1 Day Until Coronation
Robin awoke at the break of dawn, cold and lonely in the purple bed. He turned his head to the side, following the sweet scent of the woman missing from his side.
When did she leave? Rising from his spot, he noticed a breeze coming from the open window. He latched it shut and left for his own quarters, careful to dodge anyone who may be wandering the halls this early in the morning to protect his bare face from being seen. I must've slept great because I don't even feel tired. In fact, this is probably the best Robin has felt since…ever. Upon entering his room, he quickly covered his eyes with his mask and dressed.
"Titans, we leave in 1 hour." Robin's voice echoed within the walls of the tower. He needed to see her as soon as possible. Sleeping, almost too peacefully, next to her for a majority of the night gave him many emotions he had never allowed himself to have.
I get why she feels like she needs to leave. This is almost agonizing. Robin thought about this for a minute, trying to rationalize his thoughts. However, he was still unsure on whether or not he could give her what she truly wanted.
Beast Boy rolled over and groaned into the pillow, checking the clock next to the bed and taking note of the time; 7:07 am. He growled, thrashing around for a second before composing himself and eventually hobbeling out of bed.
Oh god, he's back. Cyborg rolled over contemplating life before pushing himself off his bed. He grabbed the bag near his closet and set off to the launchpad.
On the other side of the building, Raven, who had been awake for a couple hours at this point, sighed and began to make her way to the roof. She was sure their leader would want to leave sooner than the hour allotted.
Once everyone had gathered and the ship was packed, Cyborg routed them to Tameran.
"Alright everybody. Our trip to Tameran will be about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Expect warm weather upon our arrival. Drinks and snacks will be offered momentarily. Please keep all hands and feet within the spacecraft for the entire flight. Thanks for choosing to fly AirCyborg." They launched into the sky speeding towards their missing link.
—
Light knocks can be heard from the large round bed in the middle of the Grand Ruler suite. Starfire groggily uncovered her head from the plush blankets, glaring at the door.
"Lady Koriand'r, Galfore has asked us to assist you. We can run you a bath and retrieve a fresh change of clothes for you." A sleepy approval came from the other side of the door and the two women entered. Sunlight flooded into the suite hitting the white marble floors giving the entire space a warm golden glow. One of the women hurried to the attached bathroom to begin running the water. The other entered the closet, contemplating an appropriate outfit for preparation day. Starfire begrudgingly rose from her bed and made her way to the bathroom.
"Thank you for your help, K'lana." Starfire thought back to her childhood spent in the palace as she undressed. K'lana had served under her mother since she was 13, they would play together when her mother permitted free time. Seeing her again, older and now at her side, brought both a sense of pride and sadness. She stepped down into the large tub of hot water and felt her muscles relax. The bubbles danced around her as she cleansed herself of what felt like years of exhaustion and grime. Once done, she laid and floated around the large bath, allowing her thoughts to take over.
Perhaps I should arrange for a welcoming party for my friends. She thought back to the night before, tracing her lips with her fingertips. I wonder if he knows. A loud thud can be heard coming from the hall outside the Grand Ruler suite.
"You can't go in there!" A ruckus was beginning to erupt from behind her bedroom door.
It is far too early for this. Banging echoed through the room, the situation crept closer to her chambers. Starfire rose from the water, the cold air nipping at her bare skin causing goosebumps to coat her. Before she could reach her robe laid out for her on the bed, the door burst open, her former teammates poured in and landed in a heap on the floor. Complete silence blanketed the scene.
"GET OUT" The princess screamed, sending light starbolts in the direction of the dogpile. Xala, the other handmaiden, rushed the robe to her lady, covering her as quickly as she could. As the dust cleared, Kori wrapped the robe around her, securely knotting the silk sash at her waist. Tamaraneans were not so concerned about nakedness, but her time spent on Earth had changed her perspective. She stood above her friends, hands on her hips and annoyance evidence on her features.
"Hey Star!" Beast Boy sheepishly greeted her from the ground. "We missed you." He dug himself out of the pile and the others followed. Raven calmly walked into the room, giving the future ruler a nod of hello. Starfire sighed, unable to be upset with her friends for very long.
"I have missed you as well." She pulled the green boy into an embrace, taking note of the annoyed look on her former leader's face. "I hope the trip was not too arduous." She floated over to Cyborg taking him in her arms.
"Nothing I couldn't handle." He pat her head in return, hyper aware of her near nakedness and Robin's growing irritation. Star landed next to Raven offering her a friendly smile, knowing the sorceress did not like to be touched. Finally, she set her attention to Robin. He was dressed casually in dark jeans, a plain navy blue shirt, and his mask. He had never felt quite comfortable enough to go without it as the lesson of identity was drilled into him. His civilian name was abandoned as soon as he donned the mask. A dust of pink came across the princesses cheeks as she neared him, remembering the short time spent sleeping next to him.
"Thank you for coming, friend Robin." She made no motion for physical contact, in fact she found it a struggle just to look up at him. A ghost of a smirk graced his lips but disappeared as quickly as it came.
"Actually Star, there is something we need to talk about. Is there somewhere we can have a team meeting?" His fingertips found the bare skin of her forearms, causing sparks to shoot from the contact.
"Yes." She said to him before turning. "Please prepare the meeting room. We shall make use of it within the hour. Be sure no one interrupts us, please." The guards who had been standing on the sidelines nodded and went to follow their orders. "Please excuse me, I must dress. Feel free to wait in my chambers, I shall change in the closet." She motioned towards the couch that sat in front of her bed, the others obliged and waited for her. Within the oversized closet, Xala had laid out a new outfit for her. A sleeveless lavender, high neck top with a keyhole to expose her chest and stopped just below her ribs. The matching shorts formed to her curves, covering just below her belly button to the bottom of her rear. She slid on her wrist braces and ankle boots before turning towards the door. In the corner of her eye she noticed a familiar piece. It was a silver metal sash with three green gems lined in front. It was the same sash her mother wore during her time. Koriand'r gingerly liften the piece from its place, marveling at its polish and neatly placed the ornamental on her body, taking a few moments to admire herself in the mirror before returning to her friends.
"Damn, Star! Love the outfit!" Beast Boy playfully whistled at the girl. He also did this when she changed her uniform, it always made her blush slightly.
"Thank you! I did miss the feel of authentic Tamaranean clothes." Her hands smoothed out the fabric of her shorts, savoring the familiar feeling of the thin fabrics. "Allow me to show you to the meeting room. I am most excited for our team meeting." Starfire led them out of her room, through the winding hallways, and into a large space with a round table taking up most of the room. They all took a seat, saving the head of the table for Robin.
"Big changes are coming to the near future. The next generation of heroes will be joining us at Titan Tower and, as you know, I have also been working on a new identity." Robin tossed a hologram disk onto the table projecting his projects and various files. "First, Starfire will be leaving the Titans." Tension filled him as he went on. "As much as I want you to stay, I understand that I can't force you." A small apologetic smile crossed the green eyed girl's face. She felt horrible leaving her second home. "Second, Cyborg will be leaving to join the Justice League in a few short weeks. Superman has requested him specifically due to all of the hard work and technological advancements he's made for our team. Congratulations Cy." Robin gave his friend a big smile. "Third, new recruits will be joining us at the tower shortly. Most notable, my younger brother who will be taking over the name Robin in my place." The young hero clicked a button on the receiver to display a profile of the incoming recruit. "He is currently training under Batman, but after discussion we felt it would be necessary for him to join the Titans for a while in order to sharpen his team building skills." Starfire's eyes grew wide at his statement.
"Taking over? Will you not be a hero anymore?" Robin smirked, eager for the next item on the agenda.
"That brings me to my last point. As the new Robin enters the team, I will be changing my entire hero name and image." Another click brought up a file of various items, the most important being a rendering of a new uniform. "From this day forward I will be known as Nightwing. Cyborg has already finished the new uniform and everything." The mannequin rotating within the hologram wore the black suit the former Robin was given the day before, the blue silhouette of a bird being spread across the chest. "I wanted to tell you guys now since this will be our last meeting as the Teen Titans. Raven and Beast Boy will be working with me at the tower until a new leader can be established among the newbies." The realization hit them all at once; who knows when they would all be together again? "I'm really grateful for the years we had together. Although we will be apart, I hope you all know that I am just a call away." Nightwing handed Cyborg and Starfire small, black communicators with his new symbol painted on it. "These are routed directly to me, just in case." The devices were small and light, but felt heavy on Starfire's heart.
"Thank you…Nightwing." It felt weird coming from her mouth but it also felt like it was supposed to be this way from the beginning.
"We're done here, unless anyone has anything else?" The team all shook their heads. Starfire instructed the palace staff to direct the Titans to their respective rooms. "Starfire?" The former Boy Wonder reached for her shoulder, caressing her bare skin before pulling away. Her big green eyes gazed up at him with question, waiting for him to speak. "There's something I'd like to discuss with you privately." He looked away from her, the emerald gems were too much for him to bear at the moment.
"Of course." She nodded to her handmaidens and led him back to her room. "What is it?" Nightwing bit his lip, obvious anxiety with what was to come next.
"Starfire," he started, keeping an eye on any subtle emotions that may cross her face, "you know how I am. I'm private and I don't like to let people in." He began to fidget with his ungloved hands, picking at invisible dirt under his nails. "But, I trust you. You're my best friend." A soft smile she had never seen before crossed his lips. He took her hand in his own and continued. "I want you to stay, but I understand if you don't want to. I just wanted to show you something. Please close your eyes." She obliged. She felt him take her hand up to his face, her fingertips grazing the soft flesh as she felt his lips press against her palm. After a moment she realized what was going on; his mask was gone. Her eyes bolted open only to find a deep sea of blue staring back at her. His eyes were framed by thick eyelashes and faint freckles she hadn't noticed the night before. There was a tiny scar on his left eyebrow that made her realize why his mask was always covering almost half his face.
"Oh Robin.." She was breathless, completely entranced by the privilege laid before her.
"It's Richard. Uh, Greyson. Well Dick actually." She looked confused.
"Is that not what people from Earth call the male anato-" He cut her off before she could finish. This situation was already embarrassing enough for him, he couldn't handle anymore.
"I don't know why it's short for Richard but also yes." A blinding emile erupted from her lips.
"Thank you for trusting me with yourself, Richard." She threw her arms around his neck, his snaked around her waist in return and they stayed this way for several minutes. "I'm glad to have you on my side for this." Before she knew it she was crying into his shoulder. Saying goodbye was the hardest thing for her. He held her tighter, never wanting to let go.
—
That night after dinner, after everyone in the palace went to their beds, a tall shadow was making its way through the night. Using the mask he had altered himself, Nightwing slinked across the halls, stopping in front of a large door bordered with pale green ivys etched into the woodwork. He knocked twice quickly before entering without waiting for permission. Like an assassin on the prowl, Nightwing tiptoed around, searching for the fiery haired woman. They did not discuss coming together again this night, but both heroes knew the other would be there. Just as he suspected, he found her gazing up at the stars, this time aimed towards his own home system. He took a second to admire her. The soft purple glow of Vega's light reflected off Tamaran's moon bathed Starfire in an ethereal light. Her eyes were bright against the dark, drawing all attention towards them while her hair looked like a plush, almost pink blanket around her. She was beautiful. A lump formed in his throat, his palms began to sweat and his knees felt weak. It was like seeing her for the first time again. At that moment, it felt like Richard Greyson belonged to Tameran. Like she was his home, wherever she went.
"Hello Nightwing." She gave him a sleepy smile as she spoke, her voice like a gentle lullaby. She motioned towards the bed, ready for another night of blissful sleep. He followed completely dazed, lost in his own mind in the midst of a battle between giving in and running away. Before he noticed she was already tucking herself into bed beckoning him to her side. He obliged, situating himself under the thick blankets that gave off her scent. She giggled as she noticed how far away he was. Starfire inched closer to him, moving his arm so she could cuddle into his chest. They stay like this for a while until Nightwing hears her breathing change indicating she had fallen asleep. He lay there, feeling the weight of her settle onto his chest and her warmth penetrate his skin. He turned his head to bury his nose in her hair, fully taking her in. His heart slowed, his body leaving its heightened sense of awareness as he sunk deeper into her clutches. Then, all of a sudden, he allowed himself to fall into the seemingly bottomless pit of emotions he was holding at bay. Before fully drifting to sleep, Dick had only one thought; I can never let her go now.