"I had to see m'lady," he chuckled. Starfire's eyes displayed a brief moment of confusion, her features tugged between a look of flattery and one of distress. Red X pulled back and stared at her, suspicion in his eyes. "The kid didn't play with your emotions, did he? If he did, I'll kick his…" Starfire cut him off.
"Robin did nothing of the sort…" she murmured. Her voice almost accusatory.
""What, are you trying to say… I am?" he snapped. That Boy Scout was diluting the girl's mind, he decided.
"Perhaps you are!" she sobbed almost desperately. She couldn't fully admit she was upset with his visit. It was rather appeasing to see him risk being so close to his worst enemies for the sake of seeing her… but Robin… her short time with him had rekindled the blazing longing her heart held for him. She couldn't just throw that away. Red X seemed to sense her dilemma and reached and arm out, grasping her shoulder firmly.
He pulled her into his arms and she shuddered against the coolness of his uniform. Starfire wanted more than anything to be able to pull herself from his embrace, and yet she thrived in the boldness of his affections. "I told you it was a crime… for us not to be together… didn't I?" he muttered. Starfire looked up at him, her jade eyes wide and confused.
"But I love…"
"Don't say it," X spat harshly. Star cringed but nodded, an odd fatigue burning her mind. Dejectedly, she leaned against him.
"I cannot say I do not have certain… feelings for you as well… but they are just so sudden… so unstable… so wrong," she whispered. Red X sighed. They were from different worlds. His, clothed in darkness. Hers, brilliantly and sorely lit with accusing light. Such a place was not for a thief like him. But still, the fiery haired beauty captivated him. Her exotic allure intrigued him. "I should go back inside. Robin will worry," she said quietly.
"Can I see you again?" Red X asked roughly.
"I—soon," she settled for the answer and slipped away, leaving the criminal standing frustrated on the roof. Starfire scampered down the stairs, into the tower. She hoped Red X had made hasty leave… she did not really want him caught. Yet. The girl trudged towards her room, desolation in her step. Life was too complicated. Her gaze wandered from room to room, glance resting on the name engraved boldly upon each door face. Eventually, the activity brought her before, not her own room, but Robin's.
She bit her lip in uncertainty. Perhaps it would be well if she just had a bit of time alone. That had been the original concept in retreating to the rooftop… but X had kind of obliterated any hopes of solitude up there tonight. She leaned against the cold wall for a moment, bidding her time. Her ears strained to pick up any indication the Boy Wonder was inside. Though it was customarily difficult to detect his cat-like movements, there was a complete void of them at the present.
Starfire concluded he was not inside. Sleeping was a thought, but Robin wasn't the soundest sleeper. In fact, it seemed his worst battles were fought under the cover of night in the prison of his mind. She sighed, allowing the breath to shudder ruefully from her body.
She took to the air, barely off the ground, and floated towards the training room. She couldn't really think of anywhere else he's be. Except, perhaps, his office. But there was no need for the dark and cavernous room right now. As she approached her desired destination, her search was rewarded, the thud of his fists contacting with an undoubtedly brutalized punching bag were proof enough he was inside. She hovered blankly for a moment, staring at the small frosted windows inset on each of the sliding doors.
She could vaguely see his outline as it moved lithely between whatever targets had been chosen for practice that day and the punching bag; Robin's current nemesis. Starfire raised a loose fist and presented to the waiting door a tentative knock. It wasn't really required, and yet she always felt the formality better used when he was training alone. The vigorous sounds of contact ended abruptly, and she saw his obscured form approaching through the vague panels of glass they used in excuse of windows.
The double doors slid away and Robin stood, eyeing her curiously, dripping with sweat. His breath was coming in deep heaves, providing a clue that he'd been practicing since shortly after she endeavored to the roof. The alien was doing her best to ignore his bare chest, and decidedly concentrated on his masked eyes. "Hey, Star," he gave a short smile. She returned the gesture. Silence reigned. It was incredibly unusual for the two to share an awkward silence, and yet, the quiet was oppressive today.
She sucked in a breath but found no words to say. Instead, she resorted to stare at him with wide, searching eyes. She needed help. She wasn't afraid of saying that much. It was just the topic she needed help on… well half was standing in front of her and the rest was… somewhere. Perhaps even still lingering on the rooftop. Robin seemed to pick up on her desperate situation to a certain extent, for his face clouded with concern.
"You alright?" he asked softly, a crease forming on his brow. Starfire looked at the floor, unwilling to affirm the 'alrightness' that was hardly present, nor acknowledge her distress.
"I do not know," she murmured. Good answer. Robin placed a friendly hand on her shoulder and her mind was swept back to Red X's same gesture. Robin didn't pull her to him, though. He simply left his hand resting atop her shoulder, his eyes undoubtedly searching her face.
"Let me help you…" he murmured. It hurt the boy to watch her as she pulled away from him and into herself. Her more frequent absences around the tower were disturbing him in a way they shouldn't have.
"How?" she asked, a slip of bitterness marring the innocent question.
"You tell me," he replied, his voice quiet and firm. Starfire allowed their eyes to lock. Her hand came up and tugged his mask free again.
"Make it go away, then, and perhaps… just let me see what you really are," she mumbled. Robin refused to let his gaze waver, the icy blue searing into her jewel-like emerald.
"I don't know how," he let his hand fall from her shoulder and continued to stare into her eyes.
"Help me find a way,"
Author's Note: Sorry I didn't update yesterday... I'll try to make up for it with another post this afternoon. School started up so posts are going to probably slow down a little bit. I apologize but I think I can still post at a fairly quick rate. I hope you liked the chapter, it seemed a bit more rex/star fluffy than I had intended... sigh. I just need you guys to see that Red X really does have feelings for Star, it's not that he just wants her because he think's she cute or something. He's actually falling for her. But then again, Robin did that a looong time ago... so now I'm just confusing myself. Oh well. I'd appreciate your reviews!
Love, Princess Starfire of Tamaran
