"Please don't cry." Nightwing cups Starfire's tear-streaked face in his hands. "I'm okay. I promise I'm okay."
She draws a shuddering breath. "When I saw you lying there and you were not moving…"
"I know. I know and I'm sorry I scared you."
Her arms wrap around his waist. She sinks to her side, resting her head in his lap and burying her face in his shirt. "I could not bear to lose you."
"I couldn't lose you either, Starshine." Soft, silky curls slip through his fingers. He twirls one around his pinkie.
Silence sounds different when someone is thinking. Like their mind turning is nearly audible.
"It is unrealistic, isn't it?" Star traces the edge of his armor. "To believe that we shall never be separated due to battle. That we have any ability to make promises of safe return."
"It is," Nightwing agrees quietly. "Which is why that's not my promise."
She lifts emerald eyes to him. They glow softly in the dim light of their room. "What is your promise?"
"To do my best." He brushes her hair back to better see her lovely face. "To fight for more than justice or vengeance, but for us. To protect you when we fight side by side, like you protect me, and to fight smart when I'm alone." Pressing a kiss to her hand, he watches Starfire smile. "To do everything in my ability to make sure we can fall asleep side by side every night."
" "Fighting smart' is being careful, yes?" Her smile shifts to a smirk. "I was not aware you knew how to do this."
Nightwing growls, tickling her sides. "Low shot."
Her laughter fills the room and the corners of his soul, spreading light like the sun. It's his favorite thing about her. "Is it not true?"
"I guess so." He smiles as she removes his mask and hums happily at the sight of his eyes. "I'm still learning."
"I appreciate that." Starfire sets her forehead against his and blows softly on his face, sending warm air brushing across his lips. The Tamaranean equivalent of a kiss, more or less. Kind of strange, especially the first time she did it. But also comforting, in an alien way.
Nightwing melts every time.
"I love you," he whispers. "Always."
"I love you until the universe dies a fiery death."
Chuckling, he steals a kiss of his own, this one of the earth variety. "Maybe even after."
"This is not possible."
"Exactly."
He falls silent as Starfire sets her hand on his chest, just over his heart. Covering her hand with his, Nightwing lets stillness overtake him. He watches her expression shift to one of peace and contentment. To Star, the steady beat of a heart means safety. Doubly so when the owner of that heart is a relatively fragile human prone to putting himself in hazardous situations.
He waits until she lets out a sigh, her shoulders relaxing with the movement. "Good?"
"Very good." She stands and begins exchanging her uniform for an old t-shirt and gym shorts. "You always know the words to soothe."
Dick shrugs out of the heavy pieces of the Nightwing suit and steps into the flannel comfort of pajama pants. "Where do you think I learned that from? Here's a hint: not Batman."
He scores another laugh as Kori slips under the covers next to him. She drapes her arm across Dick's waist and pulls him close, resting her cheek atop his head. His breathing slows. He closes his eyes and soaks in the warmth of her body next to his.
"Great sleep of the night, Starshine."
He hears the smile in her voice. "Great sleep of the night, my love."