Beast boy was tired. He was not just tired; he was anxious too. He was going to "catch the sunlight" with Starfire. However, with Star, that could mean something else entirely than what Earthlings referred to. Also, if it did mean sunbathing like he thought it did, would he be able to sit still long enough for it?
She had woken him up an hour before he even thought about opening his eyes, let alone rolling out of bed. Yet, he followed her to the roof yawning all the way there. If it annoyed her, she didn't say a thing as she lazily floated forwards, keeping his sedated pace.
Surprisingly, she had yet to tell him a joyous morning like she always did every morning he crawled out of his room. Instead, she mumbled out a "morning" and that they were due to "catch the sunlight." He said the day before he would join her, but he didn't know what he agreed to. It was more of an off-the-cuff response.
Which brought them to where they are now: on the roof. The two heroes reclined in chairs like those found at beaches or by a pool. Starfire reclined and relaxed, closed her eyes, and smiled as she drank in the solar energy. Her luscious long hair began glimmering a fiery maroon as it splayed around her head.
Did she do this every morning while he slept in? Did she meander to the roof and solar charge daily to wake up? The chairs were already here too. He didn't ever remember her drinking coffee as Robin or Cy did. He knew Rae- he knew that Raven drank a unique tea blend. Also, why were there two chairs anyways?
As if sensing he was staring, she peeked an eye at him.
"You appear to be darker green today, Friend."
"That would be the iguana in me," he responded as he brought his arm up for her to see better. His usual green skin was, in fact, darker today. A biological choice he chose.
"That is the scaly and spiky one, yes? With the long tail?"
"Yeah," he couldn't help but smile. Sharing interesting things about animals was something he could do all day long. "So basically, it needs the sun to live, right? So, it, being an iguana, evolved to that when it's under the sunlight, the pigmentation of its skin would darken to absorb more sunlight. I am doing the same thing."
She nodded along. Her one eye was still shut as she listened to him, but the other eye was steadily on him, watching before she squinted a bit, a curiosity forming in her eye.
"Yet, you are not transformed into said iguana?"
"Well, I mean, it isn't like I need to be the full animal to do this. You see? It's not like turning into a bear to use its strength and claws. I'm just altering a base level of myself to absorb the sunlight. I mean, I could turn into an iguana, and it wouldn't really change anything but how I physically look."
"I see. Why were you not an iguana yesterday when I found you then?"
"Oh, uh. I wasn't out there really to be sunbathing like I am now. I just kinda… 'fell' into that situation."
"I figured. You have never lied well."
"Heh, sorry," he blushed as he brought his hand to the back of his neck. She did not acknowledge his apology verbally, only giving him a small smile—something she gave everyone but those who were on her bad side.
The two sat in silence again as she closed her eye once more. However, he kept his eyes open. He was slightly worried that if he closed them, he would fall back to sleep, which wouldn't be nice to do to Star.
Instead, he turned his gaze to look at Jump City across the water, scanning it for anything of interest to distract himself. He was really getting restless in the silence and stillness of the morning. It was too relaxing. It was making him actually want to curl up as an iguana and sleep. Would it bother Star if he wanted to keep talking?
He looked back at her, eyes shut, and a different but content small smile decorated her face as she reclined without a worry or wrinkle corrupting her face. It was unfair to the denizens of Earth how beautiful this space warrior was. How would humans ever compete?
That isn't even mentioning the otherworldly beauties in the League, on another planet, or from other dimensions like Raven. It was somewhat entrancing that someone could look this good. He couldn't help but stare.
His eyes roamed her orange skin, taking in her unblemished face, not even a layer of makeup or eyeliner. Then her eyes were so green and like a feline's. Was she a descendant of a feline-based race?
Wait, her eye was open.
"Is there something on my face?" She asked with a single eye open innocently, staring at him. She wasn't upset; he could tell that. She was just curious about why he was staring at her, and he was desperately trying to hide the blushing of his whole face at being caught.
"Uhhh, no. I mean. No. There isn't," he responded, feeling his very face warm. He had to look away back to the city.
"You had an intense look in your eye."
"Sorry. It is just…" he paused, fighting to calm himself before he turned to look back at her. "Do you ever realize how different we are from everyone else?"
"Different?" She wondered, opening both her eyes to meet his own. Her whole posture shifted as she leaned forward, interested in where he would take this conversation. Her long legs arched closer to her as her arms encircled them, creating a place to rest her head.
"I mean, like, take the two of us, for instance. I'm green. You are orange," he paused as she nodded in agreeance with his statement. "You can fly and all that jazz with the glowing. I can morph my body into that of any animal. I even have these pointy ears. But then, I look across the bay, right?"
He paused as he forced his eyes to change into that of an eagle. He watched on as small people began their commutes for the day. The humans all looked average. He turned back to face her, letting his eyes revert.
"Everyone else, all the normal humans, none of them look like us or can do either of what we can. I- We are so different from one another."
"Where I am from, we are all very similar. All orange, as you said, with variations in figure and such details, but they cannot harness my powers as I do. It doesn't make me not Tamaranean." Her eyes drifted from meeting his to where he once looked, to the city. "Yet, here on Earth, I am still me. I have not changed from who I am. But the humans are all different from me and will remain so. Why should I think of differences, then? I cannot change them."
He nodded in understanding of her point of view. It was wise beyond what one would think of her based on her comprehension of the English vocabulary.
Yet, he was once just a human, and he did change. He was no longer "similar." He was an alien to his own species, no matter what he could change into. He was green, like a Martian, but he couldn't change the color of his skin like that. It only ever remained a shade of green like that of the alien.
It made him uncomfortable.
Yet, Starfire, the actual alien, was unphased by being alien.
"Your confidence is something to be amazed by, Star. It really is."
"I am just me. Why be bothered by others who are not me?" She carelessly responded as she relaxed in her seat again, her eyes looking down her nose to hold his gaze as she reclined back.
"You know, you are pretty smart. But, like, it really doesn't bother you? Or are you that comfortable with yourself?"
"I was taught to rule a kingdom since I was young," she told him before her voice became almost robotic. "A queen must be sure of herself and her decisions."
A queen. It was easy to forget that she was royalty despite knowing she was a princess. The romanticized version of nobility he knew was not one he could see Starfire ever being. She was too bold, too energetic, and too fierce. The idea that she would square her shoulders and bark commands for servants like a king would. He didn't see it fit with what he knew of her. She was a galactic beauty warrior princess that knocked away any notion of the fairy tale royalty he knew.
Yet, he could see her wearing a crown.
"Queen Starfire," he declared with a mock salute as she giggled at him for a moment before falling quiet.
"Koriand'r," she replied just above a whisper. His sensitive hearing picked it up, but he was unsure what he had heard. Their eyes met, and her usual smile lessened into something more sincere.
"Huh?" He replied dumbly.
"Back home," she started, her eyes drifting to the sky. "Far away, amongst the stars and planets in the Vega System, I would be Queen Koriand'r one day. Daughter of Myand'r and Luadn'r. Sister of Komand'r and Ryand'r."
"Koriand'r?" He questioned her, pulling her gaze from a million miles away and back to Earth.
"That is my Tamaranean name."
She had never spoken that name to them before.
Why? Why now, to him of all people?
"Garfield Mark Logan. That's my Earth name- I mean," he stuttered back, looking down nervously. It felt like he was meeting her for the first time. "You know? Not the superhero one."
"A joyous morning to you, Garfield Mark Logan of Earth," she said, her smile returning in force as she sat forward and reached for his hand and shook it.
The sun glimmered in her eyes and hair that fluttered in a sudden breeze.
She was definitely royalty.
"Do I have to kiss your knuckles like in the movies?" He asked jokingly.
"Only in the presence of the Royal Court, or else someone might think something was up between the two of us."
He met her gaze and couldn't stop the smile that crept onto his face. Her feline emerald eyes held his for a moment. Gone were his worries, his tiredness, and his hyperactivity.
He was here at this moment.
"I'm glad you woke me today, Koriand'r."
"I hope we can continue this, Friend Garfield."
"Only if you call me Gar."
"And I, Kori."
"You got yourself a deal, Kori."
Bzzzt. Bzzzt.
The pair broke their connection and looked to their communicators at the new message that they had received.
"On our way back. ETA 6 hours of smooth flying. Robin is bringing a guest around for a bit. Prep a room. Cya soon," sent from Cyborg.
"Who would Friend Robin bring home from Gotham?"
AN: Thanks for reading.
This isn't meant to be a lengthy story, but I hope it makes up for it in its quality. However, I am a one-person writer, so I only have my bias to base it on.
Furthermore, I want to make a quick note that this story has no set place in the timeline of the Teen Titans series. I am more of taking the characters and setting and manipulating it to my own means. Some details may be altered from canon lore, but it's either done intentionally or in ignorance, but hopefully more intentional than not. It is fanfiction, to be fair.
Thanks to everyone who followed and liked this. I was eagerly watching the traffic and stats that were accumulated by the first chapter. It is very interesting just how many different countries readers were viewing from. Hello to the people in Sweden and Slovakia. Cannot wait to watch the stats after this chapter.
If you wanna chat with me and fellow writers across the platform and fandoms, come join the Emerald Libray on discord. My username is the same, and my DMs are better managed than my PMs.
-Manke