Author's Note:
Some of you may be dismayed by the Jason/Kory sparks. Nothing is final about pairings. This is first and foremost a Starfire story. That is all I will say.
~0~0~0~
Kory heard the release of an arrow and then the cry of the creature above her. She opened her eyes and tried to angle her head to determine what was happening. Meanwhile the cold of the snow continued to bit into her bare skin, causing her to shake violently.
The man in the shredded red mask appeared next to her, kneeling down beside her frozen body. He shook her, once, twice, calling her nickname, yelling at her, really.
"Kory! Shit, Kory!"
Raven hair, blue eyes. She reached a hand out to cup his face, her orange fingers clashing with the tatters of his mask. "R-R-Richard?" she whispered, disoriented.
A strange expression crossed the man's face, but Kory could not tell what it was. The man jolted from a large crash several paces away from them. He whipped around, cupping his hands over his mouth to call to someone.
"Arsenal, get your ass over here. Kory's gonna fucking freeze to death!"
"I'm a little busy at the moment!" Arsenal called back, and another explosion shook the ground.
"Too fucking bad! I'll take on the crocodile. Heat Kory up with one of those thermal arrows!"
The man moved away from her, running in the opposite direction. Jason, she remembered. Kory wanted to call out to him. She wanted to apologize for calling him Richard, but she was so weak.
She groaned as two strong arms lifted her upper body, wrapping her up tight. A second later an arrow plunged into the snow, creating a small but powerful heat, that Kory greedily sought out. The male figure cradled her tightly, and Kory didn't have to turn her head to know that it was Roy.
"Shit, Kory. What happened to you?" Arsenal asked worriedly.
Kory swallowed shakily, her shivers beginning to subside. She cringed from the sounds of gunshots as Red Hood undoubtedly took on Crux. "Transubstantiator," she explained. "Crux has sapped my energy. Everything that makes me Tamaranean is no more."
She heard Arsenal's sharp intake of breath. "Forever?"
Kory began to open her mouth to answer him when Red Hood's yell cut her off.
"Fuck! He's coming right for you!"
Kory and Arsenal had no time to react for at the next moment Crux barreled into them, knocking them onto the surface of the lake once more. All three crashed down into the depths below.
Kory gasped as the ice cold water shocked her system. It froze every fiber of her being, penetrating her very core. Crux apparently wasn't fairing well either. The force of his crash into the ice appeared to have dazed him, for he struggled awkwardly. Arsenal waved wildly beside her, his breath coming out in a stream of bubbles as the temperature literally took his breath away.
As she watched him, dying beside her, something in her ignited.
In a furious cry her eyes blazed green, then, grabbing Arsenal in one fist and Crux in the other, she shot up through the water and into the sky, her hair streaming with fire behind her. She placed both her friend and her foe onto the ice, sighing in relief as the warmth of her powers consumed her once more.
Crux, now free from his icy prison, lashed out with his claws once more, but she hit him back with a long beam of her starbolts. The reptilian monster cried out in pain and took to the air for escape. Red Hood fired his weapons several more times, actually managing to pierce Crux's wings with a couple holes before the monster escaped. Kory could have flown after him, but she had other obligations at the moment.
She crouched down beside Arsenal; it was her turn to warm her teammate. Red Hood eventually joined them, finally calling it quits and removing the remains of his mask.
Arsenal coughed violently, his body racked with shivers. He glanced up at her in shock. "H-h-how…?"
"Crux did not take into account that my body is not like that of a normal Tamaranean's," Kory explained. "Many years ago I was experimented on by a species known as the Psions. They are the reason I have these." She produced larger starbolts in her hands, using the heat to help Arsenal. "It was a dark time in my life though, and I wish not to speak of it anymore."
"W-works f-f-for m-m-m-me," Arsenal chattered.
"Any ideas why that thing was after you?" Jason asked, glancing at Arsenal's jittering form.
Kory turned to Jason, her eyes darting to the tattered remains of his mask against the snow. "He was merely a xenophobe, intent on the destruction of my people. It is no matter. We shall destroy him if he brings harm to us again." She glanced up to look at Jason. "What happened before you came to my aid?"
"I'll explain later. Let's just get this one's ass home before it freezes off," Jason commented, gesturing to Arsenal.
"W-w-well, aren't y-y-you c-c-courteous," Arsenal replied, rolling his eyes.
Kory smiled at her two friends as they began to walk back to the village. A sound of a large bird ruffling its feathers caught her ear, and she turned toward a cluster of pines. At that moment a falcon soared into the air hurriedly, flying in the opposite direction of her team. Kory cocked her head to the side as she watched the bird soar into the distance.
It was only until after she had boarded their ship again did she realize it was probably notable that the falcon was green.
~0~0~0~
"The Untitled?" Kory asked after they had returned home, frowning as Jason and Roy described the creature that attacked them.
"Essence fucking set us up before. I called it by the way," Roy mentioned. "Anyway this Untitled, she just looked like an ordinary officer," he explained, a blanket still wrapped around his shoulders despite the hot climate of St. Martinique. "It's a shame. She was a looker too."
"Roy likes anything covered in maggots," Jason quipped, and although Kory didn't get the reference, she assumed whoever this 'Untitled' was; she must have been quite a disturbing site.
Roy looked like he was about to puke. "Well…that part I didn't like."
"Are you satisfied with how the mission went?" Kory asked, glancing at Jason this time.
Jason shrugged. "I think so. Files had nothing. At least we know what the fuck infected the All Caste for sure now, and that Essence was behind it. That's something." Jason frowned at the memory of the zombified monks.
Kory placed her hand on his shoulder. "Then we are one step closer to avenging your loved ones. We shall find her again, Jason. I swear it."
Jason stiffened at her touch. "Yeah," he said strangely, and then moved onto the patio.
Kory frowned as he exited the living space. She turned to Roy. "Have I said something to offend?"
Roy cringed. "Not exactly. It's not your fault; you were really disoriented when we found you."
Kory arched an eyebrow. "But…?"
Roy sighed. "But you sort of thought Jason was Dick. It…I guess he's still a little freaked out by it. He might not ever admit it, but he was definitely really worried for you back there."
She cast her eyes downward. "Oh. Yes, I remember now. That was foolish of me," she murmured, referring to her mistake.
"Nah. Jason's a drama queen. Don't worry about it." Roy clapped her shoulder. "Thanks by the way, for saving my life."
Kory smiled softly. "And you for saving mine."
"You know, I never got why you're so willing to help Jason avenge the All Caste. I get that you dig him and all, but it's not your battle At least for me I'm paying him back for some shit he helped me through in the past. But why do you care so much?"
Kory thought about this. Finally, she answered with, "I suppose I can understand his need to find peace."
Roy looked confused by her response, but he didn't press further. Instead, he rose from his chair and walked over to the living room side window, sticking his head out. He turned back to face her shaking his head. "Can't believe it's only the afternoon. That's what happens when we do these awful morning missions."
Kory giggled. "You are not the morning person I take it?"
Roy yawned. "Can you tell? I think I need a catnap. See you around dinner time?"
"Of course."
As soon as Roy retreated to his room, Kory flew onto the patio, intent on apologizing to Jason. She expected him to be sulking in the corner, but to her surprise he was lounging in a lawn chair with his shirt off, a drink in his hand. When he turned his head to look at her he grinned and gestured to the chair next to him. Kory hesitated for a moment before sitting down. Instead of leaning back, however, she put her legs together over the side of the chair as she turned to face him. She kept her back pin straight.
Jason eyed her posture. "Why so tense, Kor?"
Kory took a breath, nervous that emotion would cloud her voice when she spoke. She leaned over and took his hand between her own. "I wish to apologize to you."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yes. Roy told me I thought that you were…someone else."
"You thought I was Dick."
Kory cringed. "Yes, but I do not know how this could be, considering I do not even remember who he is or even what he looks like."
Jason scoffed and shook his head. "You can remember. You just don't want to. Ow!"
Kory released his hand once she realized she had been squeezing it in anger. "Perhaps I do not wish to remember, but is that so terrible? Is that not my right?"
"It's your right; you just don't have to drag me into it."
"Well, my apologies for being such an inconvenience to you. Perhaps now you wish you had not come to my aid."
"Don't be dramatic."
Kory's eyes blazed. "I am the one who is being dramatic? You are the one who runs off and expects to be left alone. You trap yourself in your room and will speak to no one. You isolate yourself when our friends and I only wish to help!" Her eyes widened slightly as she realized she had no idea where any of that had come from.
Jason furrowed his eyebrows. "I've never turned you away when you come after me. That's Dick. Again."
Kory felt her breath coming out fast, partly because she was so angry, but partly because she knew he was right. She turned her head so he could not see the tears pricking her eyes, but when she felt his hand on the back of her neck, she knew he had anyway.
"Can you at least look at me?" he asked, his voice half-soft, and half sardonic. Kory knew by now this was Jason's way of compassion, and for that reason she honored his request, her eyes still slightly damp.
"Please," she whispered. "Must we always come back to him? Can I not start this new life, here with Roy, and with you?"
Jason brushed clumps of red hair that had stuck to her damp cheek to the area behind her neck. His touch was firm, probably firmer than most human males would hold their females, but Kory knew he was aware of how strong she was. She wanted him to answer her question, but he remained silent, even as his hand drifted down to the small of her back. Kory suppressed a shiver.
She watched his eyes, how they fixated on her hair, on her skin. He shifted over to her lounge chair, his left hand still on her back while his right reached up to push more of her hair back. His fingers gently traced along her neck and she shut her eyes, curious as to why they burned her. She wondered as he drew closer if he would press his lips to hers.
Her eyes opened slightly. He was still watching her neck. "Jason?" she asked.
"You have some burns from the Transubstantiator," he said, and she felt an overwhelming wave of disappointment. "On your neck and lower back, that gash seems to have healed pretty nicely though."
That would explain the cause of his burning touch.
"Oh," Kory said absently. "They should all be finished healing by tomorrow."
"Alright then," he replied.
Kory tried hard to hide her disappointment, but she assumed she was doing a poor job. She could see it in his eyes. He knew, or suspected at least.
Which was why she was surprised when he said, "Wanna go swimming tonight?"
She cocked her head to the side. "Under the moonlight?"
Jason cringed. "Well it sounds lame as fuck when you say it like that."
Kory covered her mouth to hide a giggle.
"I just figured it would feel nice on your burns," he explained.
"That is very sweet of you, Jason."
He looked at her in horror. "Sweet? Never mind I take it back."
Kory laughed and punched his shoulder, perhaps a little too hard giving that he rubbed it. "Oh, hush. I would be happy to join you for the midnight swim."
"Cool."
That night, after she made sure Roy would not drink himself to death in their absence, Kory slipped on her white bathing suit. She considered tying her hair up, but decided to leave it down, figuring there might be a chance Jason would touch it again.
He had already left without her, but this wasn't surprising. After her 'moonlight' and 'sweet' comments, she figured he wouldn't be caught dead walking down the beach together. She felt like laughing when she imagined him cringing at the very idea.
Once she had adjusted her bathing suit and combed through her flowing hair, she flew down the beach, pausing as she came to the cove where she had found him the first night they had really talked. She scanned the black rock and the crystal waters, but could not locate him. She drifted into the center of the cove, her toes just barely grazing the warm water. Suddenly, a pale arm shot out from the waves and wrapped around her calf. Kory let out a scream as she was pulled into the water for the second time today, although this time was slightly more jovial.
She knew as soon as he touched her that it was him playing his games. She gave him a good kick underwater before swimming back to the surface. He emerged with her, laughing.
"That was cruel!" she cried, only half-seriously. "Surely you do not wish to traumatize me by reenacting my attack?"
Jason's laughter subsided. "Didn't even think about that actually."
"You were quite like Crux, albeit less revolting."
"Ooo, is that an invitation to role play?" Jason asked mischievously, wiggling his eyebrows.
Kory scoffed and shoved him again before diving under the water. She felt him swim up beside her, and then she watched indignantly as he tried to swim ahead. She used her strength and flight to push in front, making sure to turn and make a face at him as she swam past. He gave her an offending gesture and she returned it, even though she wasn't exactly sure what it meant. By the time they reemerged, the black, igneous rock surrounded them on three sides. Kory pressed her back into the rock, using her feet to find a steady place for her to rest.
To her surprise Jason swam up in front of her, his eyes running from her shoulder to her neck again. She blushed under his gaze, even when his eyes widened.
"Shit," he muttered, "you're already healed."
"My people are most resilient," she told him, pressing herself further into the rock.
Jason continued to tread water. "Are your people also cheaters? I know you were using your flight."
Kory looked at him innocently. "Perhaps you are just the sore loser."
"That's cuz you cheated."
Kory rolled her eyes; well aware she was using the sarcastic gesture more and more these days. She shook her head and smiled at him, noticing how he was still treading water. "You do not wish to rest? There is plenty of room."
"Well, if you're offering." Jason squeezed himself close to her, and Kory couldn't tell if this was him being flirtatious or not. Sometimes he was easy to read, and other times…well…it was nearly impossible.
He turned next to her so his back was also pressed against the rock. He was panting slightly, and his hair clung to his forehead and neck. He sighed; bringing his hand up and brushing the raven wisps back against his scalp.
"You ever miss home?" he asked suddenly.
She turned her head in surprise. "Home? You are referring to Tamaran?"
"If that's your home planet then, yeah."
"I…miss my K'Norfka, my caretaker," she clarified when Jason gave her a bewildered look. "I miss my place by his side…and I miss my dear friend, Karras."
"Why don't you visit him? This Karras guy?"
"He was killed in battle," Kory explained, a great sadness penetrating her chest at his memory. "It feels so long ago, but really it has only been a little less than an Earth year."
"Shit," Jason muttered.
"Yes. Shit, indeed." Kory paused when she noticed Jason looking at her. "Do I have something on my face?"
"Nah. It's just funny hearing you swear. Don't think I'll ever get used to it." He chuckled.
"Yes, well, I still do not think it suits me."
"Everything suits you."
Kory reddened, choosing to break eye contact and gaze up at the moon. "Do you miss it?" she questioned after several moments of silence. "Gotham?"
She felt Jason stiffen beside her, but for some reason she did not regret asking the question. "Not really," he answered.
"Are you lying?"
"I never lie."
It was Kory's turn to chuckle. "You do not have to tell me. It is the 'o' and the 'k' Jason."
"I miss some things about it," he admitted, "but not the people. Definitely not the people."
Kory nodded to herself. "That is understandable, I suppose."
They stood in silence for a while, the water still bobbing against them. Eventually they found themselves walking along the shoreline, back toward their home. They spoke mildly, but for the most part they wandered in peaceful silence. Every now and then, their arms would brush up against each other, and every time they did, Kory felt her heart beat faster. The fourth time it happened, she impulsively curled her fingers around his wrist.
Jason stared at her questioningly, and before Kory could lose her nerve altogether, she pressed her lips against his. It was brief and stiff, mostly because she was so nervous and had no idea or recollection of how to kiss the way humans did. When she pulled back, she half expected Jason to be outraged. Instead, he was grinning devilishly.
"Learning more languages?" he asked, although she suspected the question wasn't serious, considering she had already learned Russian from him.
"I apologize," Kory stammered, horribly embarrassed. "I will not do it again. It is just I…you-"
"Take it easy, Kory," he told her. "I get it. You were curious." He waggled his eyebrows. "Make sure you give me a heads up next time though."
Kory's blush ran all the way down her neck. How humiliating. Well, at least this wasn't quite a rejection. X'Hal, it was so hard to tell when he was being serious. She plopped down into the sand, shaking her head at herself.
Jason threw back his head in laughter. "You know, if I found things cute, you'd be one of them." He held out his hand, grinning down at her and she smiled softly in response. "Come on, let's make sure Roy's still got a pulse."
She took his hand.
~0~0~0~
Author's Note:
But wait…what about Dick? What about the Titans? Stay tuned for the next chapter!