Robin woke up slowly and painfully. He groaned when he sat up.
"I healed most of your cuts. I left the smaller ones. You're going to be in for some serious pain for the next few days," Raven spoke from where she was reading on the chair next to his bed.
"I noticed," Robin said dryly. It felt like there were a million poking fingers prodding him. Well actually eight.
"Dude! You're awake!" BB shifted from octopus form and perched on the end of Robin's bed. "You had us worried. With the whole Slade battle thing, you were completely knocked out."
"Slade!" Robin
jumped up from his bed. "Where's Star? There was a bright light
and she fainted. What happened?"
"Calm down. She's in the
next room over," Raven spoke from the chair.
Robin jumped up and ran into the room. The pain increased, but his concern made him forget it for the moment. He left his room and went next door. The door was wide open, revealing a dark room. Everything was dim. Star was lying on the bed, a faint glow seemed to come from her.
"She's alive, right?"
"Yea. Man, can she take a punch," Cyborg said, admiringly from behind Robin.
Robin glared at him. "You're not helping."
"Fine, fine, don't get so upset, Romeo." Cyborg left, leaving Robin alone. Robin watched Star for a while. She barely moved, even to breath. The only sign that she was even alive, was the faint glow coming from her. It was a light green and seemed to emanate from her skin.
'I shouldn't have endangered her like that. I can't believe I was so stupid. I should have never let her out of my sight. How could I let Slade take advantage of me like that?' Robin kept silently beating himself up. 'When she wakes up, she'll probably blame all of this on me. And she'd be right too. How could I think that I could even protect her from Slade? I was the reason she got hurt. She'll probably leave us forever. She'll probably leave me forever. I'm just glad she doesn't know how I feel. I don't want her to stay out of pity. I want her to go out and have a normal life. Away from everything I did. If it weren't for me, she would probably be at a farm, living a normal happy life.'
Robin stared at her. He had never felt like this. He was so confused. On one hand, he wanted her to be happy, he wanted her to go back to being the sweet innocent girl she had been. The girl who had just assumed that the stranger following her on the road meant no harm and should have told her she was wearing a dress. The memory brought a smile to Robin's face. But there was the other side. The side that said, she had met up with the stranger. The side that said Robin couldn't help falling in love with her. The side that wanted her to stay with him and never leave regardless of the costs.
Robin sighed again. He couldn't let her stay. He couldn't let her be in constant danger from Slade. He had to put his feelings aside. Star was the only thing that mattered.
With this newly laid plan, Robin felt an odd mixture of confidence in his plan and an aching loneliness inside of him. "It's a god plan," he tried to convince himself out loud.
Unfortunately, good plans have a habit of hitting a bump. This bump was named Starfire and it had just woken up.
Star sat up in bed. She could have sworn she had heard Robin's voice. She tried to get up and immediately fell over. Robin was at her side instantly, helping her right herself.
"Gives a whole new meaning to the blind leading the blind," BB muttered from the doorway. He was quickly kicked by Raven, quite hard as all three of the rest of the Titans resumed watching.
"Star, you OK?" Robin asked, helping her sit back on her bed.
"I thought I heard your voice," Star told him, her happiness was conveyed in her voice but she could barely manage a smile.
"Oh. Yea." Robin blushed. 'Way to make a fool of yourself,' he thought.
'He is cute when he blushes,' Star thought. Then shook her head. 'I must go. Slade will keeping hunting Robin while I am here. I remind him of failure. I must protect Robin and leave.'
They both stared at each other, not knowing what to say. That seemed to happen to them quite often these days.
"Robin..." Star's voice trailed off.
"I must leave."
"You must go."
They both spoke at the same time. Then, they turned away, both of them now blushing profusely.
'She wants to go. I guess she really doesn't like me.' Robin thought. He kept feeling worse and worse.
'He wants me to go. Maybe he fears for himself and the bad luck that I seem to bring him.' Star thought. 'I guess he really doesn't like me.'
From the door BB groaned. "What are they doing?" he asked, a bit too loudly. Raven kicked him again, but Robin and Star had both seen and noticed they were there.
"Friends, I am awake." Star said, rather lamely. She was at a loss for words.
"What's this about you leaving?" Cyborg asked.
"It's the only way Robin can be safe," Star answered quietly.
"It's the only way Star can be safe," Robin answered at the same time. They were beginning to sound like parrots.
"I think you two need to work out some issues. I'll handle BB and Cyborg for a while," Raven got up and cracked her knuckles. Taking a look at her face, BB and Cyborg quickly made reassuring sounds to Star and Robin, then ran for their lives.
"Want to go on the roof?" Robin asked. He and Star slowly left her room and climbed up the stairs. The stairs seemed to be twice as long as normal. Finally, reaching the top, Robin and Star both sat down on the edge.
"Robin, you will not be safe as long as Slade pursues me," Star said gently.
"Pursues you? He's only after me. You need to get away while you can."
"Your concern is touching." Star gave a small smile.
Robin looked at her. He felt so sad. He tried to smile and found he couldn't. "Star...I..."
He tried to tell her how he felt. It looked so easy on the movies.
"Robin, I think I love you," Star quickly blurted out. She turned ten shades of red.
Robin felt like he was air born. "What?" he asked. Then quickly, afraid Star would change her mind, he leaned forward and kissed her.
Star was happy. She felt an entire burden lift off her shoulders. She broke apart from him, then frowned again. "I cannot stay here and risk you getting hurt."
"Star, the only reason I want you to leave is because, I'm afraid Slade will go after me and might hurt you."
"But it is you who is in danger!"
"I can protect myself. I would never forgive myself if you got hurt again."
"Robin, I knew the risks when I decided to stay with you at the very beginning. I too can protect myself."
They both smiled at each other.
"Wanna stay? Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Robin asked.
"I am sure. And are you sure that you know what you're doing?"
"Positive."
Star leaned on Robin and they watched the sun set.
"Score! Maybe I can meet alien celebrities now that she is staying for sure." BB was watching from the stairwell.
"She can't do any of that. Her sister is trying to kill her," Raven spoke from behind him. "Now I suggest you leave, or I will be forced to..."
She never finished. BB turned into a mouse and disappeared.
"Oh well. A girl can only hope." Raven said. She took one last look at Robin and Star, who were holding hands with their fingers interlocked. Shaking her head, she walked down the stairs, back into the cavern.
The End
