Milk and Cookies

Deafening thunder continued to bellow in harmony with the flashes of blinding lightning in the dark sky. With each brand new clap of thunder, the wind shifted fresh falling rain against glass and roughly shook every building in Jump City. This was definitely one storm that did not seem to letting up any time soon. The harsh wind roared and shook the large tower that was perched on a small island on the outskirts of the main city.

However, the wretched storm wasn’t exactly what woke a certain teenage boy from his slumber. He yawned as he sat up and ran a bare hand through his black mess of hair. Robin stretched and clicked a couple joints as he stood up. He was clad in some black sweats and a simple red wife beater along with that mask which was constantly fixed upon his face. He sighed tiredly as he trudged out of his room and down the hall, absentmindedly passing each of his team mates’ room; cursing them for being able to sleep soundly. Robin instantly remembered what had woke him up as his stomach growled in need of food. He wandered into OPS and turned to continue to the kitchen but he immediately froze.

Robin had become quite the skilled ninja in his time of becoming a hero and had, in turn, taught himself to know his surroundings whether it be in the light or the dark. It was known that Robin was a somewhat fan of the darkness too. He had forced himself to adapt to enhance his stealthy skills so that meant knowing how to conceal yourself within the unknown of the night and...To know what else hid within the darkness.

He crept closer to the apparent life form that had taken up residence upon the kitchen counter and shifted his position so that he was in a fighting stance. His hoped a flash would occur soon so that he would catch a glimpse of this potential criminal. His prayers were answered as the world lit up for a brief moment, revealing an insight of the intruder.
Robin’s shoulders dropped and he returned to his normal pose as he realised they were far from an intruder. He knew that posture and that long auburn hair all too well.

Starfire. The simple thought of her brought a bashful smile to the fearless leaders’ face. He could never pin point in his mind what exactly drew him to her so much. She was stunning for a start. Her hair was the perfect shade of his favourite colour and her eyes were deep and endearing. Her golden skin gave the impression to everyone that she was constantly glowing. Her shape was equally perfect also, along with owning slim smooth legs to complete her overall beauty. Robin almost always found himself momentarily scolding himself for thinking of her in such a way but...In honesty, he couldn’t help it.
She was just so beautiful and that was enough to make him forget his respectful morals; in his mind anyway. Of course, Robin was definitely not shallow enough to hold feelings for a girl who was just beautiful. Starfire had many qualities that made her immensely special, especially to Robin. She was adorable and sweet particularly when she grew curious about new earth customs in which she hadn’t heard about before. He counted himself extremely lucky to be the one who always answered her questions and unravelled her from her curiosities and confusion. She was his best friend and although that’s all he said she was in front of others; in his heart, he knew differently. Since the first day that Starfire had crash landed on Earth and had began wrecking the city, Robin had begun to feel certain feelings for the young alien princess. The first time they met...It was a moment that he would not easily forget. She was fierce yet conflicted and he had wanted to help and protect her since that day; from bad people and from the alien race that were after her.

She had so many traits that he was drawn in by. She was kind, loving, strong and brave and even her moments of insecurity and sensitivity captivated Robin. She was...breath-taking and there was no way he could deny that...to himself anyway.

So here she was sitting on the kitchen counter with her knees drawn up to her chest and her face buried against them while...shaking? He really did try hard not to startle her but his voice came out a lot less quiet and soft as he had originally anticipated, “Star?” He tested. Her reaction was definitely not what he was going for.

Starfire squealed and fell right off of the counter, landing on the kitchen floor with a thud. Robin cringed as her body hit the deck. He quickly made his way to her and offered her a hand. She sighed and smiled softly as she accepted his helpful hand. He pulled her up with little force; the girl really didn’t weigh much so it wasn’t the hardest task ever.

Once she was up, Starfire dusted her baby pink sweats off and fixed the straps of her white string top before glancing up at Robin worriedly, “Robin? What are you doing up at such an early time?” She asked, innocently blinking at him.
It had become easy for both of them to pick up on each other’s facial expressions as the dim light from the outside world seeped into the room, alighting a lot of things within. Robin smirked, “I could ask you the same question Star,” He paused, slight concern presenting itself upon his features, “how come you were sitting on the counter like that? Are you okay?”

Starfire bit her lip but forced a nod to the boy wonder, “Of course Robin. Everything is wonderful,” She lied,

Robin narrowed his eyes at her a little but went along with it and shrugged, “I was hungry so I thought I’d grab a midnight snack,” He answered, side stepping to pass her. Starfire stared after the dark haired boy and played with the ends of her hair, timidly, “I see,” She said just above a whisper. Robin’s attention on the cupboards drained and was injected into the girl behind him. He turned and crossed his arms over his chest, “So, what’s really wrong, Star?” He gazed at her fake confusion that she portrayed before continuing, “and don’t try and get away with saying, ‘nothing’. I know you and I know when something is bothering you,”

Starfire sighed and pulled herself back up onto the kitchen counter while closing her eyes. Robin abandoned the idea of food and shuffled closer to Starfire. He leaned against the edge of the counter and watched her, awaiting her explanation. She pulled a violet blanket up around her shoulders which must have fallen when she fell.
“Truthfully, I have not been able to gain the wink of sleep all of this night.” She paused as she glanced away from Robin, hiding a...blush? “I have been most preoccupied with the horrible storm outside of our home. The flashing...and the rumbles...They both frighten me so. I always feel safer when I am within the main room but...I am...still afraid...I have never enjoyed the earth storms but they have never been so-” Starfire was cut off as thunder and lightning danced together among the dark clouds. Again, the girl squeaked and dove onto the ground, covering her whole quivering body with the soft blanket.

Robin softly smiled down at her. This was one of those adorable moments that he seemed to cherish.  Robin sighed and crouched down so that he was level with her before taking the weight from himself and sitting cross legged across from her. The distance between them wasn’t much when he thought about it.

He carefully pushed back the blanket from her head to reveal her scared angel-like face staring back at him. He placed his hands on either shoulder and brought her gently into the same position he was in, “Star. You don’t need to be afraid of the storm. I’m pretty sure you’re way more powerful than it...If anything, it should be the storm being scared of you,” He chuckled, a light colour spreading over his cheeks.

Starfire raised her slender fingers to her lips and giggled. Robin grinned at both the angelic sound coming from her and his triumph of making her forget her fears, even if for only a moment. Starfire pulled the blanket up around her a little tighter. She shared a shy smile with Robin who mirrored her expression perfectly. She suddenly tilted her head at him, “Robin...Are you not hungry? Was that not the original purpose of your journey to the kitchen?” Starfire quizzed, her charming way of expressing her curiosity.

Robin blushed a deep red and he stammered frantically, “Uh...Right...Yeah...I...uh...I’ll...I’ll just go do...that.” and with that sentence barely worded, he pushed himself up and padded over to the fridge. Once Robin was up and wasn’t facing her anymore, she let a flush creep over her face and she bit her lip to stop herself from grinning. She always felt so joyful when she was around Robin.

He made her feel reassured. Safe. Protected.

He had protected her the very first day that they met. He had kept her safe from the gordanians who were desperately attempting to retrieve their ‘prisoner’. He had reassured her that things were different from her somewhat hostile planet.

She sighed contently and stood up and joined Robin who was scanning the fridges’ contents. He closed the fridge door with an unsatisfied groan. Starfire tilted her head at him, “Something is wrong with the cold storage unit, Robin?” She asked, concerned,
Robin couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him, “No, it’s not that Star...There’s just hardly any food. We definitely need to go on a grocery run soon.” He babbled, opening the cupboards above Starfire’s head, making sure to do it slowly so that she understood to move so that she wouldn’t get hit.

Robin hummed as he gazed at the cupboards contents. He was slightly curious as to why Starfire hadn’t gone back to her room, not that he was complaining but still, “So, still scared of the storm?” Robin asked, not turning to face her.
He heard her make an ‘mm’ sound as she pondered, “I do not think so...Not so much as before in any case...” She replied, quietly.
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“Because I feel better about certain fears when you- my friends...reassure me,” She amended, hoping Robin didn’t catch her words too clearly but yes, Robin heard her and he smirked. Lucky she couldn’t see his face...
“Aren’t you tired?” Robin queried, half turning to look at her. Starfire shook her head as she sat on the main counter and swung her legs childishly. He really couldn’t help but smile at her mannerisms. She was so hypnotising and endearing.
“Are you tired, friend Robin?” Starfire returned. Robin wished he could do something about that ‘friend’ label...Upgrade it to adding a ‘boy’ in front of it...Answer her, Robin! His thoughts yelled to him,

Robin cleared his throat, “Not really...” He trailed off as he apparently found something to his liking in the cupboard, “perfect!” He breathed, grabbing milk from the fridge.
“May I ask as to what it is which had captivated your appetite, Robin?” Starfire wondered, floating to his side with hands clasped in front of her.
“Warm milk and cookies. Best thing to be invented for midnight snacks while it’s stormy,” Robin chirped, “Want some, Star?”
“Is the taste satisfying...?” She asked, hesitantly,
“Wait, you’ve never had warm milk and cookies?”
Starfire shook her head, eyes shining brighter than before as interest struck her at the core. Robin grinned and grabbed two cups down from the cupboard, “You’ll love it, Star,” Robin mused as he poured milk into the plastic cups. Starfire watched him work and smiled, “If you believe so, I am certain I shall...” She encouraged,

Robin continued to put the full cups into the microwave for nearly a minute, trying to be careful of not making the milk too hot. When the microwave dinged, Starfire giggled and clapped her hands. He grinned at her and gave her one of the cups. She was about to sip it but Robin held a hand out to her, “Wait...” He instructed to which Starfire nodded and obeyed. She hovered over the counter with her legs crossed and she gently lowered herself until her weight was resting atop of the counter. Robin hopped up onto the counter and copied her position exactly as he sat directly across from her; the only thing separating them was the plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies Robin had placed there moments ago.

Robin cleared his throat and held his cup in one hand and held a cookie in the other, “Okay. It’s real simple. Just dip the cookie in the milk and eat the cookie.” Robin stated, doing the actions as he said them. He munched on the damp part of the cookie and closed his eyes as his taste buds began a flavour rollercoaster. Starfire enthusiastically grabbed a cookie and looked between it and her cup. She repeated the exact movement Robin had done and he stared at her expectantly as she took a bite from the damp cookie. She closed her eyes much like Robin had and made an approving, ‘Mm...’ sound of delight. She then reopened her eyes quickly, causing Robin’s heart to skip a beat. Robin raised an eyebrow at her and grinned, “Well...?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest,
“Oh! The heated milk and sweet cookie together create quite an enjoyable taste indeed Robin! Please, may we have more?” Starfire said, exuberantly clasping her hands together.

She was definitely the happiest girl he had ever met. That was a fact. Robin nodded and they both reached for another cookie.


Finally the plate of cookies was empty and only tiny crumbs remained. Robin leaned back on his right hand while his left hand held his half empty cup. Starfire mirrored his somewhat boyish position but yet she managed to make it look perfectly feminine. She raised an eyebrow at her cup, “Robin...I am confused...I do not wish to put more cookies within my beverage but, I still have half of its’ contents remaining. What shall I do with it?” She asked,

Robin smiled at her, “You do this,” He said, before pouring the remainder of warm milk down his throat and wiping the milk-stache that had briefly formed away with a paper towel. He nodded to Starfire as if telling her to give it a try.

Starfire smiled and practically chugged the rest of her milk down. She took the cup away from her lips and she smiled at Robin, “Delicious,” She complimented. Robin wanted to giggle as he realised Starfire had a milk-stache on her upper lip. Robin smirked and grabbed a paper towel, “Star...You got a little...” He didn’t want to embarrass her or anything,
“What is it, Robin?” She asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion,
“Come here for a second,” Robin beckoned her to bring her face in closer to him, “You...have some milk...just...” He was beginning to murmur as his attention was aimed at her cupid bow lips. He succeeded in wiping the milk-stache away but that didn’t make them retract the distance they were slowly closing. Robin carefully leaned in and rested a hand against her jaw, guiding her into this display of affection. Starfire’s eyes widened at first as her lips connected with Robin’s. It was a strange feeling but she couldn’t deny that it felt right. Their lips melded together perfectly and they both knew exactly how they were supposed to do this. Something like getting a kiss right would be something to worry about but it was almost like an instinct to them both and so...it didn’t feel awkward or weird. It felt...natural; like it was supposed to happen.

They were both feeling quite blissful as they parted and rested their foreheads against each others. They panted slightly most probably due to shock of the kiss. They didn’t need any type of night time light to prove that they were both timidly grinning and were blushing like crazy. Robin was first to break the gaze as he cleared his throat and grabbed their cups. Starfire was saddened that he had got up at first until, “Hey Star?” He asked, smirking bashfully, “Want another cup of warm milk?”

Starfire’s blush deepened and she giggled as she floated over to him, “I would like that...Very much indeed...” She replied, already grabbing another pack of chocolate chip cookies from the top shelf of the cupboard...