A/N: Another addition to all the one-shots I've been writing. Slightly depressing. Another Robin/Star fic, of course, in Star's Point of View. (I can't write out of it now!) Written while listening to The Killer's "Everything Will Be Alright." so don't mind if some lyrics make their ways into the story.
Every year since I've been with the Titans, I have come to notice something. There was always one week that Robin went up to Gotham City to visit his family there. Yet, he never took any of us to meet them. He never even spoke of it.
The Titans knew most of my family. They had met Galfore on Tameran. And who could forget Blackfire? We had met Raven's father alright, and Beast Boy and Cyborg's parents were dead. So what of Robin?
I was the only one who could ever get him to open up and discuss his past. Yet, whenever I mentioned his family, he'd change the subject. It has been close to four years that the Titans have been together and I am not one step closer to finding out about his life there. Which is why this year I am traveling to Gotham too, and following Robin.
He left yesterday morning and it is a four hour drive to get there (according to Cyborg) I left this morning and find where Robin is by the tracking device I placed on his motorcycle. A misuse of our equipment, I know, but the other titans were behind me all the way. They wanted to know as badly as I did. Raven was in charge while Robin and I were away, and she could be trusted to keep an eye on the two boys.
It had been Cyborg's idea to take a train in. It would be less suspicious than a girl flying to Gotham. That ride was only three and a half hours. So I found myself in Gotham City, home of Batman, wearing normal clothes for once (if you count a purple tee shirt and jeans as normal) with my hair tied back into a long braid.
As for transportation around the city, I was stuck walking, my nose in my communicator, following its directions to his location. Where they stopped was quite impressive. Apparently the Boy Wonder resides in a large gated mansion surrounded by trees. It seemed to me like Robin was actually quite wealthy.
"Um, hello?" I spoke into the tiny intercom connecting to the manor. Robin had shown me how to use these a while ago, when we had them installed into the tower at his request. I had not known why at the time, yet now it seemed sort of obvious.
"Yes?" Asked a male voice, with a strong British accent.
"I am Star…, I mean, Kori Anders. I am a friend of Richard Grayson," I said softly. Robin had only told me his real name once, and it was a miracle I had been able to remember it this long.
"Then come forward, dear," the gates opened and I found myself walking forward towards the giant front door. What I noticed was Robin's R-cycle parked in the driveway. So he was here. The massive door opened to reveal an elderly man with white hair. "Hello, Miss Anders. Master Grayson is out at the moment but…"
"Alfred, who is here?" Came a dark, gravelly voice from the stairs. The voice belonged to a tall, dark-haired man wearing all black. His face looked young, yet seemed to hold more secrets than it could bear. Was this Robin's father?
"Miss Kori Anders, a friend of Master Grayson," Alfred answered. I smiled meekly. This man was quite intimidating.
"And who are you?" I asked shyly, my eyes on my feet.
"I'm Bruce Wayne," he replied. The Bruce Wayne! Bruce Wayne was Robin's father! Wait… he could not be. The last names are different… "I'm Richard's guardian." That explains it. But why would Robin need a guardian? "Alfred, take her to Richard. You know exactly where he is."
"Thank you. That would be quite nice," I whispered, receiving a warm smile from Alfred. I followed the old man to a giant limousine parked in the garage. I knew Mr. Wayne was rich but I had never imagined him this wealthy.
"Miss Anders, how do you know Master Grayson?" The old butler asked as I got into the limousine. I sat in the very back, isolated. The only reason I even knew what kind of car I was in came from Robin and my run-in with the prom.
"We met in Jump City," I answered, seeming much more comfortable speaking with Alfred than Bruce. Why had Robin never told any of us about his life in Gotham? And what about Alfred and Bruce?
"A titan? Miss Starfire?" Alfred questioned. I could not see him from the backseat due to a large curtain and glass separating the back from the front. Even through tinted windows I could see we were moving. "Don't worry. Master Grayson has told me all about the titans. Especially Starfire."
"Yes, that is me," I replied awkwardly. The car then came to a stop, Alfred opening my door for me and escorting me out of the car. I was shocked as to where we were.
"Master Grayson comes here every year. We advise him not to go on his own but he never listens. I'm glad he has you to worry for him, Miss Starfire," Alfred smiled, re-entering the car. Apparently, Robin's favorite visiting spot was a lonely, yet beautiful, cemetery, filled with tall grass and flowers. I entered as best I could, following a small path down the center of the yard. It seemed empty except for one spiky-haired boy at a rather large headstone.
I almost did not recognize him for our bold and fearless leader. He seemed so young in his red sweatshirt and jeans, crouching next to the grave. I stood to his right, capable of seeing his eyes, bright blue, and his red face, hot tears falling off his cheeks. It did not surprise me he did not have his mask on. I believe Gotham was his place to be a normal kid.
"Meet my family, Star," he murmured, wiping the tears off his face and standing up. "You came all this way to find out about me and now you know. They're dead. A circus accident."
"Robin," I could only whisper. He was standing facing me now, his eyes staring at me, cold and bitter. This was not the Robin I knew. The only time he acted like that was concerning Slade. Why was he like this now? "I am so sorry."
"So am I. I could have saved them. I could have done something. But I just watched. Bruce told me it wasn't my fault a million times but I can't stop blaming myself," Robin had turned away from me again, now sitting with his back against the headstone.
"It is not your fault, Robin," I spoke softly, sitting beside him.
"I'm not Robin here, Star, I'm Richard Grayson," he whispered.
"I know," an awkward silence fell between us. It felt like we were miles away even though I could feel the heat from his body.
"You must think me to be an idiot," Robin practically laughed, hugging his knees. His eyes seemed to be off in the distance as if searching for the parents that had been taken away from him. There were times I was that way. Except I was wishing Robin was there. "Just sitting here like a little kid, crying over my dead parents."
"You are not an idiot, Rob… Richard. You are my best friend, and a leader of a team of superheroes. You are truly super… and a hero," I blushed a bit, not sure if my words were right. Robin turned his blue eyes to me, a light shining in them, or maybe that was the tears reflecting in the sunlight that did not seem to match the scene of the mood around us. Robin did not answer at first and now I was almost positive my words had been wrong.
I could only stand up, letting the braid of my auburn hair fall off my shoulder, onto my back, almost a sign to Robin that I was going to leave. I had made a mistake in confessing a few things to my leader. And he truly needed to be alone. I was only a bother.
"You can always go back to your family," I practically whispered before starting to walk back to Alfred in the limo.
Robin's reply was weak, venom filling in his voice, "I don't have a family." I was the one in tears now. I turned swiftly to face him, my own face heating up.
"You are wrong! You have Bruce, Alfred, the Titans, me… we are all your family! We have been there for you and you have put us through so much. We all love you anyway, Robin! Flaws and all! Why can you not see?" I had never had an outburst like this at him. Ever. I do not think I had ever reacted this badly to anything before. It was truly not like me. But for once, I was not the one who did not understand.
He did not respond at all, so I turned back, ready to run, sobbing, out of the graveyard. Yet, after I had turned around, I felt something on my shoulder. My eyes wandered to see it as Robin's hand. What else would have stopped me dead in my tracks.
I could name many things that could do that to me, but somehow that managed to top all. We had hugged many times, yet this touch made everything seem like nothing. Or maybe it was the fact that even though he had been depressed a few seconds ago, he was now beaming at me.
"You're right, Starfire. You're right," I could feel his breath on my neck as I turned my head back to Alfred's car, letting the tears dry on my cheeks. Before I realized what was going on, I felt something soft on my cheek. He had kissed me. Robin. Kissed. Me. I shivered right then, not from the cold, for it was quite sunny, but just from nerves. That had been the last thing I had expected from this trip.
"C'mon, let's go home," Robin whispered, smiling at me confidently. He took my hand and led me to the limo. Now he knew. He was always going to have a family, whether real or just memories.
"How did you know it was me in the cemetery and not someone else?" Robin and I were now in Titans Tower, walking together towards the main room to greet our friends.
"Beast Boy. You shouldn't let him in on any plans. He can't keep a secret," Robin laughed. The mask had returned to my hero, leaving me to dream about his eyes. "And how'd you know about Bruce and Alfred?"
"Cyborg put a tracking device on your motorcycle. I followed it to Gotham to Mr. Wayne's. Alfred was the one who drove me to you," I laughed. Our ride home from Gotham had been quite spectacular, me clutching onto him as he rode his motorcycle at speeds I would consider dangerous. But he hadn't been depressed. That was an improvement. "May I ask a question?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
"What I said in the graveyard… about you being a hero… was that correct?" He smiled then, chuckling a bit I knew it. It had been incorrect.
"Yeah, Star. But you're a hero too, ya know." By now we had reached the doors to the main room. With our hands intertwined, we were ready to face a scorching questioning session from our fellow titans.
The doors opened to reveal a very odd scene. Beast Boy and… Raven were playing video games, and the Azarathian seemed almost happy. Cyborg was helping himself to whatever was left in the kitchen. All heads turned to see us. Beast Boy was the first to run up to us and his eyes went wide seeing our hands.
"So, Robin, how was your little trip to Gotham?" The changeling asked, wriggling his eyebrows towards the Boy Wonder.
Robin looked towards me, a secret smile passing between us. "It was alright."
A/N 2: And so concludes this one-shot. Hope you enjoyed. Do remember to review for me. No flames though. More one-shots to come!