Chapter 30: The True Blessing

As soon as they landed on the roof of the Tower, Robin pulled Starfire over to the door and, pausing only long enough to dial in his code, tugged her inside. Once there, he dumped his pack and pushed Starfire's from her shoulders. She looked at him a little blankly, but before she had the chance to question him, he shoved her up against the wall and sealed his lips to hers. She started, but quickly joined him in the frenzied display. "Again so soon?" she asked, mirth in her voice, as he pulled away for air.

"You know the next time we're going to have the Tower to ourselves?" he replied as he dove back in to recapture her lips.

Starfire answered by unsnapping his cape and tossing it from his shoulders. They each ripped their own gloves off. Starfire grabbed Robin by his hair and pulled him closer, pushing her tongue into his mouth. Robin accepted it as he squeezed her hip with one hand and reached up with the other to work at the jewel on her neckplate. It proved to be a bit more difficult than he anticipated. He slid his lips over her chin to her neck and opened one eye to get a look at what he was doing. When Starfire raised a hand to help him, he realized he'd stopped kissing her. He gently slapped her hand away and nipped the underside of her chin as he continued his struggle with the clasp.

"Robin, perhaps I should show you…"

"I can get it," he insisted, finally giving up trying to kiss her at the same time. He furrowed his brow in concentration, twisting and sliding the gem. After several attempts, he finally succeeded. "Aha!" he crowed, pulling it from her neck. "Why is that so complicated?" he asked, looking up into her eyes.

"It is not," she answered. "It is a simple pattern. It is designed to help prevent it from being accidentally released during combat."

Robin nodded. "I guess that makes good sense. Now," he smiled and peeled off his mask. "Where were we?"

Starfire fixed a pout on her lips and grabbed his shirt, pulling it from his belt. "Here, I believe."

Robin laughed deep in his throat and took a step back to pull the garment off. Starfire placed her hands on his chest and smoothed them up to his shoulders. Robin snaked a hand behind her and pressed it to the small of her back, pulling her to him and hungrily kissing her again. When, a moment later, he felt her start to float away, he took a step and pushed her against the wall again. Her legs twisted around his hips as their lips and tongues continued their duel. Robin grabbed her shoulders and pulled her down in an attempt to gain some height and dominance. As she slid, their dpi'syr gems slipped over each other. A flash of intense emotion like the one he had felt in the forest shot through Robin, causing him to break contact with Starfire's lips as he sucked in a breath. "What was that?" he whispered, searching her eyes.

Starfire wriggled around in his arms, causing the gems to connect again. The emotion surged in him again, and he felt Starfire shiver, her eyes starting to glow. "It is true!" she breathed. "Oh, Robin it is true!" She hugged him tightly.

"What's true?" Robin asked into her hair before pulling back to look at her again. "Star, what is this?"

"It is the true blessing of the dpi'syr. It is part of the folktales as well, but I had not dared to hope…" She paused, a smile growing over her face. "It is a reminder to us as to why we are dpi'syrad. It is the emotions we feel for each other. Physical connection – xioykrw – is truly wonderful, but without our emotions, it is meaningless. When our dpi'syr gems touch, it causes the emotions that we feel to be intensified so that we may most fully experience our union. And when we are apart, the memory of these emotions will remind us why we are meant to be together.

Robin's head spun with his intense feelings as he tried to process that. "This isn't you, it's me?"

Starfire nodded marginally, her eyes still bright.

"And you're feeling…?"

"Overcome by my emotions for you?" she asked. "Oh, yes…"

At a loss for any further words, Robin kissed her again, pouring all of his feelings out through the places he touched her. He took a step back away from the wall so that he could wrap his arms around her back and pull her even closer. They separated after several minutes, chests heaving and heads spinning. Robin adjusted Starfire's hips so that the gems' connection broke. He rest his forehead against hers. "That was…incredible. I can't imagine making love like that…"

Starfire's naughty smirk returned. "Why do you think they are worn in the navel?"

Robin's eyes grew wide and his knees went weak. But he quickly recovered as a few naughty thoughts of his own bubbled to the surface. The corners of his lips quirked up and he adjusted his hold on Starfire, turned, and started down the stairs. "C'mon. I've spent way too many nights lying next to you barely controlling myself. I want to find out what it's like not to have to stop myself."

Starfire squealed. "An excellent idea!"

TtTtTtT

The rest of the team arrived shortly before noon the next day, Titans East landing their T-Ship on the roof of the Tower. They were greeted warmly by Robin and Starfire, Robin wearing a much bigger smile than he usually did.

Over a lunch of many pizzas, Robin suggested to Titans East that they stay a few days. "We could train together, and, how did Cyborg put it? Spend some quality time with our fellow Titans."

Bumblebee thought that was a great idea, and after lunch, Starfire gathered some linens and led her down to one of the three empty bedrooms that were in the Tower. (The Tower had been built with the idea that the team might one day expand. One of the rooms had been Terra's; it now stood empty. The other two were being used for miscellaneous storage.)

"Oh, it is wonderful that you and Titans East have decided to stay for a few days!" Starfire chirped as they walked along. "I must apologize for the state of this room; we do not have many guests."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Star," Bumblebee replied as Starfire opened the door to the musty room. There were a few boxes in the corners, and the room was in sore need of a dusting, but Bumblebee had seen much worse. Like Mas y Menos' room.

"All right, girl," Bumblebee said as they entered the room. "Spill."

Starfire looked blank for a moment, but finally replied, "Very well," and dropped the sheets on the floor.

Bumblebee shook her head. "No, no." She leaned in conspiratorially. "Tell me about you and Robin!"

Starfire clasped her hands over her chest. "Oh! Do you wish to do the girl talk?"

Bumblebee nodded enthusiastically. "You do not know how lucky you are to live with another girl."

"Well, to be truthful, Raven often takes much convincing to participate in the 'girlish' things," Starfire confided, sounding a bit disappointed.

Bumblebee shrugged. "Well, that's Raven. C'mon," she pulled Starfire over to the unmade bed and plunked down on it, tugging Starfire with her. "We'll have to make the most of it while I'm here. Is it true that you and Rob have only been together for six months? I could have sworn you had a thing back when I first met you a year ago."

"Robin and I have always been very close; the best of friends. But it is true that we did not begin the courting process until six Earth months ago."

Bumblebee nodded. "Sparky did say something about Robin being dense when it came to you. So…is he a good kisser?"

Starfire raised a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "Well…I have not kissed anyone other than Robin the way I kiss him, so I have no real means of comparison. But I do find it quite enjoyable!"

"Uh-huh," Bumblebee sounded a little disappointed, but then her eyes flashed and she perked up. "What about beneath the uniform…is he as scrawny as I think he is?"

"Oh no!" Starfire dispelled. "He has filled out quite nicely in the time I have known him, and when he is finished developing I believe he will be quite…what is the word? Buff."

Bumblebee nodded, processing that. "Wait…I thought you said yesterday was your first time."

"It was. But Robin often trains shirtless."

"Ah," Bumblebee raised a finger, signifying her understanding. "Speedy does that sometimes."

She leaned in, lowering her voice and waggling her eyebrows. "And what about below the belt?"

"Let me see…he has strong thighs, somewhat knobby knees, rather hairy calves and large feet." Starfire giggled, raising her hands to cover her mouth for a moment before leaning in and whispering, "And he has the most adorable buttocks I believe I have seen on a human."

"Now we're talkin'!" Bumblebee exclaimed, bouncing up and down on the bed a little before putting a hand on Starfire's arm and asking: "What about his package?"

"His package?"

"You know!" Bumblebee answered, flailing her hands a bit. "His goods, his manhood, his love muscle…"

Starfire knit her brow, worrying out Bumblebee's euphemisms. "You are perhaps referring to his genitalia?"

"Yes!"

Starfire smiled briefly, proud that she had figured that out. But then she grew worried. "Why do you wish to know about his genitalia? Do you desire him? You cannot have him, we are dpi'syrad! I am prepared to do battle with you for him!" She grew more determined as she said this, her eyes glowing and her hands clenching into fists.

Bumblebee held out a hand in defense. "Whoa! Relax, girl! He's all yours; I don't like Robin like that!"

Starfire visibly relaxed, her eyes returning to normal. "Then why do you…"

"Because…this is what girl talk is! And…I'm curious. You're the first ones our age that have done this, that I know of anyway. And I just wanna know what it's like, ya know?"

Starfire canted her head, a bit confused. "You and Cyborg have not…?"

Bumblebee laughed again, a hint of embarrassment creeping into the sound. "Me and Sparky? No. Yeah, we flirt, but it's never really gone any further than that." She paused, considering the situation for a moment. "Is he even able to…does he have the right equipment? I mean, so much of him as been replaced…"

"I do not know," Starfire replied. At that moment, Raven appeared in the doorway carrying some towels. Starfire turned to her. "Raven, does Cyborg have typical male genitalia?"

Raven lifted an eyebrow, but betrayed no emotion otherwise. "You're asking me?"

Bumblebee collapsed on the bed laughing, holding her sides. "You seem to know everybody else's' secrets," she answered through her chortles.

Raven frowned. "If you two are talking about what I think you're talking about, count me out."

"Oh, no, Raven, you must join us for the girl talk!" Starfire floated from the bed and pulled Raven back, causing her to drop the towels by the door.

"Yeah, Raven, join the party!" Bumblebee called, still laughing.

Raven rolled her eyes. "If I must." She folded her legs beneath her and floated above the bed. She raised a hand and used her powers to close the door.

Bumblebee managed to quell her laughter and propped herself up on her elbows. "So…Sparky's junk?"

Raven shook her head. "I've never had occasion to find out about Cyborg's 'junk.' Or Robin's or Beast Boy's either." She cast a glance at Starfire.

Bumblebee groaned and fell back on the bed.

Starfire looked between her two friends, confusion on her face. "Are we still referring to genitalia? Robin's is far from junk-like."

Bumblebee popped back up at that. "Yeah? What is it like?"

"Um…" Starfire pursed her lips. "I do not think Robin would like it if he knew we were speaking of this. Perhaps I could tell you about my own genitalia instead?"

Bumblebee and Raven looked at each other. "Is it that different from ours?" Bumblebee asked.

"I do not believe so."

"Then…that's okay." Bumblebee leaned back in. "What I really want to know about is the actual deed. Was it really as world-rockin' as Raven made it seem?"

Starfire changed her gaze to Raven, whose cheeks flushed pink. "It was…" Starfire sighed, closing her eyes, allowing herself to revel in the memory for a moment, "…beyond description." She opened her eyes to see Bumblebee frowning at her, obviously unsatisfied. "But yes, it was very moving," she quickly added, hoping to please her friend. She shook her head, trying to sort it out in her own mind. "Something happened that first time that did not happen in the subsequent couplings…I released some kind of energy…" She looked again to Raven. "Perhaps it had something to do with my connection to the creature." She placed a hand on Raven's arm. "I am sorry if we caused you distress."

Raven shook her head, but before she could say anything, Bumblebee broke in. "Wait…you've done it since then?"

"Yes, we performed xioykrw shortly after we returned to the Tower and then again this morning before you arrived."

"Damn, girl," Bumblebee smirked.

"They had the Tower to themselves," Raven pointed out. "Did you really think they wouldn't?"

Bumblebee shrugged, but before she could say anything, several loud knocks to the door were heard, followed by Robin's voice. "Raven, are you in there? We could use your help out here…"

Raven rolled her eyes and floated over to the door. "What?"

"Speedy's broken a finger wrestling with Aqualad over who gets the bed in their room. And since Speedy kind of needs his fingers…"

"He what?!" Bumblebee groused from the bed. "I swear, I'm gonna knock their heads together." She stomped off towards the door. "You'll have to tell me more later, Star!" she called over her shoulder.

Starfire floated over to the door to see about the commotion.

"Tell her what?" Robin asked, a scowl on his face in spite of the redness of his ears.

Starfire's only reply was a giggle.

TtTtTtT

Robin whistled tunelessly through his teeth as he bustled about the kitchen. He wore only boxers and an undershirt, forgoing even his mask. It was very early; just after 5:00 am, and since Titans East had left the day before and he'd spilled his guts to all of them about Starfire anyway, he didn't think the sight of his eyes would cause that big of an uproar.

"You're up early," Raven's rasp sounded from behind him. Robin jumped, but managed not to make it visible. "So are you," he returned.

She came into his field of vision as she opened the cupboard to reach for her tea makings. "I meditated very deeply last night, and then slept very soundly. I don't even remember my dreams; that almost never happens."

"Good, I'm glad you're regaining some control," Robin said, cracking a couple of eggs into a bowl.

Raven nodded as she put the water on to boil. "What's your excuse?"

"I'm making breakfast for me and Starfire."

"Beast Boy was right; you are whipped."

Robin raised an eyebrow and took a step over to her, placing his hand against her forehead momentarily. "Are you feeling all right? That's the second time in a week you've agreed with Beast Boy."

Raven's lips quirked briefly. "Maybe he's finally growing up."

The two avian Titans looked at each other for a few beats. "Nah," they concluded together.

Robin chuckled as he went back to his eggs and Raven allowed herself a small smile.

Raven pondered her tea as Robin began to whip the eggs. "Wait a second," she muttered after a few moments, and reached out to snatch Robin's wrist.

Robin jumped visibly this time. "Raven?!"

Raven bit her lip. "You and Starfire…were you…intimate last night?"

"Yeah…." Robin furrowed his brows in question.

Raven didn't meet his eyes. "I didn't feel it," she whispered, almost to herself.

"Didn't feel what?" Robin asked.

"Last night…I didn't feel the two of you…together…" Raven sputtered, becoming what in a normal person would just seem like minor concern, but for her was deeply nervous. "I didn't sense it until just now, when you touched me. I caught a whiff of the…" She searched for a word for a moment. "…residue."

"Afterglow?" Robin suggested a bit cheekily.

Raven still had more than enough control to shoot him an exasperated look before pressing for more information. "When…did you…?"

"Um…" Robin reached up to scratch the back of his neck. "Which time?"

Raven's eyes got wide.

"We were up most of the night," he admitted sheepishly, his ears turning pink.

Raven rolled her eyes. "When did you start?" she muttered at him.

"Pretty much right after we went to bed…10:30 or so."

"That's about the time I started to meditate." She shook her head. "I don't understand. Sex is such a potent thing…I feel it from nearby buildings when we're on the street during a mission. And I can always feel strong emotions from the four of you, even in my sleep." She looked up. "And the two of you… not even counting that first time, I've felt every other time. When you came home and the rest of us were still in the woods, the other night after the movie, yesterday afternoon after combat practice…" She cocked an eyebrow. "You were in the shower, weren't you?"

Robin turned bright red. "Raven!"

She waved a hand at him. "Calm down. Most of the time what I feel is…noise. Like hearing a television in the other room; I have a general sense of what's going on and might catch a word now and then, but it's far from having a front row seat. Most of the time I can ignore it…and do. It can actually be pretty annoying, having that push its way into your consciousness when you're trying to do something."

Robin blew out a breath, calming himself down. "But you said you didn't feel us last night?"

"No!" Raven shook her head, then knitted her brow. "You're sure it was last night?"

"Trust me…it's not something you forget."

"Did you do anything…differently?"

"Well…um…yeah…" Robin scrubbed at the back of his neck again. "But at this point just about everything's new."

Raven turned away, shaking her head again. "It must have been my meditation. I really didn't do anything differently, but it has been a while since I've been able to go that deep. Before the mission, actually." She turned back to Robin, understanding starting to form in her eyes. "Maybe that's it. If I'm meditating, turned inward instead of reaching out, I can block it out." She smiled in relief.

"You meditate most nights before you go to sleep, right?" Robin asked.

"Every night. I can't sleep without it."

Robin visibly relaxed a little. "Well, I can't promise that we'll only do that at night, but it will probably be the case most of the time."

Raven nodded, smiling a little. The two regarded each other, happy in the knowledge that this new aspect of Robin's life wouldn't cause that big of a problem after all: Robin could rest easy knowing he and Starfire weren't being spied on, even if inadvertently, and Raven could relax knowing that her friends' emotional noisiness wouldn't be invading her psyche at every turn.

But something else crossed Robin's mind, and he looked away, again embarrassed. "Um…Raven? That first time…what did you feel?"

Raven drew a deep breath and closed her eyes, unable to look at him. "Everything," she answered simply. "Not very much physically, but emotionally…every little twist and turn." She opened her eyes to see an odd mixture of emotions on his face; embarrassment, yes, but also traces of wistfulness and pride. She looked up into his eyes, really seeing them for the first time, and placed a hand on his arm. "You two are very lucky, you know. Most people spend the majority of their lives looking for what you have at less than twenty years old. And most don't succeed. And I'm not just talking about sexually…emotionally you have a bond stronger than I've felt between two people…even the two of us, and I artificially created ours. The one between you and Starfire grew organically." She paused, smiling a little more. "She really, really loves you."

Robin smiled back. "I know. I really, really love her."

TtTtTtT

Starfire hovered a few inches off the floor in front of the large picture window in her – hers and Robin's – room, watching the sunrise. She hadn't bothered to dress. In the few short days since she and Robin had be come Revolethen she had grown to love the feel of the air against her skin. If only Earthlings weren't so modest…

She heard the door open, but didn't bother to turn. She knew who it was. She heard some dishes rattling, but they quickly settled and she smiled to herself as his fingers were soon on her back and then slipping around to her stomach. She lowered herself to the floor to allow him to rest his chin on her shoulder and pull her against him.

"Watcha doin'?" he rumbled in her ear before nipping on the lobe.

"I am pondering whether to clothe and go up to the roof to watch the sunrise or to stay here and enjoy it from the window."

He pressed a few soft kisses to the juncture of her neck and her shoulder. "I think it's just fine from here."

Starfire smirked and wriggled her hips against his; she could feel his growing arousal. "You merely wish for me to remain unclothed."

He chuckled. "That might have something to do with it." He pulled her close and nuzzled her neck and ear a bit more before slipping away, trailing his hands over her skin. "C'mon. I made us some breakfast."

Starfire didn't turn, didn't move. Her eyes remained transfixed on the rising sun. She had always found it beautiful, and to experience it here, in the chamber she shared with her dpi'syr, filled her soul with a warmth not even the hottest day could provide.

"Star," Robin called from behind her. "Aren't you hungry?"

Starfire's lips twisted and she finally turned. "Indeed, Revoleth Robin. I am quite hungry." She flew at him, knocking him from where he stood by the foot of the bed, flipping them both over to land with her back on bed and Robin on top of her. Their dpi'syr gems touched, and Starfire was filled with joy. She reached for his lips as he reached for hers, and they met in a fervent, heartfelt, passionate kiss. They pulled apart minutes later, gasping for air. "You're not interested in eggs and toast at the moment, are you?" Robin asked.

Starfire smirked and shook her head, pulling him back down to meet his lips again as she started to raise them from the bed…

I…can't…believe…I….finished...it. Yes, that's it. The end. Thanks to everybody who's held on this long and been so patient, and especially to everybody who's reviewed so many times, especially TennisGal and Eve Royal, among many others. I hope you all enjoyed it; please feel free to review one more time! And yes! There IS going to be a sequel; part of it is already written. Be sure to have me on your Author Alert! It's tentatively called Falling II: Curse of the Bat.

Lelila, signing off….for now.