Okay, I just got off on a break. Finally!
Anyway, this is a little one-shot I came up with a while ago and haven't had the time to write. As you can see, I got the time and wrote it. So, readers… reviewers, enjoy.
Disclaimer:
Balkoth hereby affirms, by affixation of typed penname at the close of this statement, that Balkoth does not own the Teen Titans. The characters portrayed in this work are the rightful and legal property of Cartoon Network and DC Comics. Balkoth has never - nor will Balkoth ever - assert that these characters belong to any person(s) other than those previously mentioned. Any legal action against Balkoth for the production of this work is unwarranted; no profit is being made.
Characters and events portrayed in this work are fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is unintentional. This work, while stemming from a pre-existing world created by others, is very much an original work of Balkoth's. Balkoth urges others to enjoy, comment, and assist in anyway that seems prudent. Replication of this work will be viewed in a most unfavorable light.
Balkoth
Borrowed Wings
The quilt of night was just beginning to tuck the sun below the horizon. The deep navy grew deeper by the moment, and tiny pinpricks of light erupted across the sky. Jump City came into view and drowned the stars as the horizon extended. The encroaching darkness worried Starfire. Cyborg, Robin, and she would have no trouble, but both Raven and Beast Boy had trouble functioning in the pitch of night.
Starfire launched back into battle with renewed fervor. It was time to end this fight. The Tamaranian zipped through the sky, her fists glowing in eerie green radiation. With a yell, Starfire loosed a flurry of starbolts at her opponent. Cinderblock took a few lumbering steps backwards. A screeching jet of sonic energy ripped through the construction site and slammed into the concrete monstrosity. He stumbled back again.
The stone villain grabbed a construction crane and hefted the metal into the air. Cinderblock threw the crane, and Starfire watched it sail through the darkness in slow motion. Beast Boy saw the projectile coming and quickly morphed into a falcon before swooping out of the way.
Starfire raced after the crane and grabbed a hold of it before it hit the ground. The yellow metal groaned under her grip, and her fingers crushed part of the machine in moments. Starfire twisted in the air and let the crane fly back at Cinderblock. It hit the ground prematurely and slid across the ground, sending up a cloud of dirt and jagged stone.
Starfire gasped. Cyborg was standing between the crane and Cinderblock. The metallic Titan seemed momentarily frozen. A patch of darkness formed under his feet, and, just as the crane was about to hit him, Cyborg sunk into the earth. Cinderblock howled as the crane struck his kneecap.
Robin sprinted into the rising dust storm. The Tamaranian swooped down and vanished into the cloud after Robin. Cinderblock picked up the crane again and chucked it into the swarm of dirt. The metal impacted the ground and rolled a few hundred meters. It looked like a crushed aluminum can when it finally came to rest.
Starfire flew out of the dust cloud with fire burning in her eyes. They glowed the same eerie green as her starbolts. In her hands, Starfire grasped a thin branch of metal. Robin was hanging beneath the staff in an almost perfect mirror of the Tamaranian. His cape whipped behind him in the wind, and Starfire could feel her usually tense teammate and leader relaxing on the other end of the bar. That was strange.
Starfire flew up and preformed a quick loop. She released Robin when she came out of the loop, and the acrobat sailed through the air. With a tremendous crack that could have shattered bone, Robin struck Cinderblock across the face with his Bo staff. The stone monster crashed to the ground and struggled to right himself.
Just as Cinderblock was regaining his footing, a horribly crushed crane smashed into the monster. The machine was shrouded in a frigid black aura. Cinderblock fell again, and the crane began to disassemble itself, twisting and turning like a metal python until it had surrounded the monster and pinned his arms to his bulky frame.
"Can we go home now?" Raven asked when it became apparent that Cinderblock's struggling would not free him.
ooooo
Starfire didn't go to bed immediately after they reached the tower; she wasn't very tired. The Tamaranian was covered in dirt and grime and nursed a few cuts she had no memory of obtaining. While Beast Boy crashed in his room and Raven washed up, Starfire stayed with Cyborg and Robin in the garage.
The T-Car hadn't been damaged in the battle, and it didn't need maintenance. Still, Cyborg was flitting around the car performing minor maintenance. Starfire recognized his ritual-like behavior as a relaxation exercise. She frowned as she thought about the reasons for her friend's distress. Starfire walked over to the T-Car and perched gingerly on the hood of the vehicle. Cyborg looked up at her, but didn't speak.
"Friend, what is it that is troubling you?" Starfire asked. She clasped her hands on top of her knees and waited for a response.
"Well, the T-Car needs to be washed now," Cyborg said, ignoring the question. Starfire hid her pain and embarrassment and nodded before drifted off the car. There was a dirtied patch where she had been sitting.
"One thousand apologies," Starfire said with a smile. "Perhaps I may assist in the bathing while you tell me what troubles you?" She didn't wait for a response, but instead grabbed a few clean towels from the floor of the garage.
"No, it's alright Star – it's only a little spot. I can manage," Cyborg said quickly. Starfire could see the hesitation in the teen's eye and ignored him.
"It is no trouble, Cyborg. Besides, if we work together, the task will be completed much faster." The Tamaranian handed Cyborg a towel before swiping her own across the dirty hood. Starfire hadn't used water, and the dark patch grew. Cyborg leapt into action to protect his car.
"Whoa! Wait a sec, Starfire," Cyborg said while taking her hands away from the car. "If we're going to wash the T-Car, we need to do it right." Starfire smirked when Cyborg turned his back. At least he wasn't preoccupied with her prying now. Robin shook his head and finished the tinkering he'd been doing on the R-Cycle. With a last shake of his head, the Boy Wonder walked out of the garage and left Cyborg to his fate.
"Alright," Cyborg announced when he turned around. There was a large bucket under his arm sloshing with foamy blue water. "Just remember, Star, you don't need to apply very much pressure." Starfire blushed at the reference to the first time she'd helped Cyborg wash the T-Car. It had taken the cybernetic teen days to buff out the dents.
They washed the car in silence. There was no need to talk: Cyborg knew why Starfire was really here, and Starfire knew better than to push. For a while, the only sounds were the sloshing of sponges in water and the slick sigh as suds were pushed over the vehicle.
"I don't know why I froze up earlier," Cyborg growled. Starfire started at the sudden sound. "I mean, one minute everything was fine, and the next I can see a huge crane coming toward me and… I couldn't move. I couldn't think!" Cyborg slammed his fist into the concrete floor, and Starfire stood up and walked to her friend, her older brother.
Starfire didn't know how to respond. She couldn't say it didn't matter, it obviously did. She couldn't say it wasn't his fault without implication herself, and Starfire didn't want Cyborg to be mad at her. The Tamaranian placed a hand on Cyborg's shoulder reassuringly and stood like that for a moment.
"It is going to be alright," Starfire said at long last. "We both made an error tonight, but everything has worked out well. We shall simply work harder to assure that we do not make the same errors again. But it makes no sense to be angry with yourself, Cyborg."
"Yeah… I know," the metal Titan sighed and threw his sponge into the bucket. The gorged sponge slapped against the bottom of the empty bucket. "It's just so frustrating. If Raven hadn't saved me…"
"Raven did not save you," Starfire interrupted. Cyborg quirked his eyebrow at her, but the Tamaranian stood her ground. Cyborg's ego wasn't allowed to make him miserable. "Friend Raven only helped you. That is what friends do… that is what we do." Starfire placed careful emphasis on her words and stared into both of Cyborg's eyes.
Cyborg nodded and excused himself. As he left the garage, Starfire thought she saw a smile on his face.
ooooo
Starfire wandered through the hallways of Titan's Tower. She'd taken a quick shower after washing the T-Car and talking to Cyborg. With her skin and hair free of dust, sweat, and soap, Starfire felt completely liberated. She felt clean, and clean felt good. The Tamaranian drifted around the tower aimlessly. She couldn't sleep.
The living room was empty; the couch was deserted and the lights were switched off. The television remote lay on the coffee table looking forlorn, and Starfire almost plucked it up. Instead, she turned around and left the living room.
The hallways were silent. Shadows draped the entire tower in their folds. Starfire paused in front of her friend's doors, but all she could hear was rhythmic breathing. There wasn't a sound coming from Robin's room. Starfire stood before the door debating with herself. Tentatively, the Tamaranian stretched out her arm and knocked on the bland metal barrier.
There was no response.
Hydraulics hissed as the door slid into its frame. Starfire poked her head into Robin's room. It was empty. The walls were plastered with newspaper clippings and wanted posters. An entire wall was devoted to pictures, notes, and newspaper clippings concerning Slade. Starfire frowned; it was an instinct reaction every time she saw how hard Robin pushed himself. Disassembled gadgets were strewn across his desk and even more papers were cluttered on the surface.
Starfire turned and exited the room. In some ways, the Tamaranian girl found Robin's room more depressing than Raven's. Starfire hurried to the lower levels of the tower. The lights were off, but Starfire could see a faint light peeking out from under the door to the gym. Starfire drifted down the hall and placed her hand on the door. It creaked open a few inches at her touch. Grunts and clanking metal floated to the Tamaranian's ears, and she peered inside.
Robin was swinging back and forth on a set of gymnasts' bars, perfectly at ease in the air. The acrobat would catch himself with his arms, swing down until he hung under the thin metal, and launch himself into the air. He'd catch himself with his legs and swing out again, go into a handstand, and fall back down. Robin's muscles were tensed and accentuated by his wet uniform. His expression, on the other hand, was more peaceful than Starfire had ever seen it. For once, Robin, her leader, her best friend, was at peace.
Starfire pulled her head back, feeling as if she'd witnessed something personal that wasn't meant for her eyes. Despite her guilt, Starfire moved back to the door and spied on Robin as he flipped, twisted, and turned around the bars. Robin's movements were so liquid that his cape barely made a sound as it trailed behind him.
Starfire lost track of time. Watching Robin swinging under the bars dispelled any thoughts of sleep and any concerns about time. It was a magical moment for the Tamaranian; she wanted it to last as long as possible. Starfire was drawn from her trance when, with a solid thump, Robin landed on the ground. The acrobat walked toward the door, his face once again set in deep thought.
Starfire's eyes widened as Robin drew closer. She had a feeling he wouldn't appreciate being spied on. With a burst of energy, Starfire zipped to the ceiling. Robin pulled the door open completely and walked under the Tamaranian. She sighed when the elevator doors slid shut behind him, leaving her alone in the darkened hallway. Starfire's heart beat furiously in her chest, but the girl wasn't afraid. The experience of sharing something so personal with Robin, whether he knew he'd shared it or not, was exhilarating. Exciting.
Starfire flew back to the floor and stared into the empty gym. Making up her mind, Starfire walked into the room and flipped the lights on. The gymnasts' bars weren't used during team training sessions. Starfire hadn't known anyone used them. Curiosity got the best of her, and the Tamaranian flew up to the top bar and ran her hand along the surface. The metal was cool under her fingers, and Starfire couldn't help but smile when she found the warmest parts of the metal where Robin had grasped it.
Robin had been so completely at ease. Despite the obvious strain the exercise placed on his body, Robin had acted as if nothing could have made him happier than staying in the air. Starfire paused and looked down at the floor. The Tamaranian lowered herself to the concrete and tried to imagine what it would be like if she couldn't fly. She couldn't, even given her experience on the alien planet. Flying was a huge part of Starfire's life – never flying for her would mean never feeling joy, but with humans it was something different.
Starfire went back up to the bars and placed her hands on the thin metal. She willed herself to stop flying and fell, catching herself with her arms and swinging out. The girl hadn't been prepared for the swing and lost her grip. Starfire stopped her fall and hovered in the air. It wasn't the same.
She exited the gym and walked to the elevator.
ooooo
Starfire went first to Robin's room, but the Titan hadn't returned. The Tamaranian could only think of one other place Robin might go at this time of night. She zipped through the tower, going up floor by floor, reaching up until the exit door to the roof loomed before her. Taking a deep breath, Starfire pushed the door open and walked into the moonlight.
Robin twisted toward Starfire and nodded in acknowledgement. "I didn't expect you to still be awake," the acrobat said with a smile.
Starfire walked to her leader's side and sat down. She nodded. "I could not sleep. You know what that is like," she smiled. Robin nodded and turned back to the darkness. The dampened sound of waves splashing against the shore drifted up to the roof, and the moon hung overhead in a chin of gold. "It is wondrous," Starfire sighed as she surveyed the night. Jump City sat like a model toy in plain view, illuminated by lights and swarming with life even in the dead of night.
"It is," Robin responded absently. A breath of wind swept across the roof and sent Starfire's hair flying out behind her. Robin's cape flapped half-heartedly. The Tamaranian smiled warmly and settled into the silence.
"Why couldn't you sleep?" Robin asked after a while. He was leaning forward slightly, and, for all his nonchalance, the Boy Wonder failed to hide his bubbling curiosity from Starfire. She frowned and thought about what she wanted to say.
"I was thinking," Starfire said as she clasped her hands in her lap and began poking her fingers together, "about what it would be like if I could not fly."
Robin's back straightened. "Is something wrong, Starfire? Have your powers been acting differently?" The boy missed Starfire's slight frown. It was typical of Robin to be a leader first; it was what made him so special – and so infuriating.
"No. Nothing is wrong with my powers, Robin. I was actually thinking about you. And Cyborg," the Tamaranian added the cybernetic teen's name quickly. Robin's brow furrowed, and Starfire feared he knew what she was really getting at.
"It doesn't really make a difference to us. Starfire, you've lived your entire life being able to fly. I can't imagine what it was like for you when you lost that ability. For Cy and me, we don't have powers or wings or anything like us," Robin paused and smiled at Starfire. "Imagine what it would be like for you if you couldn't walk and could only fly. It wouldn't make a difference, you're used to flying anyway. That's what it's like for us."
Starfire unclasped her hands and stared levelly at Robin. "You are lying. And you are bad at it," she said. "I have seen how you act when you are in the air, Robin. Even in the middle of battle, you are… peaceful." Starfire turned away and watched the blackness of night roll across the bay. Robin didn't say anything. He didn't move. The acrobat blinked and tried to trace Starfire's behavior to its source.
"I was trained in acrobatics, Starfire. I'm used to it. I guess every now and then, I get caught up in the movements," Robin said.
Starfire snapped her head around and locked eyes with Robin. "That is not the truth, Robin. You know that and so do I." Robin didn't respond. Starfire reached out and caught Robin's arm. Before the acrobat could react, he was airborne.
Starfire flew both of them up into the sky and started to drift. Robin only struggled for a moment. The air swirled around him as Starfire dragged him through the vast emptiness. Robin felt free, and it showed on his face. The city lights got further and further away, the sound of the waves faded to nothingness. Starfire looked down at Robin and smiled. The acrobat returned the gesture hesitantly.
Starfire put on a burst of speed and raced into the heavens. Robin flew behind her, his hand in hers and the burden on his soul lighter with every moment. With a small flick of her wrist, Starfire launched Robin into the blue. The acrobat panicked and reached for his utility belt. He grabbed a grappling hook and looked for a target. There were none, and Starfire had vanished from sight. Starfire caught Robin under his arms and hoisted him into the air again.
"Starfire! What are you doing!" Robin shouted over the rush of wind.
"I am sharing," Starfire whispered. Then she tossed Robin into the air again. This time, the Boy Wonder did not panic. It was obvious Starfire wouldn't let him get hurt. Wind whistled around his body, and Robin twisted and turned to feel all the different ways the air could wash over his frame.
The bay got closer and closer, and Robin felt Starfire grab his cape from behind. The Tamaranian didn't pull Robin back up, and the acrobat's eyes widened as his feet brushed against the water. They sliced through the liquid without a sound. Starfire pulled up sharply, and she tossed Robin over her head. As he began to fall, Starfire heard Robin shout. It wasn't a shouted order or a shout of pain. Robin, the Boy Wonder, had shouted in joy. Starfire grinned widely before zipping through the air after her friend.
Over an hour later, Starfire set a panting Robin down on the rooftop of Titan's Tower. The acrobat's uniform was moist, and he was shivering. Despite his damp clothing, the acrobat was smiling widely.
"That… that was amazing, Starfire," Robin laughed when the Tamaranian princess set him down. Starfire floated down to Robin and wrapped him in a tight hug.
"It was my pleasure, Robin. It is so magical, the joy of flight." What Starfire didn't say was that she enjoyed seeing Robin so happy, so relaxed, so free. She didn't need to say it, because he already knew.
"I appreciate it, Star," Robin said. The masked boy rubbed his arm unconsciously. "That's something I'll never forget. Thank you."
"Robin," Starfire said as she released Robin from her embrace, "no thanks are required. Whenever you wish to share flight with me, you need only ask."
Robin nodded and smiled, but already the boy seemed to be falling back into his leadership role. "I'll keep that in mind, Starfire," Robin said as he turned away. The boy yawned. "I guess all I needed to help me fall asleep was a quick flight," he chuckled.
"Pleasant dreams, friend," Starfire said. Robin took a few steps from Starfire and paused. He turned around and held out a hand to Starfire. His cape flapped in the wind.
"Well, are you coming?" Robin asked. Starfire brightened and took his hand. Together the two Titans walked into the tower.
Author's Note: Well, I hope everyone enjoyed this one-shot. Remember to take a moment to give me some feedback - what you thought was good, what you thought was not so good, etc.. I appreciate it.