Thresholding by CidGregor
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.
This fic is dedicated to Post, for all that he contributed to its existence. (Everyone else(thinking): Who the fuck is Post?)
Chapter 4
While Cyborg remained inside the Tower to update the General on the situation, Robin, Beast Boy, and Terra waited with growing trepidation at the shore of Titans Island as the wall of rock and stone Terra had summoned now sunk back into the depths. Starfire and Raven had said they were bringing out survivors…but only two. One of which had already been seriously wounded. How many, then, had died in the crash? How many Tamaranian lives had been lost, thanks to General Graham's rash decision?
In the end, Robin decided, the exact number didn't really matter. Innocent lives had been lost at the direct hand of Earth's armed forces. Robin seriously doubted that news would be well-received by the Tamaranians, even with someone as level-headed as Galfore commanding them. No matter how he looked at it, things were definitely going to get heated, very soon. The next few days would have to be handled very, very carefully.
A slight bubbling arose from the depths twenty feet or so out, and a bubble of black broke the surface a moment later. It hovered up and out of the water, glided over to the beach where the Titans stood, and vanished; inside were Raven and what was clearly the wounded survivor. Raven's cloak seemed to have gone missing, but Robin noticed quickly enough that she'd sacrificed the garment for makeshift bandages for the Tamaranian man's wounds.
"His name is Lysand'r," Raven said. "He has some serious fractures, burns, and bruises, but he should pull through."
"Take him to the medical wing. Terra, go with her and get some rest, that was some major earthmoving you did."
Raven nodded. "Starfire and Tromand'r are right behind us," she added, sensing his next question. Robin, his mouth already half-open, closed it, and nodded. Raven lifted off with Lysand'r and into the Tower, while Beast Boy followed after Terra inside as well.
Robin turned back to the bay just in time to see bubbles again, much closer to shore this time. Two bodies broke the surface of the water, both a mess of soaking wet, tangled red hair. The larger one clad in body armor was most certainly the other survivor, Tromand'r, Robin assumed. He seemed like a well-seasoned warrior, and not exactly the friendly type, either; the type Batman would surely get along with famously, Robin thought with a cynical laugh to himself. The man trudged out of the water, turned back, and offered a hand of assistance to the other figure, who politely declined.
On some level Robin knew, of course, that it must have been Starfire emerging from the bay…but his brain just didn't quite get that far before it numbed and shut down, and the other place a male could think from took over quite abruptly. For the first time in his life, Robin the Boy Wonder could not think of one single thing to say in response to the sight he saw.
Starfire hovered a bare inch off the ground, dripping wet. Somehow, though, she didn't appear to be that cold; rather, she looked quite flushed. The sunlight reflected off her wet, amber skin, making every inch of it seem to sparkle and glow. Her hair, equally shining, somehow seemed to have stayed perfectly in place, except for a stray strand that hung down cutely in front of her face. Her uniform, normally on the modest side, now clung to her curves, leaving very little to the imagination.
"…so blankly?"
Robin jerked back to consciousness. "Wha…?" he said dumbly, realizing Starfire's worried gaze was fixed on him.
"I merely asked if you were well, but you did not respond. I then asked why you were staring so blankly. Are you quite all right, Robin?"
"O-oh, n-no, I'm fine, Star, really," Robin said, his brain finally functioning again. If for any other reason than to get his mind off the icon of beauty before him, Robin turned to the other Tamaranian and offered his hand.
"Captain Tromand'r, welcome. I'm Robin, of the Teen Titans."
The captain glared at the Boy Wonder's hand. "Turidas chlorfarker aysan du X'Hal!" he hissed.
Robin raised an eyebrow. "Uuhhmm…I'm sorry, I don't-urk!"
Tromand'r had suddenly grasped the front of the Boy Wonder's costume and jerked him up into the air, snarling.
"Unnghh…Star…what's going on?"
Starfire paled. "He is…expressing his frustrations with the 'greeting' he received. The attack on his craft caused several Tamaranian lives to be lost. He is…understandably upset about it."
"Wonderful…" Robin choked out. "Sorry to do this, captain, but you're not leaving me much choice…"
Robin slipped a hand to his utility belt, clutched a flash pellet, and flicked it toward Tromand'r's face. Robin shut his eyes as it went off, forcing a cry of annoyance from the warrior. Robin yanked free of Tromand'r's grip and back-flipped away to land next to Starfire.
Tromand'r recovered quickly, and glared murderously at Robin. "Klaatu'an de X'Hal! Vinhah!"
Starfire gasped. "He…he believes you are the one who attacked his ship!"
"ME?.!" Robin repeated, dumbstruck. "What the heck made him think tha-"
WHAM!
A sizzling blue star-bolt struck Robin in the chest, forcing him backward a good five feet before he could get his balance again.
"En na'ma du X'Hal!" Tromand'r cried, lunging at Robin.
Robin's reflexes were fortunately up to the task. He sprang up and over Tromand'r as the warrior zoomed past beneath him, twisted in midair, and landed smoothly almost right back where he'd been standing, though now facing the opposite direction.
"Star, help me out!" Robin ordered. "Tell him it wasn't-"
Another star-bolt cut him off mid-speech. He twisted sideways to dodge it and several more that followed, crackling through the air like live wires. But he barely had time to recover from that before Tromand'r had lunged at him again, hands and eyes glowing. Robin sprang again, planted his hands on Tromand'r's shoulders, and vaulted in the air over him a second time. He landed roughly and spun to face the warrior again.
"I don't want to hurt you!" Robin shouted.
"He does not understand you, Robin!" Starfire shouted. She turned to Tromand'r. "Ne-"
"DE X'HAL!.!.!" Tromand'r bellowed, drowning out Starfire's voice. Blue beams burst from his eyes, faster than Robin expected. He jerked sideways to dodge, but still caught a glancing blow on his shoulder, spinning him in a small circle. He fell to one knee for just a moment, and threw himself sideways just as Tromand'r's fist plowed into the spot of sand he'd just been kneeling in.
Robin dug a smoke bomb from his belt and tossed it down in front of Tromand'r, but the warrior flew up and out of its range before it could engulf him. The Tamaranian shot like a bullet toward Robin, clutched the teen by one arm, spun him in a wide circle, and flung him straight backward into his own smoke shroud.
The Boy Wonder covered his nose and mouth with his cape, but he couldn't stop the thick gray smoke from infesting his sinuses and sending him into a coughing fit. The crackling star-blots raining down around him didn't help either.
"Nemad, Tromand'r, nemad!" Robin heard Starfire trying to say, but to no avail; her voice was not heard over the war cries Tromand'r bellowed.
At last a star-bolt came through the smoke and connected with Robin's body. It stung at his chest something fierce, but it did at least throw him clear of the smoke screen. He landed hard on his back a skidded backward in the sand, and had only a bare half-second to catch his breath before he was forced to roll away to avoid the knee that dug into the sand beneath where Robin's body had been.
Robin's face set into a snarl. "Like I said…I don't want to hurt you…but so help me, captain, I will if I have to!"
Robin whipped out his staff, twirled it in one hand, and swung madly at Tromand'r. The warrior blocked the first handful of blows effortlessly, his armored forearms absorbing the sting of the hits. The next – and last – swing Tromand'r caught in one palm. Robin tried to yank the stick free, but he could not break Tromand'r's grip. The warrior jerked the staff from Robin's own clutches, snapped it in half and tossed the pieces aside.
Starfire appeared suddenly at the other Tamaranian's side, placing one hand on his shoulder. "Nemad, Tromand'r," she pleaded, but she did not get to say any more.
"Nemad?.! Nu ha'tan dapu'n sel chlorfarker!" he barked back. Robin wasn't sure what he'd said, but Starfire seemed quite offended by it; her whole demeanor changed at light speed, until the look on her face was set in an angry stare.
"Robin nu sel chlorfarker! Nem-"
"A'QUATO!" he bellowed, shoving her away.
"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!" Robin shouted as he snapped into action again. He spun in a wide circle, swung his steel boot, and delivered a roundhouse kick to Tromand'r's unshielded face. The alien recoiled and stumbled slightly, and when he brought a hand up to his face and felt the trickle of blood falling from his nose, he snarled furiously and leapt straight into the Boy Wonder. Tromand'r tackled him to the ground, forcefully knocking the breath out of Robin's lungs. The warrior stood up, glaring down at the teen. He planted one thick, metal boot right over Robin's stomach and pressed down just hard enough to draw a cry of pain from him.
"En na'ma du X'Hal!" he cried. "Du Tamaran! FYED!.!.!"
A blue star-bolt filled Tromand'r's fist. He glared straight down at Robin and held the bolt high over his head, ready to bring it down right on top of Robin's face…
"You really should listen to your Princess…" Robin said, all of a sudden smirking. "She's more…persuasive than you think."
Tromand'r's expression didn't change at Robin's words…but it did when he became aware of another glow rushing toward him. He looked ahead of him, and had about half a second to register the sight he saw: a mass of wet hair whipping behind her in the wind…teeth gritted in fury…clenched fists filled with a green glow…emerald eyes burning…
The half-second ended.
"HAAAAAH!.!.!"
WHAM!
Starfire's emerald-charged fist slammed straight into Tromand'r's armored chest, which reverberated with a dull gong, and the Tamaranian captain was hurled at least a hundred feet away, bounced, flew another fifty feet, and skidded to a stop at the edge of the water. He didn't get back up.
"Are you quite all right, Robin?" Starfire asked kneeling beside him.
"Yeah," Robin said once he could breathe again. "He just knocked the wind out of me for a minute. That was…quite a punch, Star. I didn't think you'd hit him quite so hard."
"Sometimes, a solid blow to one's body – and ego – is the only way to get through to someone when words and reason do not prove effective," she answered.
"Touché," Robin admitted the point.
"Now, we will see if he is prepared to listen."
Starfire drifted toward where Tromand'r had fallen, Robin following closely behind. Once again, though, all of a sudden he found himself coming dangerously close to total brain dysfunction as he watched Starfire's retreating form. Every few moments she would run her delicate hands through the soaked red silk on her head, trying to straighten it out and remove the kinks from it. Something about even that simple action was having no trouble mystifying Robin.
Robin shook his head violently and rubbed at his eyes through the mask. Stay focused, he told himself. It's just Starfire…nothing's different about her, right?
…Right?
Fortunately he was saved from his lack of an answer as they reached the spot where Tromand'r lay dazed, and his brain woke up again.
Robin stood aside and watched as Starfire stood over Tromand'r, speaking Tamaranian to him. It was a strange thing to see for Robin: he didn't understand a word of what was being said, but the tone of her words conveyed the general idea, and it amazed Robin how eerily the scene resembled an angry mother giving a stern warning to a misbehaving child. Tromand'r even seemed to show vague signs of regret for his rash actions. Robin never knew Starfire could be so…maternal.
Tromand'r stood suddenly, and approached Robin. A foot in front of the teen, he stopped, and slowly, carefully, extended his hand, the way Robin had in the first place.
Robin breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the girl standing beside him. "I dunno what you said to him, Star, but it worked."
"I merely explained that you were not the one who attacked his craft and that it was most foolish of him to assume so," she said modestly.
Robin took Tromand'r's hand and shook it. The captain seemed a bit unsure of the action itself, but he understood the meaning behind it, at least. He released the Boy Wonder's hand and turned to Starfire. "Sol Koriand'r…gembalar sel tamas du seles…ah…humans?"
Starfire, for some reason, blushed in response to this, and glanced worriedly at Robin. "Erm…d-dam'i? N-ata'n?"
"Hesbad, dam'i et nata'n."
Starfire's blush grew. Again her eyes darted toward Robin.
What's going on…? Robin wondered to himself.
Starfire seemed to stiffen, and then sighed. "Hesbad…de X'Hal."
And before Robin could even begin to be surprised, upset, angry, jealous, or all of the above, Starfire hovered upward until she was face-to-face with Tromand'r, placed her hands on his cheeks, and kissed him.
And a second later, Robin fainted.