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p-artsypants · 6 months

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The Last Flying Grayson

While out on duty, Robin sees a billboard that chills his soul. ‘Haly’s Circus 3000 Phoenix Tour, coming to Jump City at the end of June!’ Not long after, Mr. Haly reaches out to the Titans for a favor.

Ao3 | FF.net

“I’m beat!” Cyborg lamented, slouching forward. “I hate chasing Mumbo. He’s annoying and he turned my car into a wind up toy.”

“I’m right here,” said Mumbo, returned to his old man form. “Not much of a crime spree if I stay in one place, is it?”

“Man, shut up!”

“It’s alright Cyborg,” Robin patted his back. “Let’s drop Mumbo off with the police and then we can pick up some pizza for din—” as he spoke, he turned to look at their favorite pizza place, only to see a large Billboard next to it.

Haly’s Circus 3000!

Phoenix Tour!

Coming end of June!

He stood frozen. Suddenly confronting his past like this was not something he was prepared for.

“Hey, you okay?” Asked Cyborg. “You look paler than usual.”

“Yeah dude, you look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

He tore his gaze away from the billboard and looked back at his team. This was his present, and that was his past. There was no reason he couldn’t stop in and say hello, but there was no use lingering on it. “I’m fine. I just…suddenly realized how much paperwork I had to do.”

“Oh Robin, you must not lock yourself up in that office!” Starfire cried.

“Yeah dude! It’s movie night!”

“I’ll do the paperwork on the kitchen table, how about that?”

Beast Boy and Starfire cheered.

As they carried Mumbo off to the car, Raven caught Robin taking one last look at the billboard.

She knew more than the others.

She had been inside his head and saw his memories. It was brief, but she saw it. Whether or not this ‘Haly’s Circus 3000’ was the same one from his memories, she didn’t know. But it wasn’t her place to ask.

—-

Robin’s past came back to haunt him a few days later.

They were all gathered in the ops room, playing a card game together and hanging out, just being teens.

“Ha!” Beast Boy put down a card with a tornado on it. “I bet none of you nerds can beat that!”

Cyborg groaned. “Man, I had a lightning storm! I was certain I had it!”

“I got nothing,” said Raven.

“I, as well, have nothing to beat the tornado.”

“Well well well, looks like Beast Boy is cleaning up!”

“Not so fast, Grass Stain,” Robin taunted. “I still have one card.”

Beast Boy gasped. “You would not.”

Robin slammed the card down onto the pile. “Meteor shower! Read it and weep!”

“Noooo! That’s three games in a row! How do you keep winning!?”

“Let’s just say lady luck is a personal friend of mine.”

“You have a lady friend named ‘Luck’?” Starfire asked, a pout on her face.

“Relax Star, it’s just an expression.”

“Then…perhaps we can play once more and I can befriend this Lady of Luck?”

“Nah, I’m done,” said Beast Boy. “I got my butt kicked on the field enough times this week, I don’t need it kicked in my own home.”

The big screen came to life with an unknown caller number on it.

“Ohhh unknown caller? How much do you want to bet it’s a salesman?”

Robin’s jovial mood plummeted as butterflies erupted in his stomach. He had a feeling. “I don’t think it’s a salesman,” he said, subdued. He rose, and answered it.

A portly man with a curly mustache wearing a striped shirt appeared on the screen. A big smile came over his face. “Robin! Good to see you, lad!”

Of course he knew. ‘Robin’ and ‘Boy Wonder’ had been nicknames from the circus. His uniform was nearly the same too. Not to mention the death defying stunts he performed while crime fighting. It wouldn’t be that hard for anyone from Haly’s to piece it together. But, since Haly’s left Gotham and promised to never return, he hadn’t been concerned. Now, he was.

“Mr. Haly,” he greeted with a nod.

“I don’t want to take up much of your time. I’m sure you and your team are very busy.”

“Busy losing at cards,” Beast Boy grumbled.

“What do you need?” Robin asked.

“I’m not sure if you heard, but we’re having a comeback tour, and next month, we’re coming to Jump City!”

“I saw the billboard.”

“Oh good! I had hoped that advertising was working. I had an idea. We used to do these charity nights where we had special benefactors sponsor us, and all ticket sales would go to the benefactor’s chosen charity.”

Of course he remembered. It was why Bruce Wayne had been there the night that—

Robin assumed, “and you were hoping the Titans could sponsor a show?”

“That’s right! Of course, you would all be considered guests of honor and get VIP seats. But, if it’s not in the budget, I’d understand.”

“I’m sure we can make that happen,” Robin smiled. This conversation was going smoother than he expected. It seemed like Haly was being considerate enough to not assume everyone else knew who he was.

“And…I have a personal favor to ask.”

There it was. “What’s that?”

“I was wondering if you could find someone for me. You see, our circus has many new acts, and some old faces too, but…the Flying Graysons were still the greatest. I was hoping you could find Richard, the Last Flying Grayson, and see if he has it in his heart to perform as a special act. Just one night, as an homage to his parents. Is that something you could do for me?”

Robin was quiet for far too long before he agreed, “yeah, I’ll find him and ask.”

“Excellent. I know this is rather short notice. We’re planning on coming in two weeks, with the first show at the end of June. We were hoping you’d sponsor the show on June 27.”

“June 27th, huh?” There was no hiding the grief in his voice.

“Unless you’d prefer another day.”

“I’ll make it happen, Mr. Haly.”

“Wonderful! Wonderful! Let him know he can reach me at this number once he knows what he’ll need for his act. I can’t wait for you to see how the show looks now!”

Robin’s throat felt tight. “Is Zitka still there?”

“Of course! Fat on peanuts, but she’s still beautiful.”

Robin couldn’t help but smile. “Great to hear. We’ll see you in a few weeks then.”

“See you!” And the call ended.

“Soooo…” Beast Boy grinned. “Who was that?”

“An old friend,” Robin said vaguely. He really didn’t want to talk about it, but knew if he made a big deal about not wanting to talk about it then they’d pry and pry and pry until he talked about it!

“That’s obvious,” said Cyborg. “But what’s the story!? You know circus people?”

Robin swallowed. “They performed in Gotham City for a time. I knew them from my time there.” Half a lie. “I owe Haly a favor.” That was the truth.

“Man, you have the coolest experiences from working with Batman and you never talk about them!”

He scoffed, “like the 22 times Two-Face robbed the Second National Bank of Gotham of all its 2 dollar bills? Yeah, real exciting stuff.”

“Please,” began Starfire, “this sir-cuss is a performance, like theater?”

“Sort of,” Robin smiled. “Circuses travel from city to city, and perform in big tents. There’s big animals, strong men, clowns, all sorts of performers.”

“And who is this Zitka and why is she full of peanuts?”

“She’s an elephant.”

“Cool! Robin’s friends with an elephant!” Cyborg smiled.

“UM HELLO? You all are!” Beast Boy morphed into an elephant.

Cyborg grabbed his trunk. “I meant a real elephant, dummy!”

Beast boy shifted back, rubbing his nose. “So what is he having you do? Something about finding a performer? A Flying Grayson?”

He was afraid of this. It was too close. He had to play it cool, pretend it was nothing. He was removed from the situation, and none of it mattered.

Or he could tell them the whole truth.

Nononononono no. No. Not happening.

“The Flying Graysons…were the headliner. A family of trapeze artists,” he began. “Gotham is full of crazies like the Joker and Two-Face, yes, but it also has a lot of mafia activity. An extortionist threatened Haly, and when Haly didn’t pay up, the thug messed with the rigging to The Flying Graysons’ act.” Robin swallowed harshly. “John and Mary Grayson…f-fell. Their son, Richard, survived.” He sighed. “I saw it happen. It was…pretty traumatic.”

“What of the foul man that committed the crime?” Starfire asked.

“Batman and I beat him up and threw him in jail.”

“So, I guess this Richard guy owes you a favor, huh?” Beast Boy smirked.

“I suppose.”

“Need any help tracking him down?” Offered Cyborg.

“Nah, I know where to find him.”

“I don’t know dude,” Beast Boy wondered. “If my parents died in an accident like that, I’d never touch the trapeze again. Is he still practicing?”

“Not exactly, but he can do it.” Robin headed for the door. “I’m going to go ahead and reach out to him. Have fun with your cards.”

As he departed and was alone, his shoulders sagged heavily and the tears started to well up. “Not yet,” he whispered.

He walked swiftly towards his room, only to be halted by Raven appearing from the floor.

“Wanna talk about it?” She asked.

“About what?” Sooth.

“Robin, I’ve been in your head. I saw your memories. I don’t know the details, but that fall that you witnessed was a prominent memory.”

He had almost forgotten that she had read his mind. Raven was considerate enough to not do it very often to people.

“I’m fine, and I don’t need to talk about anything,” he said sternly, walking past her. Then he felt a wave of guilt, because Raven, the one friend who was the least likely to reach out, was concerned. “But thanks for the offer.”

—-

The next few weeks were quiet. Robin shared no more information about the Circus. He never said if he found Richard Grayson. In fact, he didn’t say much at all. He spent most of his days in his room. He admitted that he had been working in his office a lot of late nights, so he was taking naps during the downtime of the day.

One night at dinner, Beast Boy asked a question that Robin dreaded. “So…I was walking past your room, and I heard a sewing machine?”

Robin nearly dropped his fork.

“What’s all that about?”

Robin gnawed the inside of his cheek. “I’m working on a new costume.”

Starfire nearly floated out of her chair. “Are you becoming Nightwing?!”

“No, not quite,” he smiled at her enthusiasm. “I’m just…making a prototype.” Another lie.

“Can we see it?” Cyborg asked.

“When I’m done, I’ll show you.” Not a lie!

—-

Soon, the date arrived.

Robin banked on the fact that Beast Boy was too preoccupied by games to notice what he was wearing. Just in case, we wore a trench coat over his new costume.

“Beast Boy, I have to leave early for the show, but I’m leaving your guys’ tickets on the counter with instructions.”

“Okay Robby, see you later!” Beast Boy didn’t even turn around.

Robin, the Boy Wonder, exited the tower, and Richard Grayson, the Last Flying Grayson, entered Jump City.

—-

Hours later, the Titans assembled in the ops room, preparing to leave.

“Hey, where’s Robin?”

“Oh, he left hours ago,” Beast Boy said easily. “But I think he left a note around here somewhere…”

“You mean this?” Raven picked up the paper that was very clearly right in front of them.

“Haha…yeah…”

“Dear Titans, I went early to pick up Mr. Grayson. I have left your tickets for you. Your seat numbers are on them. Don’t wait for me, I will meet up with you during the show. Love, Robin.”

“He can be so sweet,” Starfire smiled.

“Yeah yeah, bunnies and flowers, can we go? I’m starving!”

“Oh yeah baby! Carnival food!”

“This isn’t a carnival, it’s a circus,” Raven corrected.

“I hope they have popcorn! No! Pretzels!”

“Whatever they have, I hope it’s deep fried and delicious!”

They piled in the T-Car and made their way out to the edge of town. From even a few miles away, they could see the massive red and white tent, alight with search lights.

“Whoa…” Beast Boy gawked.

“Oh this is most exciting! Such an event on Tamaran would include the beheading of a shnerkel! Will any animals have their heads placed on pikes?”

“Uh…no.” Beat Boy looked ill. “The circus is a fun place with no maiming.”

“Actually,” said Cyborg. “I think their whole thing is death-defying stunts. So doing dangerous things to inspire awe.”

“Fascinating! I believe Robin called that ‘thrill seeking’?”

“Similar,” Said Raven. “Maybe you should just wait and see. It's hard to explain.”

They drove up to the gate, where a man in a purple clown costume waited. “Good evening! You must be the Teen Titans! Robin saved you a parking spot up front. Go ahead.”

“Awww Robin saved us a place so I don’t have to worry about my baby getting scratched!” Cyborg sniffed. “You’re right Star, he really can be sweet sometimes.”

Starfire giggled while Beast Boy made a gagging sound.

Cyborg parked up front, next to Robin’s motorcycle, and then they made their way to the entrance of the tent. They passed the ticket stand that had a sign up that stated ‘Sold out’. Next to the door was a huge poster of a silhouette of an acrobat swinging on a trapeze. The font read ‘One night only, The Last Flying Grayson!’ The song of a calliope rang through the air.

“Sounds like we picked the right show to sponsor,” Cyborg noted.

The tent was massive, with seating all the way around. Four giant poles held up the tent, which was blue with stars on the inside.

“Tickets please,” said a woman in a glittery leotard.

Starfire handed them over.

“Of course! You’re the Titans. You’ll be sitting in the VIP box, in section A.” She pointed to a spot in the bleachers that was raised up and out a little, presumably for the best view.

“We should sponsor more events,” Beast Boy grinned.

“Enjoy the show!” The woman smiled, handing back the tickets.

As they crossed the tent, Cyborg got a whiff of the concession stand. “I’m gettin’ in the food line before it gets too long. Whatchu guys want?”

“Oh! I would like a hot dog with a gratuitous amount of mustard!” Starfire licked her lips at the very idea.

“I’ll wait in line with you Cy,” said Beast Boy.

“Raavveeennnn,” Cyborg sang. “They have pretzels!”

“My day is made,” she droned.

Starfire and Raven went to their seats to wait for the boys.

“Where do you think Robin is?” Starfire asked, standing to peer through the crowd. People were still arriving and the stands were filling.

“Couldn’t say,” Raven shrugged. “Maybe he gets to help the Ringmaster or something.”

Like she summoned him, her communicator buzzed. “Robin to Starfire, come in, Starfire.”

“This is Starfire. Where are you?”

“You’ll see me soon. I need a favor.”

“Anything!”

“When I give the signal, I need you to prepare a Tamaranean discus maneuver.”

“What? Why?”

“Just trust me.”

“Alright, you know best. Where do you wish me to aim you?”

“At the center ring, the stage right in front of you, at the very center.”

“What signal?”

“Eyes on deck.”

“When?”

“You’ll see me. Don’t worry. And relax! Enjoy the show!” And he ended the call.

“Uh, that’s weird.” Raven quirked a brow.

“I hope there is no trouble.”

“He said not to worry. Maybe he’s helping Mr. Grayson out in his act?”

“Oh that would be wonderful! Robin is very good at the flipping!”

“Acrobatics,” Raven corrected.

Soon enough, the boys returned with arms full of all manner of popcorn, pretzels, hot dogs, soda, and cotton candy. “A hot dog and pretzel, for the ladies,” Beast Boy juggled over the two items, as well as two sodas.

“Where’s my cheese?” Raven asked.

“You didn’t say you wanted any.”

“My day is ruined,” she droned.

Then, the lights dimmed, and a drumroll silenced all chatter.

A spotlight illuminated a singular man in the center. The same portly, mustachioed man, wearing a red and gold suit with a top hat. “Ladies and gentlemen!” His voice carried throughout the tent. “Welcome to Haly’s Circus 3000! We would like to thank our generous benefactors for this special event, the Teen Titans!”

Another spotlight ignited on the group, unexpectedly, and they all smiled and waved awkwardly as the crowd applauded.

“Tonight, you will witness performances the likes you’ve never seen! Prepare for awe, laughter, shock, and drama! Please, enjoy the show!”

Sparklers ignited around the ring and the big band struck up a jaunty tune. From all the aisles came the performers. Clowns on stilts, women standing on horses, strong men carrying barrels, and even a bear on a unicycle.

Beast Boy shook Cyborg as he exploded with excitement.

A man in a burgundy suit came to the center ring, holding a whip in one hand, and a giant hoop in the other.

“Please direct your attention to the center ring, where you will see God’s mightiest creature come to heel. I present Marko, the Tiger Whisperer!”

The audience cheered as the Ringmaster left. The man called Marko raised the hoop, and snapped his whip.

From outside the tent came running a streak of black and orange. The tiger leapt into the ring, through the hoop, and skittered to a stop, like an overgrown puppy.

The tamer pet his nose and fed him a treat.

The audience and Titans watched with fascination as the tiger performed tricks that only extremely disciplined dogs could do. The act concluded with the tamer sticking his head in the tiger’s mouth.

Starfire stood up with the crowd to applaud.

Each act that followed was just as spectacular.

There was a juggler that juggled flaming batons and chainsaws. A set of clowns bonked each other on the head with progressively larger and larger cartoonish hammers, and of course, the bear on the unicycle returned.

“Does that give you fond memories, Cyborg?” Beast Boy joked.

“It gives me memories alright. Fond? Not so much.”

“That bear is very talented!” Starfire cooed.

“I’m surprised the unicycle hasn’t broken.”

“And now, ladies and gentlemen,” called the Ringmaster once more, as the lights swirled over the audience. “The moment you’ve been looking forward to all night. A once in a lifetime opportunity. The living legacy himself! Performing high-flying death-defying stunts, 60 feet in the air, without the safety of a net, The Last Flying Grayson!”

The spotlights turned and illuminated a young man, standing in the center ring. The haunting sound of an accordian playing a waltz filled the air.

“Wait, is that–?” Beast Boy squinted.

“It can’t be…” Cyborg gaped.

“But it must!” Starfire gleefully beamed.

“No. Way.”

The young man had black hair, styled into slicked back spikes. He wore a tight, sleeveless red tunic with yellow ties across the front. He had dark green tights, and a yellow sash instead of a utility belt.

He had a sad smile on his mask-less face, along with face paint to make it look like he had a single tear on his cheek.

He bowed low, his arms back behind him. Then he flung back and flipped, once, twice, three times and landed on his feet. A swing, made of silk rope, descended down to him. He wrapped one side around his arm, and took measured steps in time with the music, until he broke into a run, and then twisted. He spun rapidly, gliding over the ground, and gradually raised into the air. The higher he raised, the more his body contorted, until he looked like he was twisted into a pretzel. It was all effortless, as his facial expression never changed. Just kept that look of bittersweet happiness.

“How is he doing that?” Beast Boy asked as Robin held onto the loop with just one hand that reached between his legs while he did the splits.

“I knew he was flexible, but…whoa.”

A woman began to sing while he performed. A sad tune, haunting melody, and unknown words to everyone in the audience.

Everyone, except Starfire.

“Go, go child, go, you'll see, go.”

She knew these words were in a tongue that was not English, but she wasn’t sure how she knew them. Robin had been the only language assimilation she’d had since she’d been on Earth. But perhaps…

She learned it from him.

“Go and you'll see that a smile often hides a great sorrow. Go and you'll see the madness of mankind.”

As he contorted, Robin twisted the rope around himself, forming a cocoon, until he reached the very top. Then, he pulled a pin on one side and he fell, unraveling like a ball of yard.

He stopped about a foot from the bottom, posed with one leg up by his head.

The audience cheered and whistled, but the only one who stayed totally silent was Starfire. Not because she wasn’t enjoying the show, but because she was mesmerized by him.

“Madness of mankind without righteousness, go. Madness of warriors without fear, go.”

Robin wrapped back up in the silk rope and soared through the tent, waving at the crowd as he passed by.

The swing raised up further, and reached the height of a platform that was built into the main beams of the tent. Up here, there were several bars, some stationary, and some hanging on wires.

“Madness of a child full of life who, playing at paradise as a soldier, was killed.”

He simply turned and stepped onto the platform, and offered a little bow.

He raised his arms, took two steps, and leapt, gliding out to a bar on wires. He swung out, flying over the crowd effortlessly, before he flipped and grabbed the next bar with his legs. At the peak of his swing, he flipped off the bar, spun in a tight ball, and landed on a platform on the opposite side of the tent.

The crowd clapped.

Oh, but he wasn’t done. Of course not! He ran and leapt again, catching the bar as it swung back. He used the momentum to swing all the way around the bar several times, getting faster and faster before he let go and flung himself up high. There, he tucked into a ball and rotated twice and caught another bar. He swung on that quickly and shot up again. At the crest of his arc, he hugged his arms to his chest and twisted, turning sideways and upside down.

The audience watched as he came down, and reached for the next bar…

And missed.

“No!” Starfire was on her feet, ready to fly out and catch him, only to watch him fall about ten feet before he twisted again and caught a different bar with his legs.

The audience went wild.

Starfire nearly collapsed with relief.

“Where fortune walks, you can't reach there with the heart anymore.”

He swung backwards, before hooking his feet around the wires and contorting backwards to climb up to stand on the bar. Once it reached the peak swing, he dropped down to his hands and swung, using momentum to swing out far and fast. From here, he leapt onto a hanging hoop. He hooked one leg around the hoop and braced the other inside, then relaxed his torso and threw his hands out. He glided over the audience, nearly touching them. Then he passed the Titans and gave them all high fives with a big smile.

He winked at Starfire.

The hoop rapidly rose up high into the tent, as someone pulled it on the other end.

At the top of the tent, there was a thin wire from post to post, about a hundred feet long, and 70 feet up. The accordion and woman ended their song.

“And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Flying Grayson will become the Balancing Grayson, as he performs the tightrope walk!”

The crowd ‘oo’ed.

Robin withdrew his bow staff from his belt, extended it, and very carefully started walking across the tightrope.

The drums below rolled as he shuffled forward, a little more, a little more…

Suddenly, it looked like he lost his balance as he started swaying and trying to over correct. Then he jerked to one side and fell—

Only to once again catch himself, with one hand on the rope. He flipped back up easily, before stowing the staff again, then he gave an exaggerated shrug and flipped forward, walking the tightrope on his hands.

The crowd went ballistic.

After a few feet, he flipped again, placing one foot down, then the other, then turning and doing a backbend. Up on his hands, then his feet, then he did a front flip, a cartwheel; a full balance beam routine before reaching the other side.

He raised his hands to quiet the roaring crowds.

He took out his staff again, and ran out onto the tightrope. A little before the halfway point, he extended the staff and vaulted up to balance on top of it! He had one hand out, the rest of his body completely straight with his arm. Then, slowly, he transferred the connection point to his forehead.

“Dude…” Beast boy gaped.

Robin balanced on a tightrope, on his staff, on his forehead. The drums rolled.

He gave a little shake of his hands and the band played a cheerful ‘ta-da!’

His friends clapped and cheered, only to be drowned out by the uproar of the crowd.

Robin flipped backwards onto the rope, tucking his baton back into his sash. He watched the swinging bars below and timed it perfectly as he leapt, fell thirty feet, and grabbed the bar expertly.

He whirled through the air, catching bar after bar in more and more precarious ways, like while he was spinning in a somersault, or by just one hand. He even dangled by just one foot.

Starfire watched with awe as he performed, laughter and joy bubbling out of him each time he landed a trick.

It was a side of Robin she’d never seen before.

He was…beautiful.

Of course, she and many other ladies (and probably several men) thought that Robin was cute, handsome, and ‘oh em gee a total hottie’ but seeing him right now, in this environment…he was just beautiful.

Like a galaxy made of an ocean of stars and colors, he was beautiful like a force of nature. His thin frame was deceitful to the strength he held. His ropey muscles had mostly been hidden under loose sleeves and gloves. But Starfire could see them plainly now, and hard at work, twisting under his skin with each aerial feat. The contours of his body were distinct with the skin tight costume. The peak of the human form, a rib cage, surrounded by bands of muscle, a chest with a rapidly beating heart. Even his fingers held incredible strength, as he dangled carelessly from just the tips.

A force of nature. A human in the most definite form.

Utterly mesmerizing.

Robin arched his back, hanging from his ankles with his arms far behind him. He swung his arms, pumping his body to climb higher and higher. He let go, somersaulting in the air, once, twice–five times, before landing on the tips of his toes on a platform. His silk rope dangled off to the side, and he used it to climb all the way back to the top, where the tightrope was.

Once up there, he looked down, right to her. He pointed two fingers at his eyes, then to her.

Eyes on deck.

The signal.

Starfire floated out of her seat, up about ten feet, to provide plenty of clearance for what he had in mind.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he spoke into a mic way up there. “Thank you so much for coming out tonight for my special performance. And to the Teen Titans, thank you for making this event even more special. I knew I had to design my costume after Robin when I heard you guys were going to be here.”

He was such a liar.

“For my final trick, I will need the assistance of a beautiful young woman from the audience.” He pretended to glance around for only a second before exclaiming, “oh Starfire of the Teen Titans! Thank you for volunteering! Give her a hand folks!”

There was an applause, along with laughter, as this had obviously been planned. Starfire giggled as Cyborg shouted, “yeah that’s our girl!”

Robin crawled out on the tightrope, pinwheeling one leg around his body, and then the other. When he reached the middle of the rope, he held his arms out to the side.

A drum roll went up.

He dropped, catching himself with his fingers, and began to swing faster and faster until he was rocketing around the wire, gaining speed.

Then he let go and soared.

Arms out wide like wings, he whooped as he flew.

Then he started to fall, but he had no fear. He was falling right towards her, and she’d catch him.

Starfire floated a couple extra feet, eager to make contact with her friend. She caught him with her hands coming to rest on his ribcage, while he took hold of her shoulders.

“Hi Star,” he beamed, piercing her soul with those vibrant blue eyes.

“Hello,” she smiled back, her heart in her throat. Then she twisted, never letting gravity have a turn with him in this dance. She spun, her grip dragging down to his arms.

Once, twice, three times she spun him, before she let him go. Letting go this time was so different from everytime they performed this maneuver on the field. She wasn’t flinging him into an attack. There was no enemy waiting.

She was throwing him into the end of his act. The end of this beautiful, sacred moment.

Robin twisted in the air and grabbed his staff from his sash. He extended it and dug it into the center of the ring, slowing his descent. He spun around it, his limbs just gliding across the surface as he slowed more and more.

He ended with one leg wrapped around the staff, while the other kicked out. He leaned back and threw his arms out and laughed.

It was like he was mocking the crowd. I flew, his laughter said, I got to fly and you didn’t.

“Ladies and gentlemen! The Last Flying Grayson!”

Robin got to his feet as the crowd stood, screaming and cheering. He bowed once again, and then departed out of the ring, choosing to cartwheel and backflip out.

Starfire was stuck floating in the air, tears streaming down her face, as a bittersweet smile came over her face.

“You coming down?” Cyborg asked.

She nodded awkwardly and sank back into her seat.

“You okay?” Raven asked, offering the edge of her cape to wipe her tears.

“I am only sad it is over,” she lamented.

“No worries!” Cyborg chirped. “I recorded the whole thing!” He tapped his head. “You can watch it over again whenever you want!”

“Oh glorious!” She clapped her hands together, feeling slightly better.

Of course, watching a video would never be the same as watching it in person, but it would have to be enough.

“You guys enjoying the show?” A voice asked from behind them.

They turned in shock as Robin, back in his normal costume and mask appeared behind them. He crouched and stole a handful of Beast Boy’s popcorn.

“That Richard Grayson is something else! Did you see that tightrope act? I wonder how long it took him to perfect that!”

Starfire grabbed him by the front of the shirt and pulled him into a hug. “It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!”

Robin blushed, as she had basically pulled him into her lap, but he hugged her back, nonetheless.

“I wouldn’t say it like that,” said Beast Boy, “but it was certainly the craziest thing I’ve ever seen!”

“I knew you had some skill, but I get so focused on the martial arts part, I don’t even think about your acrobatics!” Said Cyborg.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Raven asked, not accusatory, just curious.

“Uh…” he pulled at his collar. “It’s like…really hard for me to talk about. I figured just showing you would be easier.” He adjusted his grip on Starfire, resigned to the fact he was sitting in her lap. He couldn’t get out of the hug if he tried. “It’s…it’s been 10 years. 10 years ago today that they…my parents…” He swallowed harshly. “Haly knew. He knew I would spend the day crying and in self loathing. It still hurts, and it might never stop, but by being able to do this…it was kinda like…being with them again.”

Starfire hugged him tighter, burying her face in his shoulder.

“You seemed to have fun. Are you gonna do it again someday?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably not.”

Eventually, Starfire let him go so that he could sit next to her instead. She still held his arm, too emotional to let him go completely, and honestly, he didn’t mind so much.

They all watched the end of the show together, a rancorous applause as almost all the performers came out and took their bows.

Then, the lights came up, and everyone was free to go.

Robin released a little sigh. It was hard, but it had been worth it. He felt happier and more content than he expected he’d feel today.

“So,” Raven began. “Are you going to introduce us to your friends, or what?”

“Oh yes! I should very much like to meet your elephant!”

Robin smiled. “Whatever you guys want.”

—

They waited for the crowds to thin before Robin led them to another tent. Here, all manner of performers lounged about, some still in costumes and makeup. When the Titans entered, attention swiveled to them.

“Dickie Bird!”

Then there was an onslaught of ‘way to go’s and ‘atta boy’s, accompanied with affectionate head rubs and back pats. Robin took it all in stride, vainly fixing his hair afterwards. “Uh…thanks guys. It means a lot. Um, these are my friends, The Teen Titans. Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire.”

“It is good to meet you all in person,” Mr. Haly himself said, shaking their hands. “Tonight was a smashing success. Thank you for all your help.”

“Uh, gotta be honest man, we just showed up tonight. Robin took care of everything. If anything, we should be thanking you guys for the amazing show!”

“Nevertheless, attaching your name to the show really brought the crowds in! We’re back, baby!”

Robin smiled, thrilled to see Haly’s Circus thriving.

“So,” Beast Boy began, talking quietly to Robin, but everyone heard him. “Everyone here knows who you are, huh?”

Robin blushed, embarrassed. “Yep.”

“You think a little piece of fabric would keep us from recognizing ol’ Dickie Bird?” A man with smudged paint on his face asked. “Even if you did grow a bit.” He nudged Robin.

A strong man spoke up, with a heavy Russian accent. “Your friends, they do not know how you got the name Robin?”

“Hey yeah!” Cyborg said, vexed. “How come we don’t know? Does anyone know?”

Robin rubbed the back of his head. “It’s…kind of embarrassing.”

“Please share!” Starfire asked, linking her fingers around his arm.

Robin sighed. “So…I was born on the first day of spring, so my mom always called me her little Robin.”

“Aww,” said Beast Boy. “That’s sweet!”

Robin continued. “She said it so often, it became kind of like a stage name, though never officially since I only performed with my parents. But we did talk about me having a solo act as I got older, under the name ‘Robin, the Boy Wonder’. When I joined Batman, I was 8 and didn’t know any better and used the same name.” He gave a little shrug. “I don’t even think Batman knows.”

“Oh, he knows,” said Haly with a laugh. “Shortly after your debut, he sent me a strongly worded email telling me not to tell anyone or there would be consequences.”

Robin rolled his eyes. “Did you respond to that nonsense?”

“You know, I did? I told him you were our boy and that we wouldn’t do anything to put you into harm’s way…which is why we let that playboy billionaire adopt you, despite the fact he clearly didn’t know how to raise a kid. Anyways, I asked Batman if he was in the habit of sending kids to fight on the street. And you know what he told me? He said that you went after Anthony Zucco yourself, at 8 years old. He found you out there and you told him you weren’t going to stop looking for Zucco until he was dead or behind bars.”

“Toughest eight year old I ever heard of,” Raven said, actually sounding impressed.

“So, I let it go. But, we've been keeping an ear out for you.”

Robin wasn’t all that surprised that Batman had basically threatened his extended family, but he was proud that Haly didn’t put up with his bullshit.

It also sounded like they didn’t know that Bruce Wayne was Batman. So that was a relief.

“It was Donna’s idea to reach out to you,” Haly continued. “I didn’t know if it was a good idea, but you don’t know until you take a chance, right?”

The woman that had taken the tickets came up to him and put an arm around his shoulder. “We still love you, Dickie Bird, and I knew we had to take that chance to see you.”

“Dickie Bird?” Beast Boy asked Cyborg, in a hush.

Another man started whistling a happy tune, before a few others joined in singing, “a Dickie Bird whispered ‘haven’t you heard? Spring is here, spring is here, spring is here’.”

Then Robin finished, “And you and I fell in love in reply on hearing the Dickie bird’s news.” His smile was tight. “I…had forgotten they sang that. But I guess I never forgot the song.”

Donna gave him a loving pinch to his cheek. “Now Dick, there’s something we wanted to give you. We found this in the archives, and we thought you would want it.” She retrieved a tube from a table, and two of the strong men opened it up and unraveled the large poster inside.

The Flying Graysons

New Addition

Dick, Our Boy Wonder

It was the poster from his debut show, three years before the accident.

“Is that you?” Starfire asked, nearly cooing. “You were so small.”

“Still is,” Cyborg grinned.

“Yeah,” Robin breathed. “Thanks Donna. It means a lot.”

“Of course, baby. Now, we’re gonna put the poster from tonight in there too, so you can have both, okay?”

Robin just nodded.

Starfire could see this was hard for him, and just laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Why don’t you go say hello to Zitka?” Donna urged. “I’m sure she missed you.”

“Will she remember you?” Cyborg asked.

Robin chuckled, “well, they say an elephant never forgets.”

—-

When they returned to the tower, Robin shut Richard Grayson away in the closet, where he belonged, along with both posters. Just a skeleton of his past life. He was Robin now, all the time. 24/7.

Whenever Starfire tried to talk about it, he deflected the topic. Not harshly or cruelly, he just decided not to answer her directly.

It broke her heart.

About a week later, she sat on the rooftop, looking at the moon, that haunting accordion tune playing in her mind, the silhouette of her friend against the curtain was just a shadow on the surface.

“Hey…you okay?” Robin’s voice asked from the door. “You were pretty quiet today.”

She wasn’t sure if she could handle a conversation with him right now. All she wanted was to talk about his performance. She had questions and observations, and she just wanted to share it all with him. She couldn’t bear hearing him shut it all down again.

“You know you can talk to me,” he said softly, resting a hand on her shoulder.

“Can I?” She asked just as softly.

“Of course.”

“It is…about the circus.”

He frowned.

She prepared herself for the wall that was about to drop.

Instead, he took a seat beside her, legs crossed in front of him. “I’m sorry. You’ve been trying to talk about it all week and…like I said, it’s really hard for me to talk about.”

“I understand. I have things in my life that are equally difficult to share.” She reached out and touched the side of his face, where the painted tear had been. “I just…admired your performance so much. You were most joyous. I have seen you happy, but never like that. I would like to share that experience with you again. Perhaps then maybe one day, it will not be so hard to talk about?”

Robin was quiet for a long time, considering it. Then he offered a small smile. “I’ll think about it.”

She returned the smile. “That’s all I ask.”

—

Another week passed. Robin seemed to clam right back up.

Starfire was resigned to the fact that that one night at the circus was all anyone was ever going to see. And she had to be fine with it. So what if he was her best friend? It was his tragedy, and only he could decide who he’d share it with.

But then, late one night, there was a knock at her bedroom door.

“Hello?” She asked, as she answered.

There was no one there, but there was a package at her feet. A brown paper wrapped parcel, with a note on it.

‘Starfire,

Please put this on and meet me in the training room.

-Love, Robin’

Curious, she ripped the paper off, only to find a purple piece of cloth, nearly the same color as her uniform. She unraveled it, surprised to find a suit made of stretchy material. It was purple but had silvery accents and glittery beads all over the front.

It was so pretty! She held it up and did a little twirl, then rushed to put it on.

It wasn’t a completely perfect fit, but it was comfortable and not too tight. She zipped through the tower in haste to get to the training room.

Richard Grayson was there, dangling from his ankle from a bar hanging from the ceiling. He looked at her as she entered.

“Oh wow!” He chirped, flipping off to land on his feet. “That turned out great! I wasn’t sure if it would fit, because I measured a spare uniform that obviously doesn’t have all the measurements—”

“You made this?”

“...yeah? I made all my uniforms. Always have.”

“There is so much I do not know about you, Richard Grayson,” she smirked, coming closer.

He blushed, but smiled at her. “It’s so weird hearing you say that name.”

“Why do you look at me in such a way?” She asked, tilting her head.

“What way? I’m just…looking at you. I mean, you’re pleasant to look at, but if I’m staring I’m not meaning to!” Shutupshutupshutupshutup!

“You mean to say this is how you look at me when your mask is on as well?”

“Yes?” Was that a good thing? Or was he in trouble now? Did he hurt her feelings? Was he leering? Glaring?

A pretty blush dusted her cheeks as her smile deepened, though it looked like she was trying not to show it.

He cleared his throat. “Um…would you like to…learn some moves?”

Her eyes glistened. When she asked if he would share with her, she had expected him to just talk, not this! “Yes please!”

“Alright.” He ran and leapt, grabbing hold of the bar, then he contorted so he could hang upside down, his feet hooked around the wires. “Okay, come here and hold my arms, facing the same direction as me.”

She gleefully did, having to hover a little to reach.

“Okay, you’re going to push off that box to get us swinging.”

She did, and thrust her legs to pick up momentum.

“Good! Now just do it in time with me so we pick up maximum height.”

“Can I not just fly us up?”

“You could, but where’s the fun in that?”

She giggled. “You always have a certain way to do things.”

“That I do!”

They swung together, making the bar go farther and farther out.

“Okay, now I want you to kick up and try to hook your feet with my calves. Don’t worry if it takes a couple of times.”

Using her super strength, she easily flipped up and hooked her legs with his. She was going to tease him about how good she already was, until she realized the extremely intimate position this put them in. They were completely pressed together, and she saw straight into his blue eyes. “Oh,” she whispered.

“What?” He smirked.

“We are close.”

“Yep. That’s part of the experience. Now, put your arms around my neck.”

She did so, amazed that they could get any closer.

He had kept the swing moving despite being nervous about having Starfire so close, and effortlessly, he flipped them right side up so he was sitting on the bar and she was in his lap. “Ta-da!”

She couldn’t help but giggle again.

“Hey Star?”

“Yes Robin?”

“Thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you. This is very sweet. What made you finally share?”

He kicked his legs so they stayed gliding through the air. “For the longest time, Trapeze represented falling instead of flying like it should. I figured…if anyone would understand flying, it would be you. So…” He avoided eye contact, feeling awkward. That was the dumb answer.

“That I do,” she grinned softly, tenderly. Her heart was full, she thought she might just burst. “What next?”

“Grab hold of the wires, then put your feet on the bar, right here.” He patted the space next to his hips.

She stood, sort of, and made a ‘v’ with her body.

“I’ll lean back, and you stand up straight. 1…2…3!”

Starfire readjusted her grip on the wires and stood, looking down. She watched as Robin fell backwards, and then disappeared. “What…?”

The weight on the bar shifted, and suddenly he was behind her, arms around her waist, and chin on her shoulder.

“How did you do that?”

“Trade secret,” he chuckled. “Now, when I tell you to, I want you to let go and bring your knees up.”

“But I am holding the wire, and you are holding me. If I let go…”

“Trust me Star,” he said earnestly. “You’ll love this.”

“Alright. I am ready when you are.”

He tightened his hold on her waist. “And…go!”

Starfire let go of the wire, tucked her knees, and instinctually clenched her eyes shut. She let out a loud ‘EEP!’ as she felt them fall backwards together. Then she flipped all the way around, before they came to a swinging stop. She peeled her eyes open to find herself parallel with the ground, being held by the hips.

She craned her neck to look at Robin, who was hanging by his knees. “Ta-da!” He chuckled. “It’s probably not all that exciting since you can fly on your own.”

She laughed and placed her arms out in front of her, like she did when she flew. “Contrariwise, it is very exciting! I am not prepared for what you are going to do. I am not in control.”

“So this is a good trust exercise then!”

“You have my trust, Robin,” she said so sincerely, so confidently, it brought a pang to his heart. He trusted her too. With his life, with his past, with his heart—

Starfire noticed he was using her like a pendulum to gain height again. So, she flew, just a little, just to get the bar moving.

“Ready Star?” He called down.

“What is happening?!”

“Here we go!”

Starfire let out a shriek this time as he yanked her upwards and let go, only to grab her a second later and hug her to himself. She fell to sit sideways in his lap as he sat on the bar.

“Did I scare you?”

“Only for a moment!” She giggled, the joy in her soul bubbling over. She wrapped her arms around his neck for a better hold.

Robin lazily kicked his foot to keep them moving, but otherwise just enjoyed having her close. What a thought. They weren’t even talking.

He shook his head, a little embarrassed by himself.

“What is it?” She asked sweetly.

“Nothing, just thought of something ironic.”

“Would you please share your ironic thought?”

He held his breath.

Well.

He was Richard Grayson right now. No mask, no polymerized titanium cape, and Starfire was sitting on his lap.

Couldn’t really get more vulnerable than that, right?

He exhaled. “I was just thinking…I lost the two people I loved the most to a fall. But I don’t have to worry about losing the girl I love, because she can fly.” He offered a small smile.

“Me?” Her eyes brightened.

He just nodded.

“Robin, you truly love me?”

“Yeah,” he whispered.

She touched his face, gently drifting her thumb over his cheek. “The feeling is mutual.”

His shoulders sagged in relief, and his smile grew.

“Shall we initiate lip contact?”

He barked a laugh, not because it was funny, but because it was so Starfire that it brought him immense joy. Instead of answering, he just leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

Starfire smiled into the kiss and hugged him tighter. Thankfully not too tight, as she had a tendency to get carried away with these things.

As they pulled away, they stayed close, just savoring the moment.

As Robin was in what was probably the happiest moment of his young life, it all shattered in front of his face. Like a bucket of ice water, the sound of three people clapping slapped against his face.

Well, a cyborg, changeling, and an empath.

Robin whipped his head around to stare at the intruders.

“Bravo! Encore!”

“Bravissimo!”

“Yay.”

“How…long…have you guys been there?”

“Dude, like, the whole time. When I saw Starfire dressed like a purple disco ball, I knew something like this was going down.”

“The pageantry! The drama! The action! The romance! Best show I’ve seen all week,” Cyborg smirked.

“Congrats on the kissing,” said Raven, who seemed genuinely happy for them in her own way.

Robin sighed. He should have known better.

“So are you going to teach us how to acrobat?” Asked Beast Boy.

“Do we have to sit on your lap too?” Asked Cyborg, wiggling his eyebrows.

“As long as I get a sparkly leotard, I’ll be happy,” Raven made a rare joke.

Robin was far too embarrassed to retort to any of that, so he just hid his face in Starfire’s shoulder.

“Dudes! We can start our own circus! We have a full set! And we could all learn Trapeze from Robin and do a whole show! We can call it, ‘The Teen Swingers Club’.”

Cyborg and Robin burst out laughing while Raven desperately tried not to.

“What? What’s so funny?”

“Yes, I do not understand the joke either.”

Robin whispered the meaning to her quietly before she also burst out laughing.

“Aw man. I hate it when my best jokes are accidents.”

“The best things that happen to you are accidents,” Raven quipped. “You probably were an accident.”

“Hey!” He barked, offended.

Starfire giggled and rested her head on Robin’s chest. “Do not be embarrassed, Robin. For I could not hide what happened from our friends, and this way we do not have to tell them.”

He sighed. He supposed that was a bonus.

Besides, he had started this trend of showing vulnerability instead of talking about his feelings. Why stop now?

“Hang on,” Robin told Starfire.

She gleefully squeezed tighter as he fell backwards, and the rest of the Titans cheered.

—

The next day, both posters were hanging proudly in the training room, right by the acrobatics equipment.

#fanfiction #robin #starfire #robstar #teen titans #tt animated #dick grayson #koriand'r

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p-artsypants · 5 months

Text

Would You Still Love Me if I was a Worm?

“She’s not my girlfriend!” Was the declaration he made. Robin kind of figured that would have consequences, but not like this. Now they were stranded on an alien planet, isolated from each other. Robin thought this new slug-like alien was his end, until it spoke with a familiar inflection. “…not…friend…not…girl…”

Ao3

---

This fic is based off the episode Stranded. It's also gross.

—-

“Give me space!”

If you were to ask Robin later, he’d say he’d been a little harsh. But they were in a life threatening situation, so not that harsh.

The fact that the alien came back and attacked the ship had been bad enough, but then when his teammates did the exact opposite of what he wanted and separated, Robin felt betrayed and frustrated.

Now as he hung upside down, dazed and nauseous from his crash, Robin had to wonder where exactly the day went to crap.

A very cynical part of his brain would say it was when Cyborg made that stupid joke.

“…unless you want to stay here goofing around with your girlfriend.”

Cyborg and Beast Boy commonly teased him about his affections toward Starfire, and he could roll with it. But he could not handle the teasing in front of Starfire.

Feelings. The one thing he just couldn’t tackle.

Granted, he didn’t have superpowers influenced by emotion like Raven. And Batman taught him how to harness his anger into strength and not let him go too far.

But a crush? Anything near romantic love?

Forget it.

His reaction to their dumb joke had been just as immature as the joke itself. He fell for it hook, line, and sinker. “She’s not my girlfriend!” He declared.

“I am not a girl?” Starfire had squeaked behind him. “I am not your friend?”

And he hadn’t clarified anything. Hadn’t had the brains to retort, to reassure, to do anything but stammer and blush.

“If I am not your ‘girlfriend’ then what am I?”

Then the space station they were trying to save started falling apart and the alien that caused all of it returned, and they had to flee.

He glanced at the environment monitor. Luckily, despite the outward appearance of the planet, it looked like it was hospitable. Breathable air and slightly cooler temperature.

He kicked the window out. “Titans! Come in Titans! Is everyone okay?”

Nothing but static.

He dropped to the ground.

The air was musty and damp as he landed. He had landed on a fallen tree, and walked out to the end to get a better view of the landscape.

“Cyborg?” His voice echoed. “Beast Boy?” There was no life for miles. “Raven?” He was alone.

“STARFIRE!”

Utterly alone.

But they had to be here, right? Hopefully. He had crashed because the alien had landed on his pod and he had lost control. The rest of them separated and flew away. Did they join back up in space without him?

He opened his communicator, looking for their positions. There was nothing yet.

He used his grapple to get back up into his ship and activate the beacon. Maybe his friends would be able to find his pod eventually, but for now, he would look for shelter.

Nothing more to do than go off and see the lay of the land.

It wasn’t long after he cleared a ridge that he saw another pod from the T-ship.

Starfire’s.

“Starfire!” He shouted, running toward the ship. It was still, and still smoking from the back. It didn’t look like Starfire had opened it. The window was cracked and a long crater dug through the rock where she had crashed. With the state of the ship, she could very well be injured…or worse.

He dug a birdarang into the crease of the window and popped the pod open.

“Starfire! Are you okay?”

There was a vicious snarl before a horrible, ugly, black and green slug-like monster emerged and attacked.

It had a bit of purple fabric in its mouth.

Robin kicked it away, his foot colliding with its head. “What did you do to Starfire!?” He snarled.

The creature let out low grunts like a pig and snorted as it recovered.

Robin attacked again, tackling it and sending them tumbling down the ravine.

Robin had the wind knocked out of him and only had a second to recover before the six legged beast was on him again, its pincher-like jaw snapping at him. He kicked it away again, sending the thing rolling down a hill and colliding with a hard rock.

Robin didn’t relent. He ran, slid down the hill and came into a flying kick to its chest.

The creature’s soft underbelly absorbed the hit, coating his foot in a thick green ooze.

He punched once, then again, both limbs getting coated as well.

He was stuck, and the creature snapped at him.

Robin contorted and kicked it in the face, getting just enough leverage to break free and get away. But not too far away, since the goop was like glue and kept him firmly stuck to the ground.

So this was it, huh? He had a feeling he’d die on the battlefield, but he was hoping it would be on Earth, where his friends and family could find his body and give him a proper burial.

The creature approached him, huffing and grunting. Its pinchers clacked thoughtfully, as it grew closer.

Robin clenched his eyes shut, preparing for the worst.

Instead, the creature let out a long huff, almost like a sigh, and started to lick the goop off his hands and feet, freeing him.

“Uh…” Robin said aloud, as he was able to get to his feet.

The creature backed away slowly, then, with a very guttural and nearly incomprehensible voice said, “…end…me…”

Robin stared in surprise. “You…you can speak? You can understand me?”

The creature nodded its head slowly, “…end me…”

“I don’t want to do that,” Robin declared, “you spared me when you had the chance to kill me.”

The worm skittered around him, crawling on all six legs. Its acid green eyes squinted at him.

“I’m looking for my friend,” Robin tried again. He gestured back up the ravine they had fallen down. “That pod you were in, that belonged to Starfire. She’s a pretty Tamaranean with red hair, wearing purple.” He swallowed thickly. “I saw that fabric on you. Please tell me you didn’t eat her.”

The alien shifted its jaw, but said nothing.

“Please, I need to find her. She’s important to me.”

The creature slowly backed away, and then turned to leave.

“Hey! Wait!” Robin called, running after. “You didn’t say if you saw her or not!”

“...leave me…alone…”

“I will, I just need to know what you know, please!”

The creature stopped mid step. “...Troq…”

Robin’s nostrils flared. “Hey! She is not a troq! You don’t know anything about her!”

The creature huffed. “...I…am Troq…”

“Oh.” Robin halted. “You mean, that’s your name? Or that’s what you are?” He was under the impression that ‘Troq’ meant ‘nothing’, but it could possibly mean this species of alien…which would also be an insult, he supposed. The alien was pretty hideous and gross. “My name is Robin, and I’m a human from Earth.”

“Rob…in…”

“Yeah! Look, maybe we can be friends? If you help me, I’ll help you.”

“...end…me…” The alien pleaded again.

Robin shook his head. “I can’t do that. Are you in pain?”

“...so much…pain…”

“I’m sorry. Did…did I cause that?” He thought back to the ruthless attacks he’d unleashed when he first saw the creature.

“...yes…”

Now he felt bad. He hadn’t known this was a sentient being.

“I’m sorry. I…I thought you hurt Starfire. If we find all my friends, we can help you. My friend Raven can heal you.”

“...can not…”

“We don’t know if we don’t try.” He got in front of the creature, making it halt its retreat. “But first, I need to know what you know about Starfire. Please.”

The creature shifted its jaw again. “...I…am…”

“You are what?” He pressed, when the creature seemed to trail off.

“...give…you…space…” The worm said then, and attempted to move past Robin.

But Robin got in its face, looking it dead in the eye. “What did you say?”

“...give…Robin…space…” It whimpered, shuffling away from him.

Then it clicked. This thing was in Starfire’s pod.

He gaped. “Star? Is that you?”

She whimpered again, backing away from him.

“Hey, hey,” he reached his hands out in a soothing way. “I’m your friend, Starfire. What happened to you? Why do you look like this?”

Starfire looked around, looking for a way out, and presumably found it as she darted away.

“Starfire!” He chased after.

She was fast, but not very coordinated with six legs as she skittered, tripped, and slid. She let out a long whine.

Robin caught up to her quickly. “What’s going on? Talk to me, Star.”

“...leave me…”

“I’m definitely not! I’ve been looking for you!”

“...ugly…”

“You’re certainly…a little different looking.” He offered.

She snorted.

“Okay, so you’re a lot different looking. But we’ve been through this before, when you went through Transformation. I’m your friend. I don’t care what you look like.”

��...not…friend…not…girl…”

Robin’s jaw dropped. “Star! You’ve transformed into a worm and you’re still caught up on that?! Seriously?!”

She whined again, and covered her head with her front legs.

He sighed, wiping a hand down his face. There was no getting out of this conversation, huh? “Look, uh…’girlfriend’ means something different on Earth. It’s like…a special relationship. Boyfriends and girlfriends go on dates and stuff. You’re my friend, but you’re not my girlfriend. Does that make sense?”

Starfire whined again, and growled, “...I am…not special…”

Robin’s shoulders sank as he felt frustrated and a little forlorn. Starfire was hurting, and somehow transformed, but it was like trying to reason with a wall.

Maybe he needed to change communication tactics.

He knelt down in front of her, and rested a hand on her head. Even through the gloves she felt slimy. “Hey…Star, you are special to me. I think…whatever this is, whatever turned you into this, is clouding your mind with doubt and self-loathing. Once we get you fixed, you’ll see. Everything is fine, okay?”

Starfire didn’t answer right away, but looked up at him. Her pinchers fluttered and she let out a snort. Then she said, “...always trust…Robin…”

He offered her a smile. “Hey, I’ll take it.” He checked his communicator again, seeing her signal faintly. “Do you have your communicator?”

She quivered and made a horrible gagging sound before barfing up her communicator.

Robin suppressed every disgusted reaction he had, and just said, “ah, I’ll hold onto that for you.” As he tucked it into his belt, he said, “let’s go see if we can find the others. Raven might be able to figure out what’s wrong with you.”

Starfire snorted, whatever emotion she felt clouded by her hideous form. Then she scurried on ahead, at a nice clip.

“Hey wait!” Robin ran after to catch up.

She turned to him. “...find friends…or wait…?”

“We’ll find them, but let’s travel together.”

“...must we…?”

“Uh, yeah?” He asked, a little offended. “They won’t recognize you. I didn’t. You don’t want to travel with me?”

“...give…Robin space…” She said again, trudging on.

Robin quickly caught up with her, but didn’t stop her.

“I’m sorry if that hurt you. I was panicking and needed to think about escaping the space station. I don’t need space anymore. I need my friend.”

“...not friend…”

“Yes, you are!” Robin shouted, honestly a little harsher than was necessary. “In fact, I’d say you’re my best friend!”

“Do not…believe you…”

“Ouch. Why would I lie about that?”

“...try to…save my feelings…too late…”

Robin had to remember that whatever form this was was extremely pessimistic.

Heck, he’d probably be pretty depressed if he was a worm.

“Well, I’m not lying. I’ll find a way to prove it to you.”

“...does not…matter…”

He rubbed a hand down his face. Maybe walking with Raven would have been sunnier.

He gave her some time in silence, as it was hard enough to find something to talk about. This form didn’t allow her to freely communicate either.

“I hope we find the others…and soon,” he muttered.

“...silence…” Starfire said, quietly. “...ground…unstable…” And she carefully started stepping with purpose over the slightly glowing surface.

Robin mimicked her movements, his brain still wrapped up in Starfire’s predicament. There was plenty he didn’t understand about alien biology, but he couldn’t imagine that Tamaraneans spontaneously transformed into worms.

Did they?

“Look, Starfire—”

Ah right, the ground was unstable.

Robin screamed as a burst of flames and gas exploded under his feet and he was sent soaring across the landscape…right towards a crevasse filled with hot pink lava.

He was only saved from certain death by a slimy purple appendage wrapping around his waist and yanking him to safety. Once on solid ground, he caught his breath and realized the appendage was Starfire’s tongue.

He decided not to comment on how gross that was, and instead said, “thanks, I thought I was done for!”

Starfire grunted, and started waddling away from him.

He only sped up to keep pace with her. “So…are you still able to fly?”

“No,” she spat.

“And no starbolts?”

“No.”

“Okay. That’s fine! I can protect you!”

“I…almost killed you…” She hissed.

He came up short, and then chuckled. “True. You don’t need me to protect you. I guess…you never really did, huh? You’re stronger than me, and you can fly. You’ve caught me more times than I can count.”

“...you are…valuable ally…”

Robin felt his heart shrivel. ‘A valuable ally’ was how he felt about Tram, Aqualad’s aquatic partner.

She kicked him out of the friendzone and into the Tram-zone. Harsh!

The barren wasteland they traveled didn’t get any less treacherous, and there was still no sign of the other Titans. Robin feared the worst. Were they trapped here forever? Would Starfire remain like this?

A plume of orange smoke erupted from the ground, obscuring Starfire from his sight.

“Star?” He called out, moving to where he had last seen her, but finding a drop. He followed the edge, keeping his eyes on the plume. When it finally cleared, he saw Starfire standing maybe 50 feet away, on the other side of a ridge. The bottom was dark and deep.

“Starfire!” He shouted to her.

She turned and stared at him, nervously shuffling her many feet. He had a horrible feeling she was going to bolt. She would run and he’d lose her, and maybe never see her again.

“I’m coming over!” He withdrew his grapple line, and shot it into the rocks behind her. Then he simply glided over to her. “We shouldn’t get separated.”

Before she could respond, the ground shook beneath their feet, before giving out.

As Robin fell, he twisted and turned, looking for a way to safety. Nothing but sheer cliffside and his spent grapple line disappearing rapidly above him.

It seemed like Starfire would be his savor again as her tongue wrapped around his waist and he was pulled against her with a slimy splat.

She scurried up the rock face like a lizard, keeping him firmly tucked to her sticky underbelly with her front legs. Then she darted into a cave, where the entrance caved in immediately after them. Then they were alone in the dark.

“...am sorry…” She pried him free and dropped him, dripping with goop, onto the cave floor.

Robin suppressed a gag and a shutter. “Uh…don’t be. You saved my life.” He attempted to shake the goop free.

“I have…stained your suit…”

“I have others. It's fine, Star.”

She grunted, not believing him.

Since all his gadgets stuck to his gloves, he simply peeled them off and dropped them on the ground, then he was able to pull his communicator out for faint light.

The cavern wasn’t very big, but thankfully contained some old, dried tree roots that would burn fine. Besides that, there didn’t seem to be any other way out.

“Looks like we’re stuck here.”

Starfire whined again.

“Well, for now,” he added, trying to be optimistic for both of them. “The ship should pick up our communicators when Cyborg gets it up and running.”

“...leave me here…”

“Not happening,” he said without hesitation. He got to work collecting firewood, made a pile, and lit it using one of his emergency flares. While he did all of this, Starfire just sat a few feet away with her back to him.

“Do…you want to come closer?”

“No.”

He sighed. This was not going well. It was going quite bad, actually. It was one thing to be stranded on an alien planet, but if Starfire had been in her normal form and able to communicate like usual, he wouldn’t have worried at all. They were unstoppable together!

But this was…different. This whole dynamic was wrong. He hated it. And he hated that he didn’t know how to fix it.

Just then, a new thought occurred to him. One that probably should have crossed his mind earlier, but his thoughts were always a little jumbled when it came to Starfire.

“Star…do you know what transformed you into this?”

Her answer made dread coil in his stomach. “...yes…”

He clenched his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. Right. Of course she did. And if he had bothered to ask instead of just assume, maybe this would have been solved a few hours ago and they could have had a pleasant search instead of this awkward…whatever it was.

“So, what happened? How can I help?”

She glanced at him with her acid green eyes. “...not friend…not girl…”

He groaned. “Starfire! We are sooo far past that!” He didn’t want to yell at her, but he was certainly ready to.

“...not understand…”

“Okay, where did I lose you? What do you not understand?”

“...no…Robin…not understand…”

Well now he felt awful. He sighed again. “You’re right. I don’t understand. I don’t understand and it makes me really frustrated. I want to help you Star. I don’t like seeing you like this. So just…” he sat on a rock by the fire, and took a long deep breath. “Just tell me what’s going on.”

Starfire whimpered.

“I’m sorry I was short with you. I will just listen, and I won’t judge.” He folded his arms over his knees and just waited.

Eventually, Starfire crept a little closer. “…Tam…rean…”

“Tamaraneans?”

“…yes…powers by…feeling. Fly joy…strength confi…dence…”

He nodded in understanding. He’d seen Peter Pan as a kid. Happy thoughts equal flight was not a foreign concept.

“...feelings…emotion…is everything.”

“And a strong enough emotion can change you?”

“...Tam…reans…love once. Mate for…life. When love…rejects…” she whimpered, bowing her head. “...heartbreak…chaos…”

“Wait,” Robin held his hands out. “Wait wait wait…let me make sure I understand this. You’re saying that Tamaraneans…love once? Like, they only fall in love one time in their whole life?”

“...yes…”

“And if the person they fall in love with rejects them, the heartbreak they feel causes chaos?”

She nodded with a grunt.

“But how did—?” It took a second but he got it. “ME?!”

She shuffled backwards, awkwardly. “…Robin said…not friend…not girl…broke heart…”

“So you literally became something that’s not a friend or a girl.” He groaned. “Starfire…you’re in love with me?”

“...sorry…” Acid tears rolled down her hideous face and sizzled on the ground.

He fought for words for a long time, because on one hand, he was thrilled. Elated even. She loved him! It wasn’t that surprising, given how close they were and the amount of teasing that came from Beast Boy and Cyborg (it had to be prompted by something) but to hear it! She loved him, before anyone else! He, who was a little short, ill tempered, and job obsessed.

On the other hand, it meant that this was all his fault. His inability to talk about his feelings, his hesitation to clarify the misunderstanding, and his wildly immature reaction to Cyborg’s joke. He could have laughed it off. He should have just ignored it, but because he made the bold and angry declaration, ‘she’s not my girlfriend!’ of course Starfire would feel rejection.

“Starfire…” his shoulders sagged. “I didn’t know.”

“...did not want to tell…happy being on Earth…happy just being…Titan…”

“You were never going to tell me?”

She shook her head. “...heartbreak…dangerous.”

He threw his head back with a groan. He felt like the absolute scum of the earth. “What do we do to fix this?”

“...cannot…”

“So…you’re stuck like this? There’s nothing I can do?”

“...if I…kill you…” she whimpered. “...but cannot…will not…”

His eyes widened. “That’s why you attacked me at the pod. But then you couldn’t go through with it.”

She laid on the ground and covered her face with her front legs. “...still love…even now…”

Tears welled up in his eyes. He hated to admit that this was killing him, but it was. He shook his head, resigned. “I’m such an idiot, Starfire. Even if I told you right now that I love you too, you wouldn’t believe it.”

She whined loudly, the sound akin to a sob.

“I’m so sorry. The truth is that I…really care about you. Like...you’re the first thing I think of in the morning, and the last thing before I fall asleep.”

Starfire lifted her head to look at him.

“Our relationship is…probably the most important one I have in my life. Yes, I love our friends and I consider them my family, but you…you’re extremely special.”

She crawled closer, her eyes still dripping acid.

“I’m so out of my depth right now,” he confessed. “I’m not good at talking about my feelings and stuff. Batman wasn’t good at it. So we never practiced.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m making this worse, aren’t I?”

She crawled ever closer, making little huffing sounds. “...please…keep going…”

He patted his thigh, inviting her closer.

She rested her head on his leg.

Even though she was gross and slimy and her hide had a weird texture, Robin rested his hand on her head and started petting her. He simply refused to be repulsed. Just like he refused to be afraid when they first met.

“I think I always knew you were special to me,” he stated. “When you kissed me when you arrived on Earth, I think it left a pretty big impression on me. After that, I found myself seeking you out. I enjoyed spending time with you. I liked showing you all that Earth had to offer. I liked listening to your stories of Tamaran. I was…sensitive to you. I knew when Blackfire came to visit that things weren’t okay. I kept an eye on you, because I didn’t want to lose you. I almost did…” he swallowed. “That fight was amazing to watch. You were so focused, so resolved to take her out, it just took one bolt. It was…awesome. Everytime I watch you fight I’m amazed. You’re the strongest girl ever, and you’re really graceful when you fly.”

She released a low moan, and he realized talking about her ability to fly was probably a sore spot at the moment.

“Star…I’m not a perfect person. I think I’m far from it. I’ve done a lot to hurt you and the others. I don’t deserve someone as wonderful as you loving me…” he gnawed on his bottom lip. “There was this moment that has always stuck with me. It was during that battle while I was Slade’s apprentice. You and I were squared off. I had that laser, and you had a bolt aimed at me. I couldn’t shoot you. I just couldn’t. I was silently begging that you would shoot first so I wouldn’t have a choice.”

His voice warbled. “But then you dropped your hand. You said, ‘I cannot live in a world where we have to fight. So if you are truly evil, do what you must.’” He shook his head, new tears coming to his eyes just remembering it. “You were willing to die. You would have rather died than hurt me. I shared that sentiment, but it wasn’t until I infected myself with those nanobots that I was able to act on it. But that’s when I—-”

“Rob…in…?”

His lips twitched as he held back a sob. This vulnerability was uncomfortable, but Starfire needed it. So he’d push on.

“That’s when I knew. I knew I wanted to be with you, somehow, forever. It may have been a crush, or maybe the beginning of love. I don’t know. I hadn’t felt like that before. Nothing to compare it to.”

He wiped just under his eyes with his free hand. “I think Cyborg figured it out first. He kept teasing me about being jealous when Aqualad or Speedy talked to you, or when you got betrothed to that gurgle-what’s his face. And he was right! I was jealous!”

“…didn’t need to be…”

“I know that now!” He couldn’t help but laugh. “I wish I had known.”

In hindsight, it was actually pretty obvious she had feelings for him. She always sought him out first. She was quick to fret over him in a fight.

How many movie nights had she ‘accidently’ fallen asleep on his shoulder? She was always the one that begged him to come out of his office to eat or spend time with them.

She made sure he was safe, healthy, and happy. Is that not what love boils down to?

And he constantly took advantage of that. Instead of the gratitude she deserved, he gave her grief. Even now, being the person that he was caused her great pain.

“I’m so sorry…” He cried. “I did this…”

“...Robin is good…at being mean…to Robin…”

“And you were always so good at stopping me from doing that. I don’t know what I’m going to do now. It might actually destroy me…” He saw it all unraveling, just like she had relayed from the future she had seen. His friendships falling apart, and he becoming a carbon copy of Batman; brooding, obsessed, and alone.

“We’ll just have to adapt,” he said stubbornly. “So, you’re a worm now. You still kick butt!”

“...Robin…”

“The others will just have to get used to it. And to the rest of Jump, you’ll be my lizard-alien girlfriend. They already think we’re together, so it’s not that big of a stretch.”

“...Robin…” she grunted. “...this body…hurts. It is…unnatural…”

He used his hands to wipe away her tears, but when he found them to burn his flesh, he used his cape instead.

“...when the others…find us…please…end me…”

“I…I don’t know if I can do that,” he breathed. “I’m sorry. I want to make all your pain go away. I want to fix all of this, but…I can’t kill you, Starfire.”

More burning tears fell.

“I know I’m being selfish. All I ever do is hurt you.”

“...untrue…”

“Well, it certainly feels like it. And right now, I want to see if there’s something else that can be done. Maybe Raven can help. I want to try everything we can first.”

“...alright…always trust…Robin…”

He clenched his eyes shut, guilt swirling through his veins. “Can I hold you until they find us?”

“...am…disgusting…”

“I don’t care, Star! I don’t care!” He wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her head to his shoulder.

She was cold. There was no warmth to this hug. She secreted a foul smelling ooze that coated his arms the longer he touched her. Her acid tears dripped on his shoulder and burned through his cape and tunic, right down to his skin.

He winced in pain.

“…repulsive…”

“Do you not want me to hold you?”

She didn’t say anything, unwilling to lie. She was in pain, emotional turmoil, completely unable to love herself. Being held by the man she loved was the smallest favor she could ask for.

“I wish I had told you months ago,” he lamented. “Romance, dating, that all scares me. I think Batman did it to me on purpose. He always said that love is a weakness, and that a girlfriend would be used against me. I was scared.”

Starfire made a little trilling noise.

“But it’s so stupid, because our bad guys tried to target you to get to me anyway. Not that they were very successful since you kick butt. But it was like I had the weakness of loving someone without the benefits of getting to enjoy…you know, romance. There are so many places I wanted to take you, just you, but I didn’t know how to ask without it sounding like a date. We could have held hands, or k-k-kissed or whatever the Tamaranean equivalent is!” He sighed. “Bruce made it seem like falling in love is the scary part. He’s totally wrong. This is the scary part. I could have spent the rest of my life learning about you and falling in love with your quirks. But losing you? Imagining what comes after? No, this is the scary part.”

“…Bruce…?” She asked.

He was surprised that’s what she chose to comment on. “That’s Batman’s name. Bruce Wayne.”

“Oh…”

“And my name is Richard Grayson, Dick for short.”

“…I know.”

“…you did? When did—how did—?”

“…first met…lived with you…before tower…saw mail…your secret…I keep.”

“Thank you. It means a lot.”

“…what is John?”

“What do you mean?”

“…Rich…ard John. What is…?”

“Oh. John is my middle name. I guess Tamaraneans don’t have those. John was my father’s name. My mom's name was Mary.”

“Pretty name…” She sighed. “...gone?”

“Yeah, they’re both gone.” Then he realized that her curiosity never left. Even in this painful slug-worm form, she still wanted to learn.

Or maybe it was just because it was him. Any opportunity she had to catch a glimmer of what hid behind his mask, she took.

So he took the mask off, dropping it to the floor. Whatever came after today, he didn’t really care. All he wanted was to give Starfire anything and everything she wanted.

He told her everything. His life story, his tragedies, his cherished joys, his darkest secrets. At first, it was uncomfortable. It was like confessing a crime, but the longer he spoke, the easier it became. The truth poured out of him like a fountain.

His fears on the field with Batman, his insecurities, his likes, dislikes, anything he could think of.

“...do not need…to share all this…”

His gentle petting of her gross hide had progressed into a massage, as he hoped it would ease some of her pain. “Sure, I don’t need to, but I want to. Because I trust you. I’ve always trusted you to catch me on the field, or perform a maneuver when I call it…if I can trust you in a situation where lives are at stake, there’s little room for error and very little time to think…why shouldn’t I trust you with everything else? You’ve had my heart for a long time, Star, and you’ve taken good care of it. Better care than I have. I know I am completely safe with you.”

He swallowed and exhaled as the last little bit of truth came out. “When I’m with you, I’m home.”

Her reaction was not what he was expecting, or wanted. She cried out in pain and writhed away from him.

“Star! Star, what’s wrong?”

She didn’t answer as she snorted and grunted and contorted on the ground.

He hovered nearby, his hands reaching for her, but not quite touching, as he didn’t know what to do. He grimaced as she cried out again.

“I’m so sorry,” he cried. “I don’t know what to do!”

Slowly, she stopped wriggling, and laid still on the ground.

“Starfire?” He breathed.

There was no movement. All the acid green coloring to her eyes and mouth faded, until she was all a dull dark green.

Robin swore as he slumped back against the rock. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be. Not now, when all the pieces fell into place. When he finally felt peace, when he finally figured out what he needed and what he so desperately wanted…it was gone. She was gone.

He buried his face in his hands as the tears came. Bitter tears of searing loss that were painfully familiar. Tears of losing someone you loved and not being prepared for it. A lesson he didn’t learn from.

He didn’t cherish her enough. Didn’t love her when he had the chance.

Stupid and foolish and cruel and—

There was a crackling sound.

It came from her body. Something was shifting under the skin.

“Oh, this just keeps getting worse, huh?” He lamented.

A fist punched itself free of the confines of the worm, a humanoid hand with sun kissed skin.

“…Starfire?” Robin squeaked.

Another hand ripped the slimy black skin away, and a head with red hair emerged. She had her back to him, but he knew those shoulders.

Starfire shook her arm, flinging some strands of green goo away from her. “I wonder if this is how it feels to be a freshly molted Tomethean fly.”

“Star…?” he asked again, crawling towards her.

Starfire whipped her head around to stare at him. “...Robin…” She said, just as softly.

He knelt at her side and withdrew a birdarang to cut away the rest of the worm-carcass. She was completely naked, but he tried not to dwell on it.

“I thought…” she whispered. “…I did not…” Her lips trembled as she tried to collect her thoughts.

“It's alright now, Star,” he wiped some slime off her cheek. “You’re okay.”

“Robin…” she sobbed. “I did not know it could be reversed!”

He held her face tenderly. “I’m glad it was,” he smiled at her softly.

She self-consciously pushed her goopy hair back and covered her chest with an arm. “Surely, I am still disgusting and you do not need to touch me until I have had a proper bath.”

“Actually,” he grinned. “I think you might be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Really?” She stared at him, those beautiful green eyes sparkling like emeralds.

“Yeah,” he pulled her forward so they could touch their foreheads together. “You’re out of this world.”

She giggled, and rested her hands on his shoulders. “On this planet, we are both aliens.”

“Hey, I guess you’re right.” As he wiped more goop off her face, he realized it didn’t smell foul like the slime earlier had. And it dried rather quickly, like Aloe Vera.

“All those things you said, it was all true?”

“I meant every word, Star. I love you. I want to be with you. I want a future with you.” He cringed slightly. “As long as you want that. I’d understand if you had mixed feelings or needed time after all of this.”

“Robin, if you can say you love me after seeing me in this most foul state, then I shall certainly take you up on that offer.”

He pulled her into a tight hug, a hold so tight it would have hurt any other woman, but Starfire just gleefully returned the hug. He’d savor the bruises for later.

“Come on,” he scooped her up into his arms and lifted her out of the remains of her cocoon. Then he walked them back over to the rock and sat with her in his lap, keeping her close. He unhooked his cape and draped it over her. “I know it’s not much, but at least you’re partially covered.”

“A state of undress does not bother me,” she said casually. “In fact, it is a sign of affection on Tamaran to have skin to skin contact.”

“O-Oh?” He squeaked.

“Yes. Your lip contact is just used for language assimilation, and then of course, copulation is used solely for reproduction. Of course, I am not adverse to these practices if it is something you wish to partake in. I am sure that with you, I would find pleasure in most things.”

Robin felt his face color several shades. “Well…the uh…copulation thing…let’s not worry about that for a while.” He rested his bare arm on her stomach, his hand slightly massaging her side. “How else do Tamaraneans show physical affection?”

She became shy, a cute blush dusting her cheeks. “We…touch our tongues together. Though humans have much smaller tongues than we do, I imagine it will be difficult.”

“We have a similar practice, actually,” he gently bonked his forehead against her temple. “You may have heard of it as French kissing, or making out.”

“Oh! Yes! I have heard that on the television! Also, Beast Boy once told me a joke about it that I did not understand.”

“What was the joke?”

“He asked if I had ever heard of Australian kissing. I said I hadn’t, and he said it was like French kissing, but down under.”

Robin scoffed. “That’s so crude. He should have known better than to say that to you.”

“But I still do not understand it.”

He sighed. Maybe the real joke Beast Boy told was imagining this exact scenario. “Australia is commonly called ‘Down Under’. The joke is that an Australian kiss is a tongue kiss…down below, instead of on the mouth.”

Her eyes went comically wide. “Are you suggesting that your people have tongue to gential contact?”

“...yes?”

“I cannot imagine that would be sanitary.”

He chuckled. “We do a lot of gross things.”

“Perhaps we shall try it sometime, and I will change my mind.”

He sputtered as he blushed harder. “Again, we’ll worry about that later.”

Starfire had her arms around his neck. She reached a hand up to hold his face. “Another form of affection we have is prolonged eye contact. I will admit I tried to do this often with you, but your mask…”

“I’ll try to have it off when we’re alone.” He offered.

“Your eyes are so very beautiful. I am grateful you allowed me to see them.”

“Thank you.” I could say the same about your breasts, he thought. “Your eyes are pretty too.”

Starfire just sighed happily and batted those big green eyes at him.

He gazed into them lovingly for a while, and then begrudgingly broke contact. “Hold on. Now that you’re okay, I should probably check to see if the others have gotten any signal yet.”

Starfire rested her head on his shoulder, embarrassed. “I had forgotten.”

“You forgot?”

“I was caught up in the peril of being a worm, and then the euphoria of being loved in return.”

“Well, when you say it like that, I understand completely.” He kissed her temple before he took out his communicator. Thankfully, there was a new blip on the screen, marked as Cyborg. He called to see if they could get through.

Starfire quickly put his mask on for him.

“––bin? Tha–you?”

“Cyborg? Can you hear me?”

“Kinda fuzzy. —fire with you?”

“Yes, Starfire is with me.”

“BB—me. Fixin’ —ip. We’ll meet up—done. Might be—while.”

“Have you heard from Raven?”

“Not yet.––location on ship. She’s not––far from us.”

“Okay. We’ll sit tight for now.”

Robin very clearly saw Cyborg and Beast Boy smile smugly on the other side of the screen, before Cyborg sang, “have fun with your girlfriend!”

Robin just smirked back and said, “thanks! I will!” Then he turned the communicator to Starfire’s face, and kissed her fully on the mouth before ending the call.

She squeaked as he made contact, before she melted into the kiss.

He attempted to pull away, but she held him firmly in place, deepening the kiss and carding her fingers through his hair. Oh yeah, Robin thought. I could definitely spend the rest of my life getting used to this.

#robin #starfire #robstar #teen titans #tt animated #TT #dick grayson #koriand'r #episode: Stranded

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