Chapter Title: Blue
Word Count: 1,729
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Robin hadn't mentioned Batman's midnight visit to any of the others, though he'd been far more irritable for the days that followed, holed up in the evidence room while trying to find the breech in the security system that led to Batman's trespassing. What he failed to account for was how deeply this behavior would affect Starfire given it immediately followed a progressive step in their relationship.
As much as Raven didn't want to get involved, the out-of-check auras once again left unrest in the Tower's air and she was finding it increasingly hard to get any quality meditation in. The empath shook her head silently as she tried to find the resolve to knock at the Tamaranean's door. This was definitely not what she signed up for when she agreed to be part of this team.
Starfire greeted her with a small smile that didn't touch her eyes and let Raven lead her to the rooftop.
"Did you guys break up or something?" Raven asked curiously as the door to the roof shut behind them.
"No, I just fear I may have pushed Robin too far and now he is avoiding me. I think he may have...the regrets." Starfire mumbled sadly.
"Oh…" Raven sighed unsure of how to respond. "I suspect this would be a better phone call to Argent or Bee than something you want to share with me."
"It would be, but it cannot be. For now I just have to wait for him to talk to me and continue to give him the space." Starfire spoke softly closing her eyes and focusing on the radiant warmth of the sun. When her soul felt cold, at least solar power could revive her a bit.
The two girl's meditated in silence together until a good hour had passed. Starfire had to admit Raven's silent companionship had helped improve her mood. When they returned to the ops room they found Kid Flash and Jinx playing videogames with Beast Boy and Cyborg.
Beast Boy passed his controller off to Jinx and bounded up to Raven to steal her attention. Raven gave Starfire a modest smile as the empath and changling made their way to the elevator for a preplanned picnic on the tower's shoreline.
"I figured you and Robin would have been holed up in his room after the holiday party." Jinx teased as Starfire took a seat on the couch.
"At the moment he appears to be doing the avoiding of me." Starfire sighed turning her attention to the game.
"Nah; he walked through here earlier to get some coffee. That's his 'Batman scolded me' brood. Takes about a week, but he'll get over it." Kid Flash nonchalantly shrugged.
So it hadn't been a dream. She had awoken briefly to find Robin and Batman arguing when she'd last been in his room. She thought she had imagined it, but it certainly made sense with his mood.
"So what brings you both to the tower?" Starfire asked having missed the duos entrance earlier.
"Just passing through town and thought we'd hang out for a night or two. Jinxy wanted to show me some of her old favorite haunts." Kid Flash grinned earning a blush from Jinx.
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Robin found himself confused that Starfire was suddenly giving him space. Usually when he got into one of these moods she was a petulant, sometimes annoying force trying to get him to take a break, or at least take a shower and eat, but she'd been nonexistent for the past several days and it confused him. Despite the added company at the tower he willed himself to risk a visit to her room.
"Hey...Did I do something? I feel like you've been avoiding me." Robin asked curiously once she allowed him passage into her room.
"I was merely giving you the space. At first I thought it was you who were angry with me since your mood shifted dramatically following our night together, but Kid Flash has explained that your mood was a response to the Batman." Starfire shrugged tiredly.
"Oh shit...Star, I'm sorry...I didn't realize…" Robin stumbled over his words before being silenced with a kiss from the redheaded alien.
"It is the Oh and Kay. What was it Batman wanted to discuss?" Starfire asked quietly when they broke apart.
"Us. It still bothers me that he was so easily able to get through our security system, but I really shouldn't be surprised. It was a less than friendly exchange." Robin admitted dejectedly.
"He does not approve." Starfire sighed knowingly.
"It doesn't matter. Nothing he could say could change my mind about this." Robin twisted his mouth up into a smile at the corners. He and Batman had disagreed many times in the past – one of those arguments had led to the formation of the Titans. His former mentor didn't know everything about his life now and Robin wasn't about to give up a good thing because of some archaic hero rules.
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"Friends, I fear there is something terribly wrong with me." Starfire nervously spoke entering the ops room in the morning a few days later.
"No. Fricken. Way!" Kid Flash exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Yes...I find it hard to believe that I am blue as well." Starfire fretfully uttered.
"I'm really not comforted by how much of her is blue." Cyborg muttered quietly to Beast Boy who shrugged in response.
Raven mercifully guided the Tamaranean girl by the arm out of the room and into her room where they wouldn't be disturbed by the others so she could explain the prank that Kid Flash pulled.
"You can't say anything to Robin." Beast Boy muttered to Kid Flash and Jinx. "He doesn't know we know, even though I'm pretty sure the bad guys are catching on too."
Before Kid Flash could respond, the doors to the ops room slammed open to reveal a furious Robin.
"Wally, what the hell did you do?!" Robin shouted vehemently.
"Feeling a little blue there bud, or is it just your balls?" Kid Flash laughed heartily giving the blue dyed leader a mirthful grin.
Robin's rage would have to find a different outlet as the crime alert interrupted his furor.
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"Starfire is sick today so she won't be joining us." Robin addressed the group of Titans.
"Yeah...I'm sure she's just dye-ing" Beast Boy laughed as they arrived the movie theater under siege by Control Freak.
They entered to find Control Freak attempting to insert fellow movie goers into the newly released horror film using his remote. People were scrambling over seats and dodging as best they could as Control Freak shot beams from the device while pirouetting gleefully.
"Dude, that's so not how you break into film." Beast Boy exasperated catching Control Freak's attention.
"It's about time my foes, the Teen Titans have arriv-" Control Freak started before getting distracted. "Why is he here? Where is Starfire?"
"She isn't feeling well." Robin flatly stated.
"Sure she isn't" Control Freak incredulously retorted. "Also isn't this the second time you've shown up to battle a different color?"
"What's it to you?" Robin spat.
"This one's my fault. I pranked him with some powdered dye in his bed that reacts with water." Kid Flash admitted proudly.
"Nice!" Control Freak exclaimed taking a moment to high five the speedster. It was always interesting how seamlessly Control Freak could go from villain to amused fanboy.
After a moment the Titans watched Control Freak's face fall with realization.
"So Starfire is blue too, huh?" Control Freak mumbled a little crushed.
Nobody said anything for a beat. The silence held the answers that everybody knew, but Robin refused to acknowledge aloud.
"No. She's just not feeling well." Robin insisted.
"Awe man! When did this happen? I think I lost the pool." Control freak whined ignoring Robin's denial.
"You have a pool going too?" Beast Boy piped up with interest.
A steely glare from Robin brought the changling back to attention.
"Not that we do...We wouldn't take bets on our friend's relationship status." Beast Boy backtracked carefully.
"Star's just not feeling well. Everyone better drop it or I will add so many laps to today's training." Robin grumbled irritably.
"Looks like Robin really 'blue' it this time" Cyborg laughed elbowing Kid Flash and earning a laugh from Beast Boy and Control Freak.
"Just take Control Freak down." Robin sighed exhausted from the perpetual teasing.
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"Here's a solution that'll get rid of the dye...There isn't really enough for two people so you may have to clean up together to conserve reagents." Kid Flashed winked handing the amber tinted bottle to Robin.
"Shut up Wally. I'm the only one who needs it." Robin grumbled rolling his eyes.
"Sure, sure. Also you may want to throw out your bedding and clothes...It doesn't really come off fabrics." Kid Flash chuckled at the death glare Robin shot his way.
"You always find a way to ruin my stuff."
"It's a small price to pay to have a best friend this awesome." Kid Flash teased, "though I have to ask: where'd you sleep two nights ago because I put the dye in your bed right when I got here, and I know you showered yesterday morning after training because I waited eons for you to be done gelling your hair so I could finally use the restroom. A whole tower dude, and you put in one stinking bathroom?"
Robin turned a vibrant crimson.
"Evidence room. I was working on a lead." Robin quickly lied.
"Sure, bud. Sure." Kid Flash chuckled knowingly.
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So there is such a dye that comes in a white powdered format that doesn't actually turn a vibrant blue until it reacts with water. An old work friend of mine accidentally spilled some of the powder on the lab floor and didn't notice so she walked back and forth through it a few times. It ended up all over her shoes and stained the floor terribly (it was stained for like 6 months!). Her shoes were ruined and she tried so many things to get the dye off the linoleum tile including ethanol, acetone, and bleach (if none of the big three can clean it, you know it's bad news), but it took a very specific chemical (glacial acetic acid if I remember correctly) to actually get the stain off. Sometimes science comes in handy for plot lines.
We'll see if I update anything next week. Life's a bit busy, but I'll try.
Review if you'd like.
-FWFT