"Anything, But" by Rena Redhead (For RobStar Week 2021)
For @robxstar 's RobStar Week 2021. I decided to revitalize an old, unpublished piece for Day 7's prompt "Together". Previously did “Ikebana” for Day 1, “Pretty” for Day 3, and "Slow Dancin'" for Day 6, all with their intros posted on my tumblr. All 4 stories will have writing insights on my blog on my website (www.skywingknights.com) hopefully soon too! ("Ikebana"'s is already up! :D) .
So sad that the week is over. Was really happy to have caught word of it early this year so as to prep a bit and be able to participate. Major thanks to robxstar for putting this together - was a REALLY welcome break from my chaotic life.
Took a bit of a different approach with this last prompt. So get ready for feels. Ultimately, I really hope you like it. I think it's my favorite of the 4 I've posted. There's also a little bit of BBRae in there for those of you who enjoy that ship too. ;) Much love and looking forward to RobStar Week 2022!
Her favorite memory wasn't really one moment. It was a collage of moments. All strung together. Of him. Smiling. He had the most genuine smile. And when he smiled at her, when they were together... she knew.
She knew he was her home.
That's why, when he said good bye, it hurt.
It hadn't occurred to him that he'd be stopping a gang war that night. Nor had it occurred to him that it would be on his way to New York City and on the outskirts of Gotham. Furthermore, it hadn't occurred to him that he would end up fighting alongside one of his hottest friends this side of the planet.
Red Hood couldn't be happier.
"Nice of you to show up, Star!" He called up to his alien friend, who seemed intent on blasting every gun into a melted mass of indiscernible material.
"I am surprised you showed up at all," She said, her voice abnormally monotoned.
He momentarily raised an eyebrow before finding himself dodging an attacker with a knife in hand.
"That was rude!" He yelled, kicking the knife out of the thug's hand and smashing the back of his heel into the guy's face.
He half expected Starfire to correct him. Saying that if anything, he was being the rather 'rude' one. But there was nothing. Just silence from her as she continued to focus on the task at hand and blast away.
Shrugging off the indifference, he picked the guy up and shoved him into another one of the no-good punks coming at him. He always found it amusing how he would call these kinds of criminals 'thugs' or 'punks' when he was pretty sure that's what Tim and Dick would call him 99% of the time. They needed to lighten up a little. In fact, everyone here did. Jumping up onto a crate, Red Hood let loose a couple rounds.
"So what brings you out this way?" He asked.
Starfire said nothing and Red Hood groaned in annoyance at their attackers before jumping off the crate and knocking out a few guns from the hands of several more goons.
"Hey, I'm talking to you, gorgeous!" He specified, noticing she hadn't replied, possibly not noticing he was talking to her, and trying to get a light hearted answer out of her.
Looking at him quickly before letting loose a couple starblasts from her eyes, it appeared he was right as Starfire seemed to just now realize he had been talking to her, "Cyborg asked me to check in on this place on the way back from San Francisco."
Red Hood kneed a guy in the jaw before replying, "Coming back from the West Tower?"
"Yes..." Starfire told him, "It was just an errand, dropping off some of Beast Boy's things."
"Can't Raven teleport him there to get it himself?"
"He did not," She punched a guy jumping up towards her into the ground hard and continued, "Want to ask her."
"Geez, are they fighting again?" He said, dodging another round of bullets.
"No, I..." She replied, "I do not know what is going on."
Red Hood kicked a trash can over and down in front of him, sending garbage flying into the air long enough to create a distraction to get to the three that were wielding the machine guns that had just entered the fray.
"You okay?" He called up.
"I am fine," She said. But her tone was blank, without any hint of joy, which he was so accustomed to hearing in her voice. It seemed eerily unnatural to him.
Red Hood pulled the triggers on his two hand guns and effectively disabled several of the machine guns.
"You don't seem fine," He said, rolling over, "Something happen?"
Starfire continued to focus on the targets in front of her. But her eyes seemed to be glassed over, like her mind was off somewhere else...
The story continues! Read the full story here:
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13922358/1/Anything-But