids."
Robin shook her away, "Thanks, but I'd rather check for myself."
"Fine, have it your way." Blackfire grimaced, a tone of jealousy tinging her tongue.
Robin strode back to the gym, trying to shake the dirty feeling he had of Blackfire very clearly flirting with him. He was replaying all their earlier interactions in his mind, and to his horror he realized she was flirting with him since she arrived. He smacked his palm to his forehead and shook his head, "How could I be so stupid? I hope Starfire doesn't think—"
"Think what?" Cyborg asked from behind him, giving the Boy Wonder a jump. Cyborg chuckled; it wasn't every day you were able to sneak up on a Bat Cave alum and live to tell the tale.
Robin groaned, "Hey Cy. Sorry, just talking to myself."
"About Starfire?" Cyborg smirked knowingly.
Robin scratched the back of his neck, knowing exactly where Cyborg was going, "Well, yeah. I'm worried about her."
Cyborg stood up straighter, "Why?"
"Ever since Blackfire arrived… I don't know, haven't you noticed something isn't quite right?"
Cyborg shrugged, "I think she might still be a little shaken up by that thing that attacked her last night." He scratched the back of his head, "Blackfire is cool and all, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Blackfire has a thing for you."
"A thing?" Robin refuted, but the redness creeping in his cheeks gave away his suspicions.
Cyborg smirked again, "Well, yeah, man. Starfire is probably a little bit jealous. I mean, you haven't exactly given Blackfire any reason to think you're not interested in her."
Robin shook his head in frustration, "I was trying to figure out what she was doing here, but she kept changing the subject." He paused, remembering what Cyborg said about Starfire being jealous, but shook the thought from his head, "Starfire is probably just feeling left out. She goes all this time without seeing her sister, and all her sister wants to do is flirt with me."
"I think it's more than that, man," Cyborg cautioned. "I've seen the way that girl looks at you. It's the same way you look at her when she's not looking. Y'all got it bad for each other."
Robin folded his arms over his chest defiantly, "Cy, I already told you, I can't fall for Starfire. That's not something a hero should ever pursue. Besides, we hardly know each other."
Cyborg shook his head at his younger friend sympathetically, "Man, I get that Batman had his rules and everything, and I'm sure they were there for a reason. But you have to remember that you're not just a hero; you're a human being. You have thoughts, needs, feelings, and desires beyond your mask."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying," Cyborg placed a friendly hand on the Boy Wonder's left shoulder, "if you ever get the chance to tell the little lady what you really think about her, don't waste it."
The thumping music could be heard emanating through the roof of the warehouse, but at least it was muted enough for Starfire to hear herself think. She sat on the ledge of the roof, her hands cupping her head. She reflected on everything that had happened since her sister's arrival, how much she longed for Blackfire's companionship, and how she desired the acceptance of her friends. She remembered her time with Robin on the Ferris wheel and how she didn't understand anything – from fireworks to cotton candies. She recalled how she foolishly did not know that the boys downstairs were not talking about shovels. She fretted over the ruined movie night with her friends. She thought of Robin, and how desperate she was for his approval and affection. She felt silly, like an outlander, like an alien. She sighed dejectedly, "Perhaps I do not belong here after all."
"Of course you don't," Robin stated firmly, holding open a door that led back downstairs. His sudden appearance and response caused her to jump slightly. "You belong down there, having fun with the rest of us," he closed the door behind him and strode toward the girl, concern evident in the unmasked parts of his face. "What's wrong?"
Starfire forced an uncomfortable smile on her pretty features, "Nothing is wrong. Everything is wonderful." Robin sat next to her as she continued, "The pounding music and blinding lights are quite enjoyable."
Robin eyed her, unconvinced, as the forced smile quickly gave way to confused and sorrowful contortions. "Everything is not wonderful," Starfire confessed woefully. "I am happy to see her, but Blackfire rules the video games, and she is able to share very depressing poems, and she knows the cool moves, and she always knows when people are not talking about shovels. And I am nothing like her."
Robin briefly reflected on what Cyborg had told him earlier, his encouragement of foregoing Batman's rules about having a love life, especially with someone on the team. He wondered if this was the right time to tell Starfire every-wonderful-thing he ever thought of her. He swallowed; he was never very good with sharing his feelings, but she clearly needed encouragement. He started, placing a consoling hand on her shoulder, "No, you're not. And I think—"
Before he could finish his thought, the door to the roof creaked open. The music blared louder without the barrier there to block it. Blackfire propped the door open, her hair now bright pink and shoulder-length. "How do I look?"
"Pink," Robin blinked, unimpressed. "Look, can you give us a minute here?"
Surprised at his rejection, Blackfire hesitated a moment before the music transitioned to a more upbeat tune. "Oh, I love this song!" She bolted over to Robin and yanked him down the stairs before he could utter another protest.
Starfire sighed wearily as the door slammed shut. A familiar whirring and zipping noise tickled her ears and she looked up to spot another hot pink probe on the roof with her.
Blackfire had pulled Robin all the way to the ground level before he was able to pull away.
"Not cool," he huffed in exasperation, and turned on his heel to return to Starfire.
Blackfire reached for his elbow to keep him back, "Don't you want to dance with me?"
"No," Robin rolled his eyes, shaking her off. His attention was drawn toward a loud commotion downstairs, allowing Blackfire an opportunity to grab his arm again.
"Where are you going?" Blackfire whined, "Stay and talk to me."
"Look, I just want to make sure Starfire is okay." Before he could turn back up the stairs again, Cyborg crashed through the wall. The cybernetic teen stood up and rubbed his head. Robin ran toward him with urgency. "What's going on?"
"Remember that thing that attacked Star? It had friends." Cyborg explained, running back toward the dance floor.
Robin started to follow him, but he stopped as he noticed Blackfire standing completely unconcerned on the stairs. "Didn't you hear him? Your sister needs help!"
"Right, of course," Blackfire ripped off the pink wig to reveal her natural hair underneath and followed the Boy Wonder.
Outside, the probes had captured Starfire in a dumpster and were in the process of carrying her off when one of Robin's birdarangs sliced two of the tentacles holding the dumpster, causing it to crash to the ground. In unison, he and Cyborg yelled out, "Teen Titans, go!"
Before any of the Titans could move, Blackfire flew out and shot each of the probes with beams from her eyes, hitting them in just the right spot so fragments started falling from them.
"Aw yeah!" Cyborg whooped. "Good times!"
"Nice shooting, Tex." Beast Boy added.
"Very nice," Raven agreed.
"How did you know where to hit them?" Robin questioned suspiciously. The details were still vague, but pieces of the puzzle were starting to form in his mind. He didn't like what the picture was looking like.
Blackfire shrugged with disinterest, "Lucky guess."
"We could use luck like that," Cyborg gleamed. "Maybe you oughta join the team!"
Robin could have smacked Cyborg. Hard.
"Me? A Teen Titan?"
From behind them, Robin noticed Starfire gasp in horror. He turned, saw her peeking out of the dumpster with a banana peel caressing her face. He ran over to help her out while the rest of the team continued to congratulate Blackfire on a job well done.
Robin surveyed the main ops room of the Tower. Beast Boy and Cyborg were taking turns playing video games with Blackfire and Raven was at the kitchen table, reading quietly as usual.
"Has anyone seen Starfire?" He questioned, trying to hide the apprehension in his voice.
"She said she was taking a shower," Cyborg answered as his thumbs rattled the game controller. He didn't take his eyes off the screen for a moment.
"That was an hour and a half ago," Robin pointed out. "I'm going to go check on her."
He strode toward the alien princess' bedroom pensively. He still needed to talk to Cyborg about his rash and unwelcome invitation he made to Blackfire, but that would have to wait. He needed to make sure Starfire was okay, first and foremost. He knocked on the door loudly, but silence answered him. He knocked again, but no response. He grumbled, praying she wasn't still in the shower or wrapped in a towel as he punched in the bypass code to unlock her room.
The doors swished open, revealing a tidy, pink room with nobody residing inside it. Robin's eyes hovered over the dresser, noticing the drawers left lazily ajar and a T-Communicator placed delicately atop. There was a piece of paper underneath it, neatly explaining it was clear her time with the Titans was over.
Robin cursed under his breath, crumpled up the paper, and stormed toward the roof. If he was quick, he might still be able to catch her. Before he reached the top of the Tower, he took several deep breaths to calm himself. Going outside guns blazing would not resolve anything.
On the roof, Robin spotted Starfire slip a small, pink knapsack onto her back. The moon shimmered against her, framing her nicely. She began floating and he heard her mutter, "She will be a better Titan than I ever was."
When he heard those words, Robin was convinced the jealousy was entirely about whether or not Starfire fit in versus Blackfire, and not about some imagined crush Cyborg had concocted. He was momentarily relieved he didn't tell her everything he felt for and about her earlier. Still, some things she needed to know, like how much he needed her to stay.
He stepped out into view before she flew too far away, "Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye?"
Starfire stopped mid-flight and descended back to the roof. She couldn't look Robin in the eye, and her knees felt weak. She wanted to share how grateful she was for him, how much she cared for him, and how much she knew Blackfire would be a better fit for the team than she was.
Her backpack slipped from her shoulders and she finally looked him in the eye, "Robin, I—"
The buzzing of an aircraft interrupted them and a red figure shot a tentacle from his arm, knocking Robin over and ensnaring Starfire. The tentacle wrapped around her mouth before she could fight it off. Robin reached for his communicator and hit the button signaling distress to his team. He didn't linger, shooting up to his feet and sprinting across the roof to try to save Starfire. He jumped over the edge and reached for her, but she was pulled out of reach. Thinking quickly, Robin shot one of his grappling hooks with a suction cup to the bottom of the aircraft. It stuck easily. He wasn't going to let anyone take her away from him.
The following morning, Robin found Starfire watching the sunrise carefully. He smiled gently, relieved that she was still around. He enjoyed the sunrise himself and was pleasantly surprised to find her there that morning. He approached her quietly as the breeze pulled on and played with her hair.
"Hey," he sat down next to her. "How are you doing?"
"I am…" Starfire chose her words carefully, "sad for my sister."
"And for yourself?"
"I am just glad that the truth was discovered before I was replaced."
"What are you talking about?" Robin swallowed. His initial assessment was right after all; Starfire was anxious about Blackfire taking her spot on the team. Cyborg had no idea what he was talking about. Still… Maybe I can be honest without being completely forthright…
Starfire fumbled, "Well you—everyone was having such fun with her, and then Cyborg said—"
"Look," Robin interrupted her, finding his opening, "your sister was… interesting… but she could never take your place." He beamed at her, "No one could ever take your place."
Starfire smiled softly, feeling at peace for the first time in days. She wanted to float and twirl for joy, but settled with staying atop the roof, enjoying Robin's company.
Author's Note: Woo, this one took forever to write. Sorry for the delay, friends. This was one of those chapters I really wanted to explore the thoughts and emotions during the episode that we didn't get to see. A lot of scenes you're familiar with that I wanted to expound on as far as thoughts and emotions go... Y'know, fun stuff... It covers a lot more area, so it took a bit longer. Plus life sometimes happens... Anyway. It's traditionally a RobStar episode, but I felt compelled to throw in some BBRae hints as well. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.