Last Chapter! Robin! Make breakfast!

Thanks for the kind words:

kmutt, Sorry about the shortness! Thanks for the nice words!

mattb3671, Thanks for the positive review, and beware the pudding monster.

blaze83, Ack, sorry about the confusion. The joke was that the pudding reminded her of home, not that her planet tried to eat her. Thanks for the review!

RupertLover09, I'm...not hurrying very quickly at all, I'm afraid. Sorry about that! Thanks for the two (count em', TWO) reviews!

ameoba2, Thanks for the kind words!

Odango Forever, Thanks for the uber-long review! In their own ways, they are each very hard to get right, so kind words like these help a ton. Thanks!

destruction1, Yeah, Starfire's head is not a POV that I would enjoy in large doses. However, its a nice change of pace from the seriousness of Raven and Robin. Thanks!

disappearer/Syani, Thanks for the kind words!

person, Thanks for the kind words!

The Uncanny R-Man, Thank you very much for your many kind words toward my little fiction here! Admittedly, Shoeverine is a rip off of Conan O'Brien's skits, but he is too funny not to use. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Not neccessary.

Mornings - Chapter 5

Robin

Alarm.

6:00 AM.

Room? Secure.

Tower? Scan says secure.

Shower? Needed.

Shampoo...ah. Herbal, like Star's. I don't really have any preference, but she seems to like this stuff.

Dry off...where are the towels? Here.

Uniform? Is that necessary at the moment?

"Don't let anyone see you at anything less than your best, Dick."

Ah, thanks Bruce-in-my-head. Uniform it is.

A little part of me rebels, though. Steel-toed boots? Not right now.

Slippers. Pink bunny slippers. Up yours, Bats.

Corridors are a little cold. Remember to tell Victor about that.

Kitchen's empty, as it normally is at this time of morning. I look at the clock on the wall. It says 7:03 AM.

Good. All alone for an hour. An hour and a half if I'm lucky.

There are six different newspapers on the kitchen counter. I pick one up randomly, and I start reading.

The Jump City Herald. The page one, column one article is about us having saved the city from Control Freak. Again. This is the fourth time this year.

I swear, he escapes so much I'm tempted to just make a gulag of my own and keep him in there.

...it would cut down on birdarang expenses, at least.

I read further. A page six article catches my eye. Bruce Wayne is in town to open a museum of antiquities.

Great. Another target for the thieves of Jump City. Thanks Bruce. Way to freakin' go.

I plow through the other papers in quick time. To be honest, none of the subject material is too interesting, but it pays to be on top of information. The real skill lies in understanding what is lies and what is the truth.

I pick up today's Daily Planet. The front page catches my eye.

An interview with Superman, eh? I'll save it for later.

I breeze through the other sections of the paper, noting that the crime rate in Metropolis is on the rise. Same as in Gotham, and same as here. Sometimes, I wonder if what we are doing is worth anything.

But...

We save a few people every day. We put a few criminals away every day. We help. What we do is worth a damn. The mission is worth the trouble.

As I internally monologue, I note that Raven has walked into the kitchen. I nod to her, and she nods back.

She doesn't need words, and neither do I. I love that about her.

I pick up the Superman article, and begin to read, as Raven returns to the table with her tea. She's staring at me, studying me. Its not an unfamiliar feeling, and to be honest, a not-unpleasant one.

She picks up the paper, and we both sit quietly together.

A little while passes, and Cyborg and Starfire come into the kitchen. A small smile finds its way onto my face; Star has that effect on people, and on me in particular.

She's coming over, and here comes...the kiss on the cheek...

Yeah, I'm blushing. She sees it too. I'm convinced she just does it to see the reaction, but to be honest, I don't care. She knows how I feel about her. I don't know if its love, but its something damn close. It took a long time for me to finally tell her how I felt. When I finally did, she had already known. We've been together since, and even when I'm not sure about the mission, I am sure about her.

Cyborg, in the kitchen, asks me what I'm reading, and I tell him. He snickers a bit.

They wonder, sometimes, why I seem to like Superman more than Batman. Its not true, of course. I do like Superman. I mean, who wouldn't? He is the ultimate hero. He could have done anything else with his powers, and what does he do? He saves cities, he saves people, he saves worlds.

But...Batman...Bruce...he does all that too. He sacrifices so much to be Batman. Romance, fun, his whole life.

I've met Superman. He's a nice guy; one of the best men that I will ever meet. He just doesn't have to sacrifice that much to be who he is and do what he does. Bruce does, so, in my book, he's tops.

Plus...Bruce is my father. Everyone has a hero; mine just happens to be my 'dad' as well.

Anyway...

Star comes to the table, and offers me some of her 'Pudding', which I decline. I draw the line at murderous foods. Instead, I opt for some wheat bread, lightly toasted, with a smear of grape jelly on each slice, just to take away from the strong wheaty flavor of the bread.

Being health aware...sucks.

That's the price of Heroing without powers, though. They wonder why we go through so much training every day; I'm reluctant to say that it is much more for my benefit than for theirs. Their powers include energy blasts of three different types (sonic for Vic, Bio-solar for Kori, and Astral for Raven), teleportation, morphization, flight, super-strength of varying degrees, and, just to round out the list, they can all take a hit from nearly any meta-threat, provided they see it coming.

Not me. Some creep gets a good shot off at me, that's it for the bird-boy. Good night Robbie. Victor used to wonder why I always had to be the best at whatever I did; he figured it out though.

If I'm not the best, then I am vulnerable.

If I am vulnerable, the team is vulnerable.

If the team is vulnerable, someone will get hurt, or worse.

I absolutely will not let this happen.

Not if I can do anything about stopping it. So...they complain. To be more accurate, they don't all complain. Raven sighs and moans, but doesn't exactly complain. Starfire has reserves of stamina past anything I could possibly push, plus she is from a warrior race, so she is not one to ever complain. Its more Cyborg and Beast Boy.

Speak of the devil. In green no less.

Garfield just came in. He looks at the paper in my hands, and I can read his mind, and the smirk on his face. I'll remember that smirk, man. You are screwed come training time.

I look at my watch. 10:55.

I holler out that the training session for the day starts in five minutes in the dojo. Starfire gets up to walk with me, and I smile at her. She smiles back, and I swear, for a few seconds...I can fly, too.

Thank you for reading my piece. I feel that as an experiment in writing, it is a success; thank you for all the kind words from my reviewers.

You are all listed here, with a parting message.

The Uncanny R-Man: Thank you for your many kind words. I look forward to your fictions, especially your DC stuff, and reeeeeeeally especially Flash, Ah! Saviour of the Universe!

Person: Thanks for your kind words about the Starfire chapter, and you make sure to stay like Starfre: glorious!

disappearer/Syani: Thank you for your kind words, and for being frank about the Raven chapter being inaccurate. Looking back...I see your point. :)

amoeba2: The happiest messages were from you, I think. You will, I trust, be glad to see this over!

destruction1: The inside of Star's head is probably a bit weird! I don't think I nailed it, but it was a good shot anyway! Thanks!

Odango Atama-chan xx: Hooray for long reviews! I feel a cad just saying Thanks, but its all I have! Thanks!

RupertLover09: I hope I did Starfire justice for ya! Thanks for reading!

Blaze83: Sorry about the cursing in the fic! Thanks for being a good reviewer!

mattb3671: You have fun with your pudding monster now! Eat it good!

kmutt: Thanks for the kind review!

Dark knightress: Read some comic books! Lol! Dick Robin Richard Grayson. Robin can also be a dick, but we love him anyway.

InkBlotted Chakra: You win the "coolest-name" prize, and by extension, you win life. Way to go.

Neko Starfire: Thanks!

almostinsane: Thanks!

Pointless Authority: Sweet Jesus, the longest reviews ever. All I can say is "Thanks!" Peace!

Crazy Girl Person: You know what's a funny word? Tush! Try it at home! Say it at your job! Tush!

dragonlore: I never know where anything comes from. Heh, my bad.

White Raven: Thanks!