Birdcage

Chapter nine

Despite how quiet and peaceful Space was, it certainly didn't keep the nightmares away. Robin's dreams weren't even about one unsettling situation but more like random thoughts and memories that were just painful to think about right now. Even though he told himself he wasn't going to dwell on the past, his subconscious didn't seem to get the message.

How could he have been soo clueless?

He couldn't understand why he hadn't seen this coming. Like their relationship would ever be accepted. As soon as they had arrived he felt something was off but just kept telling himself he was "over analyzing" a culture he really didn't know about.

There was no point rehashing things over and over again in his head but his mind just kept wondering where he didn't want to go. Like there was still a relationship to fix when there wasn't. Letting out a frustrated sound that only he could hear he leaned his forehead against the glass dome.

He found himself grinning at the irony of the situation. In the past Starfire had been so worried about the team breaking up and her being the reason for it. Somehow despite how dedicated she was to her friends and him staying together the only thing that could really pull her away did. He was certain that he would most likely never see her again and he wasn't sure if that thought made him feel more relieved or more upset. He didn't know if he could handle seeing her again anyway as just friends. The only place she really knew on Earth as home was the Tower so maybe he shouldn't go back there, at least not yet. Of course his more quizzitive side had to ask the obvious question: If not the Tower than where? While he didn't like the most obvious answer he didn't seem to have too many options either. Amidst all the emotions he was feeling about the situation he could at least conclude one thing: he really needed to be alone. He didn't want to talk to anyone about the break up or what he was feeling or even a solution.

'There's more fish in the sea',

'You'll find someone else',

'Maybe it'll still work out'.

He wanted none of it and he was certain his friends would want to help, at the very least want to know what happened. He just wasn't ready to talk about it. Shifting in the seat again he leaned forward and tapped on the console. Checking the navigation it seemed as though he would arrive in Jump City in the middle of the night. He could work with that, grab the rest of his stuff, finally get something edible to eat and then leave before anyone knew he was there. For now it was his best option.

Robin was worried about her. He honestly hadn't ever seen Raven get sick, not even the sniffles. She really wasn't one who wanted attention when she was feeling 100% so he wasn't too sure what to do for her now.

"Yeah. just tired I guess", she had assured him. He didn't want to pry any further as he got comfortable on the couch next to her. Aiming the remote at the TV he clicked from one channel to the next, hoping to find something she would want to watch. Maybe she just needed a distraction. Their night had been pretty busy. Some down time would do them both good. He felt movement next to him and she was now laying on his arm. He blinked several times, not really sure what to do. Earlier that evening she had abruptly placed her hand on his shoulder to heal the one wound before pressing her palm against his side to heal the other bullet hole. He hadn't known how to react back then either. He hadn't had much personal contact with anyone ever since Starfire and he had left for Tamaran. That was over a month and a half ago.

The weight of her against him felt oddly nice but at the same time caused his heart to ache. He suddenly noticed she felt hot to him and he reached over to check her forehead.

"Yah know, you look a little flush." She let out a quiet moan as she curled up more next to him. This contact was still too much even with the amount of time that had passed. He knew she didn't mean anything by it but he just couldn't take it. After a couple more minutes he turned off the tv and slipped off the couch before silently leaving the room. She was probably right, she just needed some rest and would be fine in no time. This is what he told himself as he headed down the hallway to his room. Besides his uniform had gotten pretty wrecked that night. He was still covered in dried blood from earlier and desperately needed a shower.

Raven had been right when she healed him earlier: his shoulder and side ached as he peeled off his shirt. There were some angry looking bruises forming where he'd been shot but all things considered he'd gotten off lucky. If it wasn't for her he should have been in the hospital. The hot water felt good as it soaked his hair and ran down his back. He could feel the fatigue hitting him now as the evening's events had taken its toll on him too. His entire midsection hurt. He didn't know why he hadn't noticed it before but now it was throbbing. This had been their first alert since he'd been back but he didn't think he was that rusty. He rolled his one shoulder back only for pain to shoot down his arm. He was sure Raven could make it all melt away but would rather she get some much needed rest. This was nothing life threatening that aspirin couldn't fix.

As he stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist he realized that he was done for the night. The more he evaluated how he felt the more he realized how exhausted he was. The fight must have really taken it out of him. Making it over to the sink he wiped the fog from the mirror when he felt a presence in the room with him. Turning around he came face to face with Raven's nightmare. He grinned down at Robin, pleased that he had startled him. Robin glanced back at the mirror confirming he couldn't see a reflection and let out a quiet laugh.

"Surprised I'm here," he shook his head at the odd question.

"Not really, just makes sense for an imaginary friend to not have a reflection is all." The hero's comment was not well received as the taller man grabbed him by the neck and tossed him into his room. He let out a weak cough and attempted to compose himself. "Come to think of it, vampires also don't have reflections but at least you have to invite them in. You keep showing up, I'm gonna start charging you rent."

"You really are amusing, human. I can see why she likes you," was the response as he moved from the bathroom to the bedroom.

"Yeah, you don't know what you're talking about," Robin corrected him, waving his hand at the idea. The intruder moved faster than expected, pinning Robin to the floor. He let out a painful sound.

"We'll just have to see about that, won't we," he mused as his icy blue eyes glowed white and he leaned in closer.

Author's notes: Finally am getting back around to this story. Please let me know what you think.