Chapter Text
“Robin, on your left.” Star said, eyes focused intently on the displays before her. “Beast Boy! Upcoming ledge!”
Both swiftly responded to her voice―Robin ducking just in time for their current enemy to miss him and Beast Boy skidding to a very ungraceful half-stop before he could smack into the ledge. Both were immediately on the move again. She felt some tension in her release.
It was still stressful not to be on the field with them, but this… This was good. This was better than good.
This was the best she could have at the moment, and she was very much grateful that she had this. It eased a lot of tension, a lot of stress, to be able to help.
The last few months, since Cyborg had built this for her, had been a lot like the old days. Not the same, but… But very much alike. She had missed it more than she thought she did. And arguably, she was more useful here than she was in the field. She was practically omniscient at her station in the tower, watching the countless video feeds that allowed her to monitor the streets. The last few months had proven that she was very adept at providing advice from the sidelines and detecting threats before they could become anything too serious.
She flicked her eyes between the displays, catching sight of Raven and Cyborg and smiling in relief when she saw they were handling themselves just fine. Raven had several of the small minions she was facing off against trapped in a bubble of her magic while she dealt with the others. Cyborg had just mowed down a large group of them with a single blast from one of his arms.
She felt like cheering for them, but she stayed quiet even as the joy made her want to fly. She didn’t want to deafen them with her excitement.
Oh, but they were doing so well! It was lovely to see.
And part of it, she didn’t mind acknowledging, was because of her. She was helping them do so well. She was helping!
… And also, if she gave into her joy, she might accidentally levitate out of her wheelchair and shut down the programs until she landed again. Not something she wanted to deal with―especially since it would shut off her communications with the others until she turned it back on, and that would worry them a lot more than it would worry her. If they couldn’t hear her, something was wrong.
Oh, like she’d thought, it wasn’t the same as being on the field with them, but this was great. As much as she missed field work, this was her job now and she adored it.
“Star!” Robin’s voice cut through her thoughts, and her eyes snapped to the display showing him. She found him instinctively―he’d moved since she’d last laid eyes on him. “I don’t see any more of the little guys. Where am I going?”
“Head for Diamond Avenue,” She said, “Rendezvous with Beast Boy there and focus on the bigger guys for now―Raven and Cyborg seem to have the small ones under control.”
“Affirmative,” Raven’s voice came over the speakers, “They’ll be dealt with soon.”
Tellingly, Cyborg’s response was a resonant, “Booyah!”
Robin laughed, and he was setting off at top speed for Diamond Avenue. She tracked his progress absently, intermittently checking on the others.
Yes, this was better than being in the field, in some respects. From here, she could watch them without worrying about slacking off. She could make sure all of them were safe and sound.
She thought, for a moment, that a year ago she’d have never taken this over actually being out in the field with her friends. She’d have said there weren’t enough upsides to staying out of the action. They could get someone else to sit here while the rest of them took care of business out in the city. Someone else could sit around and be ‘useless’.
But here she was.
And, granted, she couldn’t be out in the field anyway now, but the thing was? She probably wouldn’t choose to be, either. Even if there was something that could be done to get her back in fighting shape. Even if there was something that could fix her spine and help her regain the ability to walk and run and fight.
This just… This was better.
She missed being in the field. She probably always would. But this? It was worth it, and it was the best thing that had happened to her since that day, aside from the fact that Raven was still her girlfriend after all this time. She almost hadn’t expected that, especially after she and Raven became sure that nothing was going to change.
But Raven still gave her massages every morning. Raven still slept next to her every night. Raven still kissed her forehead when she got home and smiled at her. Smiled. Trusted her enough to let her emotions out when they were alone.
She loved Raven, had she ever made that clear?
She loved her so much.
“Star, do you see Rancid anywhere?” Raven asked, “Cyborg and I have eliminated his little brats.”
“He is on Seventh Street,” Star informed her after a brief moment to search for him.
She wasn’t happy Johnny Rancid was back, but at least he wasn’t a demon this time. Just an annoying tinkerer. He’d built hundreds of Wrex and unleashed them on the city… Messy business. But Raven and Cyborg had them covered. They were disturbingly easy to get rid of this time around―not to say that they hadn’t been difficult to deal with, of course.
It was just easy from her perspective, considering the speed at which it was accomplished.
“Rancid is on the move,” She told her friends, as they all started to head toward Seventh Street, other enemies dealt with, “Headed toward the square on Country Club Road.”
She watched them all change direction and bit her lip. Would they get there first? It was likely, but still nerve-wracking to watch.
Raven arrived first, touching down lightly in the center of the square.
The ensuing fight, when Rancid eventually arrived alongside the rest of the team, was frightening. She kept her teeth embedded in her lip for the whole thing―terrified that if she let go she would scream. She was so worried for her friends. She always was, but with Rancid… Well. She knew it could be difficult to fight him.
She was surprised she’d dealt so well with watching Raven fight the army of Wrex.
But the worry was for nothing, of course. Her friends succeeded with only minor injuries. No broken bones or horrible bruises this time. That was good. She remembered the broken arm that Robin had gotten the first time…
“Well, that was interesting.” Raven intoned once Rancid had been picked up and taken away.
“Interesting is perhaps not the word that I would have used.” Star snorted.
“Yeah!” Beast Boy agreed, “Interesting is like―a good video game, with a cool story. This? This was exhausting.”
“And nerve-wracking,” Robin added.
“And frustrating.” Cyborg tacked on.
“Yes, to all of that.” Starfire let herself relax a little. “Hurry home, won’t you? I need to see you all in person to assure myself that you are safe and uninjured.”
“Yes, mom. ” Beast Boy snickered.
“We’re on our way, Star, don’t worry.”
“Are you kidding?” Raven’s eye roll was obvious even without being able to see it, “She isn’t going to stop worrying until we’re there. She’s a paranoid wreck when we’re gone.”
“Can you blame me?” Star asked, raising her brows.
“Not at all. Still, we should probably do something about it…”
“Oh, Raven,” She sighed out somewhat jokingly, “I don’t need to do anything about it. Your love is enough.”