AN) The world is not falling apart, what are you talking about! I have been so distracted and overwhelmed by all that has been going on and I am so glad to finally be writing again. Fun times in my life, I broke my ankle this summer, so I am on my socially distanced college campus with crutches and a boot! Stay safe, stay loved, and enjoy!

Scott drummed his fingers against the half open window he was perched by. The days that had passed without seeing his friend bobbing in and out of his window were growing suspicious. Dick was never gone for this long without contacting him in some way. Sure, there were a few times his dad had planned a surprise holiday or he went on some sort of field trip for his online school—but he would always text Scott and let him know not to wait up. And on all these trips his father had gone with him, leaving Dick' grandpa to tend the house. But this time Dick's dad was still in his house. Scott didn't really like Dick's dad—he seemed like the kind of guy that took pride in how 'manly' he was and that was his only personality trait.

That may be a wild assumption since Scott never really spent one-on-one time with Mr. Wilson. Their interactions were very basic and awkward, the longest time they had spent together was a very quiet lunch. Scott had tried to lighten the mood, but Dick seemed to be so uncomfortable and anxious, so he stopped making jokes and smiling widely.

Scott knew that Dick's dad was home because he heard him cursing in the backyard, his rough accent was incredibly noticeable. He'd also seen Mr. Wilson talking to Dick's grandfather in his friend's room—neither man looked happy during their conversation. Other than that Scott hadn't seen anyone come in or out of the household. He had taken up a vigil at his window so he would see the first sign of his friend. From his room he had a perfect view of Dick's window and the back garden, the only two places Dick could go to be out of his father's shadow. While Scott couldn't see all of Dick's room, he could see his door and part of his bookshelf and dresser. The important part was the door—Scott could see his friend as soon as he entered the room.

Due to the surprisingly pleasant weather Dick's window was open to let in the breeze that was making the rose bushes beneath his window bob about. This helped Scott's heart jump up into his throat when he saw the door begin to open. He perked up, excited that his friend had finally turned up—but he quickly ducked down when he realized that the person in the door was too large to be his friend. Scott made sure he could still see what was going on inside his friend's house, but he wasn't exactly noticeable in his own window.

Mr. Wilson stalked into his friend's room. Scott felt a little uneasy as he watched him disappear out of his line of sight. He felt a little weird to be scared—not really the best word, but it worked—of his best friend's dad he knew not everyone had the same relationship with their parents that Scott did with his. Some kids had crappy parents who they didn't connect with or relate too—which is the vibes Scott got from Dick's and his dad's relationship—and in the worst of cases some kids were physically or verbally abused by their parents. Scott really didn't think Dick was being abused, but there were some weird things going on in that house. He really hoped Dick would tell him if he were in any kind of danger, Dick might not even know he was in danger.

Scott watched Mr. Wilson handle a few of the items on Dick's dresser. He had a rather uptight energy around him—his usually energy—but his movements seemed to be more restricted and robotic. He froze with something in his hands, turning it over slowly. Scott leaned closer to the middle of the window, and while he couldn't see exactly what was in Mr. Wilson's hands based on the line of action figures left of the dresser, he guessed it was one of Dick's collectables. Scott had been getting his figurines for birthdays and Christmases for years. Mr. Wilson clenched his first suddenly, hurling whatever poor figurine he grabbed into the wall. Scott jumped, surprised by the sudden violent outburst he had just seen and ducked down quickly. Mr. Wilson probably though he was completely alone, and no-one could see him. If that was his current mood Scott didn't want to know how he would react if he found out Scott had seen him.

Now Scott really was worried about his friend.

Starfire was really trying to curb her habit of watching people from a distance, but she couldn't resist staring at the little screen her friend was on. She liked watching people when they don't know. Of course she understood their were moments that she was not invited to look in on—such as bathing or dressing or the flossing of teeth—but she loved to see her friends in the softer moments of their lives. She had seen them in battle—focused, driven, and injured—more than she had seen them quietly leading their lives.

It had started to become more accustomed to Earth habits and traditions, but she had long ago given up on understanding what Earth did. Starfire was completely fine with doing the things that made sense to her—even if they didn't to others. But when she saw Red Robin sticking his tongue out as he read the back of cereal boxes, and Cyborg twirl a pencil across his fingers, and Beast Boy do a little shuffle with his feet while he brushed his teeth—this was before Starfire knew this was an event not to watch—and hummed to himself, and Raven swirl her hair on her finger as she looked at the clouds Starfire's heart did little flip-flops. She felt like she was getting to spend lovely time with her friends and know them even better than they knew themselves.

Starfire let her head roll to the side, her chin nestled in the palm of her hands. Cyborg had gone back to their tower to make sure their city was being kept safe, and Beast Boy had decided to end his visit with them early and stay back with his younger team permanently. She would miss friend Garfield, but she knew he would be much happier with heroes his own age and Megan. When Red came back from taking to his Bat, she would ask him what he thought about Beast Boy's decision. She knew he thought Red would be excellent as a Titan, but his time with them was more of an exercise than anything else.

It was just her in that room. The room with all the information about friend Red's little brother, all the cameras in his room and medicine he would take to not get sick. She liked watching how Raven bobbed higher and higher off the ground—as her meditation went on Raven would become less unhappy and she would float more—Starfire loved to see her closest friend much happier. She also enjoyed the swirly patterns the little boy next to friend Raven made with his hands. They looked so simple and calming, but Starfire liked to think each spin of the wrist and flick of the fingers meant something to him. She would make a story about what they could mean until she was able to make him her newest best friend and ask him about his hand patterns.

Her Red's little brother looked so…neat. She couldn't really find the right word for what she was feeling in her chest. He looked so small and fragile, but she didn't exactly find him cute. There was something unnerving—strange energy surrounding him. Maybe it was because he was next to Raven, and as much as Starfire loved her friend it would be foolish to pretend Raven was filled with sunshine and lemon drops. She wanted to fill that child with sunshine and lemon drops, she could tell he could have that type of energy but there was holding him back.

Maybe he was very sad, but Starfire was very good at cheering people up! She could make Red smile while he was trying to put all his mind on one piece of paper. Sometimes he said it was 'annoying' and 'he couldn't concentrate on his work'—but she knew that he loved it. Starfire felt a smile creep up her lips as the boy stopped his normal pattern to flutter his hands. It was very brief—blink and you miss it—but she just loved seeing that movement. It was obviously something he didn't do in front of people. She was so happy that she now knew that intimate detail about him—she didn't think Raven noticed what the boy next to her had done. She wanted to hold that little secrete to herself, and she couldn't wait to tell the boy what she had seen him do.

Now, Starfire would need to wait for the right time. Cyborg told her it was not nice to tell strangers things they didn't know she knew—so telling this new little friend that she had watched him wiggle his hands when he didn't think Raven was looking may not be the best way to break into his friendship. But how wonderful it would be when they were the good friends and she could tell him, and they would be even better good friends!

"Hey," Red slipped an arm around her shoulders and leaned his head against hers. Red loved to be affectionate with the members of his team. Starfire knew that the Bat was very nice and good, but he did not like to show his good inside with outside hand holding and hugs—so Red had taken to being huggy and cuddly with his close friends. Which was perfect for Starfire! She loved being able to make Red feel comfortable and happy, and she like how soft his hair was and the feeling of having one of her best friends next to her.

"Hello!" Star turned her attention from her friend and possible new friend to Red. "How did your meetings go?"

"It was alright, this whole situation is just…not fun."

"We should make it fun then!" Star turned around in her seat, draping her arms over Red's shoulders. "I know that it is a strange situation, but I think we should help Raven make your brother happier."

Red shifted slightly—like there was something wrong with the position he was in. Star let her arms drop off him. Red moved away from her, now turning on his Bat mode. He leaned against the table Satrfire was sitting at and glanced at the screen. His little brother had returned to doing his hand patterns and Raven was now watching him out of the corner of her eye.

"What is wrong?"

"It just…doesn't seem real yet." Red ran a hand across his face, a soft laugh escaping him. "It's been years since I last saw him, and he's right in front of me. It just…it's not the same."

"He looks tough. He does not look like a sweet little boy; he looks like a prickly little boy."

"Prickly?"

"I may be saying silly things, but he just seems pointy. Like he is defending himself from everything."

"You were watching the cameras, weren't you?"

"…yes."

Red laughed, shaking his head, and pushing himself off the table. "That's not a bad description. When he was younger, he had this awe at everything he was seeing. Well, considering that it was his first time not being kicked around and got his own stuff and opinions it made sense. But now, I don't think he knows bad stuff happened to him."

"Now he thinks that his life was normal?"

"Yeah, he doesn't think we're trying to help him so he's ready to fight us off. Physically and emotionally. He's not going to willingly turn to us for help."

Starfire nodded. She knew some very bad things had happened to her new little friend, and if he thought the way Red said he did his prickly energy made sense. This energy would make friend Raven's job of helping him even harder—so Starfire would need to not only be smiley and friendly to her new friend, but she would double up her efforts to cheer up Raven.

"He may not want us right now, but we will wait for him to do so."

AN) Any and all feedback is greatly loved and appreciated. It may be a bit until the next update since I need to find this story again. Thank you for your time, have a beautiful week!