Behind Blue Eyes
Summary: A battle ended badly. RobxStar
x x x
The battle had ended badly. Each of the Titans knew it as they piled, tired and battered into the empty Titan Tower, each one with their own plans to relax and take it easy. Except one. Robin was injured the worst, he had followed Slade through the forest trees, the branches cutting open his skin viciously as he fought to take the revenge he so desperately seeked against their powerful enemy. The others had no way to keep up with the focused duo as they sped through the trees. Starfire and Raven had both picked up Cyborg and along with the pterodactyl Beast Boy, flew high into the sky, racing after their counterpart. When they finally ran into their friend he was lying on his back in the middle of a clearing, bloody and injured, his bo-staff broken in shattered halves and his eyes staring out, cataclysmic. He hadn't spoken a word as they returned to the tower but Starfire knew the worried looks they we're all shooting him, we're being registered in his brain. Not knowing what had transpired, when they arrived home, all Beastboy wanted to do was eat. Cyborg wanted to sleep and Raven wanted to meditate. None of them noticed, except her, as Robin, dejected looking, disappeared into the darkness.
"Have you, my friends, noticed anything wrong with our Robin?" She asked, as around her, the titans froze, looking at her. Cyborg shrugged.
"I dunno. I bet it's got something to do with Slade kicking his butt again. He's tough, don't worry about him Star, he'll get over it."
Raven glared at him, as Cyborg shrugged, turning back to the pizza he was pulling from the freezer, as Star turned and looked back in the direction Robin had gone, worry etched in her eyes.
"Perhaps you should go talk to him. He'll listen to you Starfire." Raven said quietly, as Beastboy climbed from the couch to sit next to her, eyeing Cyborg's meaty pizza with intense dislike.
"I shall." Starfire said quickly, "Thank you, friend-Raven. I will find out what troubles Robin." She left her standing spot and followed the towers many curves to the bedrooms, hearing a familiar 'thump, thump' from one of them. The once, which conveniently sat next to her own. Starfire raised a fist and knocked loudly, listening as the Thumping stopped, but puzzled when the door didn't open. She slid it open herself, thinking back to when Beastboy invaded her room in Christmas without knocking, and realizing, in certain situations, it was warranted.
"Friend Robin?" She asked, sticking her head in the darkened room. The room itself, like every other time she had visited it, was Spartan, unlike her own which was full of trinkets from her time on Earth, Robin's was similar to Raven's, just without the darkened, more mysterious atmosphere. In the middle stood a punching bag, the gloves that sat most usually on the hook above it, missing. It didn't take a genius to figure what Robin had been doing moments before, the open window drawing Starfire forward, her feeling of unease intensifying as she realised Robin must have escaped into the now pouring rain. The outside was glass, but for the boy-wonder, she supposed it to be easy to use a grappling hook, pulling himself up to the roof. And for Star, with her unique ability to fly, his escape route only took her seconds to cover, as she landed on the roof with only the smallest thud. Already soaked to the skin and shivering, she was un-swayed, determined to find her apparently hiding friend. Through the Air conditioner units she scoured, finally spotting the smallest black lump she was unfamiliar to seeing on this roof in the very corner. Robin was hiding under his cloak in an attempt to hide, but for Star, who had so often sat on the roof and enjoyed the stars twinkling through the sky it didn't take long for her to realize it didn't belong there.
"Robin?" Was all she asked, moving a few steps forward, stepping over what she could see now to be discarded boxing gloves, and moving closer to the mass of darkness. It shivered but did not answer, as she sat beside the apparently heart-broken boy, gently tugging on the cape with her fingers, watching it slide to reveal a bedraggled and crying boy-wonder. He was shivering, soaked to the skin in rain, tears running down his cheeks, almost indistinguishable to the rain water, also pooling off his skin. He hadn't changed out of the torn, bloody clothes and it became rapidly apparent to Star her friend was indeed upset.
"Robin?" She asked again, quieter this time, his lack of response scaring her more then any criminal could ever do. A pair of masked eyes looked at her, hiding their owners emotions.
"L-Leave me a-alone." Robin finally stuttered, making a weak attempt to wipe his eyes. Starfire shook her head.
"I cannot do that friend-Robin. You are distressed." It was more of a statement then a question. "Perhaps it would help to speak about what upsets you?" A sudden, terrifying thought struck her then. "Is it me?"
Robin looked up just as sharply, and for just a second, Star thought the impossible. She had done something wrong, he no longer wished to be her friend.
"No," Robin said determinedly, shaking his head, "No Star. It couldn't be you."
Starfire nodded.
"Is Slade who upsets you?" Robin's face visibly hardened. He raised his mask to wipe at his eyes, before Starfire reached over and pulled it off.
"I like you better without your mask." She said quickly, as he buried his face in his arms. She flattened it out in her hands, trying to ignore her shaking arms. Robin noticed before she could hide it, quickly, in one fluid movement, whipping his cloak from his back and wrapping it around her shoulders. She nodded.
"I thank you. But you are yet to tell me your grievances."
Robin looked at her, his eyes swimming with tears. It was so rarely she saw him without a mask, the thing that had become so much of a part of Robin mystery, she often missed just looking into his eyes.
"He said something to me." Robin said quietly, barely over a whisper. Starfire prepared herself for the worst, last time they had faced Slade, Robin had been told he was nothing but weak and thereafter had spent several days hiding in the gym, training. It was most unhealthy.
"He-He told me, we're t-the same. We're alike." Starfire looked at him. She shook her head.
"You are nothing like Slade. He is evil. You are good."
Robin shook his head.
"I see it in me, Star. I can be evil, I feel it. I look into the mirror, and you know what I see? I see Slade. Staring back at me, encouragingly me to step over that line."
Star frowned, looking stern.
"You know what I see when I look at you?" She asked, taking his head in her hands and looking into his eyes. He shook his head slightly, signifying no. "I see you. I don't see Robin, or Richard. I see you, a boy who has single-handedly saved mine, and the lives of thousands of Earth people more times then I can count. I see the boy who enjoys pizza, who spends hours playing video games because you know your better at it then anyone else. I see a boy who every year knows what presents your friends would like most. I see you, Robin. I see no one else, but you." Robin was still crying, but it had changed, the rain had faded and stopped, the night sky now visible.
She smiled, and drawn by her, his own face split into the tinniest of smiles, as he wiped his eyes. He leaned forward, and she looked on expectantly as he kissed her, and she clapped her hands quickly as he pulled away.
"Do you see now you are nothing like that Evil Slade?" She asked, as he stood up and offered his hand. He nodded.
"Yeah, thanks Starfire." She smiled, kissing him again. It was the best feeling she'd ever had. Even better then the Marai Pie her mother had given to her when she was little. He smiled, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "I'm cold," he said quickly, "Let's go inside and have hot cocoa with marshmallows." Starfire looked at him with glee on her face.
"The ones with the little faces on them?" She asked, thinking of the odd little faces on each marshmallow, that was meant to represent some kind of alien. They we're odd and one of her favorite past times was examining them. Robin nodded, taking her hand as they walked back inside, little realizing Robin's mask, lying in the puddles of rain, very much forgotten.
Fin