Chapter Text
No matter how many times she found herself doubting her current life and her choice to become a singer, Robin never truly regretted her decisions that brought her so far. Turning her passion into a job had made her lose some joy in singing, yet she found beauty and satisfaction in bringing a peaceful smile to her fans. Despite media and paparazzi making it more difficult to find time for herself, if her slandered appearance in tabloid could brighten the life of a pure soul across the globe, it was worth the pain it brought her.
Ultimately, Robin still craved private time without anyone chasing after her for a few words or photos. Months after her departure from Penacony, she had become a master in manipulating her appearance to go unnoticed and wander the city, which she was currently doing. Full of skyscrapers and oppressive urbanism, the singer would often find herself strolling through parks where she could enjoy the greenery and the singing of birds. When she felt particularly adventurous, she would drive by herself outside the city to stargaze and wonder about the possibilities outside her bubble.
Yet, it is during those moments she finds herself truly lonely. Even without remorse on her choice of life, she longed to share her life with true friends; people who wouldn’t admire her for being a superstar. Friends, who truly loved her for who she truly was. Her brother was supportive, and he was the person she loved the most. Yet he was still her sibling, who she had to admit was sometimes too uptight and a little too caring. She couldn’t see herself hanging out with him like she craved to do with friends.
Looking up at the stars when she was nearing the corner to her apartment, Robin was abruptly snapped out of her musings by someone bumping onto her from her right. Although, falling onto her might have been a better way to describe how the stranger brought her down onto the pavement from their weight, the impact pushing the air out of her lungs into a gasp.
Robin wriggled under the weight pressing her uncomfortably onto the gravel on her back, heart racing into her chest. What if someone found out who she was? In her panic, she had trouble even moving the person above her. Fortunately, a few seconds passed without the stranger moving, and she slowly calmed enough to analyse the situation when her mind and body stopped feeling threatened.
The person lying on her was barely moving apart from a soft whimper so close to the singer’s ear it made her shiver. “Are you…” Robin paused when she felt something warm seeping into her clothes. With a trembling hand, she reached to her own chest, fingers finding warm stickiness. A quick glance at her fingertips turned her face as white as her wings. “Oh Xipe, you’re bleeding!”
The stranger struggled to sit up, hands trembling on either side of Robin’s face, pushing themselves up until a pale visage looked down at the singer with hooded blue eyes. Soft panting grazed Robin’s cheeks, a strange smell of cinnamon mixed with iron tickling her nose. “Am… fine.”
Pushing down her discomfort with a gulp, Robin started reaching for her phone in her coat pocket. “You are far from fine. Let me call an ambulance.” With a surprising show of strength the singer did not expect to be on the receiving end of considering the stranger’s current state, and faster than she could anticipate, her hand was pinned down before it reached its destination. Green wide eyes snapped back to the person atop her, mouth open ready to protest, until her voice died down when faced by equal cold determination and fear.
“Don’t even try! I just…” The stranger’s voice — a woman now that Robin paid more attention — cracked with her next words, desperation and sorrow evident to the singer so attuned to emotions. “You can’t.”
“I can’t just leave you to bleed out! I would not forgive myself…” The woman looked so pale, with eyes almost empty of their light. The warmth spreading on the singer’s clothes also frightened her. She knew there was little chance for the girl to survive without care, and refusing to go to the hospital made Robin worry more.
“I… I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” Something they both knew was a lie. The girl might have a plan, or just counting on luck, something Robin wasn’t fond of betting on when she knew she could make a positive difference.
With the woman releasing her hand, Robin took the opportunity to sit up and assess the situation, gently guiding the woman to sit up as well with one hand on her shoulder. The girl on her lap seemed to be grateful for the change of position as well with her arms not trembling to hold herself up. At this angle, it was easy for Robin to notice the large red stain on the woman’s abdomen when the streetlights were no longer obstructed by the stranger, which made her wince. It was quite large, and from a first glance she couldn’t know how severe the wound was.
This made her more resolute to help her.
It wouldn’t be her first time tending to serious injuries, and she did have a first aid kit at her place… Her brother would definitely hate the idea she was about to offer, especially to a complete stranger. Although, considering she was not going to tell him about it, he most surely will not complain.
“… My house is around the corner. Come with me.” Her tone was soft, almost a whisper to keep the stranger calm, yet direct and determined to make the girl aware she would not take no for an answer. She even enticed the stranger further with her following words. “I’m knowledgeable in emergency medical care. I can help… if you let me. You will, right?”
The woman didn’t answer at first, her gaze wandering across Robin’s face with a frown. Robin was patient enough to let the girl consider her offer, even if it was getting more difficult for her to keep her composure and not show how alarmed she was at the woman’s injury. “I… I can’t. I can’t bring a stranger into this mess…”
In any other situation, she would have taken more time to slowly convince the woman and make her more comfortable, but with the fear of the stranger bleeding out on her, Robin was a bit more straightforward in her next words. “I offered, you are not bringing me into it. I’ve been in worse situations anyway… now choose: my place or the ambulance. I am not letting you go not knowing if you will survive the night.”
With a sigh, the girl finally nodded. Her shoulders eased down and her frown disappeared as she gave her answer. “… Alright. Your place… don’t make me regret it.”
“Never.” Robin’s erratic heartbeat did not calm down, convincing the woman was only the first step. However, she was confident in her skills if the injury was not severe, so this first step had been the most difficult one for her. Finally able to help, the realization brought a soft smile to her face as she began moving around to stand up. “Here, let me help you.”
Taking charge with her own show of strength, Robin guided the woman to stand up with care. The singer was surprised she by the woman’s lightness considering she was slightly taller than her, but grateful as it made it effortless for her to lift the girl into her arms and carrying her to her place, ignoring the flustered protest escaping the woman’s mouth.
“Shh, trust me. It will be faster than waiting for you to drag yourself across the street.”
“… Fine. Whatever.”
Reaching Robin’s place took her and her newfound partner only a few minutes, which the singer appreciated as her strength almost left her on the last few stairs to reach her floor. The girl in her arms didn’t utter a single word as she was carried around, either from shame at her current positions in her arms or to stay on her guard until she was sure to be safe.
Robin guided the stranger back onto her feet before she unlocked her door. The silence between them was slowly getting awkward for the singer who was used to people gushing over her. With a stiff giggle, she gestured to the couch in the middle of the too-clean and very unused living room. “Please take a sit on the couch, I will be back shorty with the first aid kit.”
Without waiting for an answer, Robin turned on her heels and headed to the bathroom. As she passed her coat hanger in the hallway, she decided to take off her jacket and hat, halo floating back above her head and wings ruffling as they were finally set free. While she had practiced hiding them for an extended period of time, it still felt liberating to let them flap around.
Washing her hands and finding the kit took only a few seconds for Robin, so she was soon back into the living room where she left the stranger unattended. Fortunately, the girl didn’t pass out during the time she was away from her. Like she had told her to do, she spotted the girl on the couch looking around her place.
Often touring around the world, Robin didn’t have a lot of personal belonging to decorate her current apartment. The stranger’s gaze was locked on a picture on the coffee table featuring her with her brother, both smiling at the camera in a smile that was truer than any she wore during her shootings. It was her favourite photo with Sunday, before her brother lost his smile from all his pilling responsibilities and worries… before she lost hers trying to achieve her dream.
“Are you a fan of Miss Robin too…” The stranger’s voice died out as her eyes grew wide open staring at Robin’s figure. She blinked a few times, opened and closed her mouth, before her pale face finally tinted red, albeit only slightly, and she stuttered.
Robin, on the other hand, was quite amused to see how flustered the girl turned at the recognition. She was not expecting any other reaction, yet the situation was entertaining for Robin as she rarely surprised people this way. “I suppose I am?” She hummed with a playful chuckle, wings fluttering as she sat down on the couch next to the woman. More serious matters sang to her though, and she quickly focused her mind back on the wound she had to take care of. “Now show me the wound.”
“Oh no, no, no.” The girl shook her head maybe stronger than she should have, and quickly stood up. She wobbled on her feet, almost tripping as she took her first step away from the couch and Robin. “I can’t involve you out of anyone in my mess. I- I will leave.”
Robin quickly grabbed the girl’s wrist before she could move too far from the couch. She couldn’t help but sigh in exasperation; truly the girl was challenging her patience and it seemed she was the only one worried here. “Please quiet down and sit. I chose this, alright? I am not fragile or need protection from whatever this-” she showed the red stain on the girl’s suit. “-is. Besides, you are not the first injured fan I’ve met and treated. Do not worry, alright?”
Once more, the girl stared at Robin’s face so closely, before she nodded to her and took her position back on the couch. Robin gave the girl a soft smile, hopefully the woman would not disregard her choices once more. She tolerated it from her staff and her fans, anything for her dream after all. But she would not when it came to her private life. “Thank you.” Opening the kit, she used hand sanitizer on her hands before wearing the sterile gloves inside the box. Robin was nothing but meticulous as she got ready to help, not wanting to worsen the girl’s condition by rushing. While she applied more disinfectant with the gloves on, she finally stared back at her temporary patient. “Can you show me your injury, please?”
The girl shuffled around, trembling hands slowly unbuttoning the last few buttons of her blouse. Robin almost offered to help, but it seemed to be unnecessary as the woman finally tugged open the blouse and tugged on her sticky shirt to reveal a still bleeding and pulsing round hole. Robin was frighteningly familiar with this kind of wound, and for a second it brought her back to her days on the frontline two years ago.
Robin took a deep breath, pushing down the memories this brought back to her. Now was not the moment to get lost in her distant nightmares. She had a cute girl to help first, even if she had to ignore the temptation to instead get lost in said girl’s beautiful eyes now that they were clearer with light shining onto them.
“I will assess your injury and then treat it, alright?” The girl’s wound was much less severe than anticipated, though it would explain why she was still moving around and did not pass out a while ago. No organs hit, and the girl would survive without going to the ER with stitches and rest. Robin thanked Xipe for how fortunate the girl had been, as she would have hated to go against her wishes by calling an ambulance in the end. “It needs stitches.”
“Do your worst? Or best… best actually, best is good… yeah…” The girl mumbled, and as Robin glanced over her quickly, she saw tensed shoulders and clenched fists. Was the girl nervous? Robin did not dare question her yet, the air too tense between them. Instead she focused on cleaning the blood from the wound to prepare for stitching.
The silence lasted far longer than Robin liked. She didn’t mind quietness in general, but the oppressive atmosphere was making even her wings fold on themselves. In soon became too much, and she opened her mouth again while working with the needle. “So… how should I call you?”
The girl hummed quizzically, as if she had been lost in her own world and only came back to her senses because of Robin’s words. Fortunately, even if she had been snapped out of her thoughts, her body did not react under the needle. “Hm?”
Fans of her would usually jump at the opportunity to talk to her, yet this woman was pushing her away… apparently to protect her? The more Robin spent time with her, the more she craved to unravel all those mysteries around the stranger. “Your name. You know mine, obviously, but I don’t know yours.”
Robin could feel the girl’s stare on her, but she kept herself busy. When she was done with the stitching, she once more cleaned the area of the blood and put the trash away in a small bag with the gloves. At the very least, the most pressing and important matter was over with, and Robin could finally let out a sigh of relief, heart setting back into a normal pace.
“I… you may call me Firefly, Miss Robin.”
Robin truly looked at Firefly for the first time, unable to hold herself anymore from staring at the figure in front of her. The girl looked fragile on her couch, exhausted with dark circles under her eyes. Yet, those eyes she thought were a deep blue had the softest pink to welcome her into an entrancing dream which made Robin forget about her own self. She could feel the purest admiration Firefly had for her with a simple look, and instead of it being oppressive, Robin felt seen like never before.
It was such a strange feeling, warmth blooming on her cheeks and wings fluttering in the air. Her first solution was to divert her thoughts elsewhere, gazing at Firefly’s suit instead as she softly smiled. “Firefly, such a cute name.”
The woman gleamed at the compliment, the smile tugging on her lips blinding even Robin, which once again took her whole being apart. “Thanks…! I picked it myself.”
Robin hummed, riding on the overwhelming wave of emotions Firefly brought to her. She felt something bold burn inside her, a desire to be selfish for the first time in her life and befriend someone that was technically inaccessible by being a fan. Sitting down on the couch just next to Firefly, she smirked as she singsonged her next words. “So… Firefly, you are a fan of me?”
The blush flaring on Firefly’s cheeks was a masterpiece better than any painting Robin had laid eyes upon, made even better knowing the girl was getting some colours back to her face after the ordeal she went through. Truly, the girl looked so adorable as she stuttered through an answer. “No! I mean, yes! But- it’s just! My friend is! Right, not me, definitely not me, it’s my friend! She’s got a whole room full of your posters and albums! Not me!”
Robin knew she was teasing a little too much and pushing her luck, but she had to admit the girl was giving her lovely reactions. It was slightly addictive and she wished to see more. “Not you? So you don’t like me?” She asked with the best puppy eyes she could muster, the ones even her brother couldn’t resist.
Firefly rubbed the back of her neck as she averted her eyes, though she could not hide the blush on her ears in front of Robin’s eyes. “I- I never said that…”
Robin leaned closer, head titled sideway to try to catch Firefly’s eyes. The milky way in the girl’s gaze kept captivating her and stealing her breath while her reactions made her weirdly giddy. “So you like me? Aww, thank you.”
Firefly groaned into her hands, almost hunching forwards to hide herself, and Robin knew she might have gone too far when the girl jumped from most surely pain and straightened once more. “This is unfair, Miss Robin… When I’m injured no less.”
Robin chuckled softly, but still moved away once more from Firefly to give her some space. “Big words from someone telling me they were just fine earlier…” Deciding to stop her teasing for now, she casually glanced at the clock on her wall before gasping with wide eyes. She was definitely not gonna enjoy waking up in the morning with so little sleep… “It’s this late? Do you have a place to go back to? You can use my phone… or you can stay here for the night.”
Firefly’s eyes snapped to the wall as well, and her eyes grew comically wide. “Aeons, I forgot!” Faster than Robin could register, the girl stood up. She almost lost her balance again, but caught herself on the edge of the couch with a soft wince. “I really should go. Someone has been waiting for me ever since you started patching me…” Followed by a quiet whine from the girl scrunching her nose. “Wolfie is so gonna tease me now…”
Robin pursued her lips, a part of her wishing the girl would stay yet she knew she couldn’t be this selfish. With a soft sigh, she stood up as well to guide the girl towards her entrance door. “Yes, alright. We shouldn’t let your friend wait for you. They must be worried too.”
Firefly snorted as she buttoned her clothes once more and fixed herself before following Robin. “No, they are most surely annoyed I kept them away from playing games.” Stopping together in front of the main door, Firefly turned towards Robin with a soft smile and eyes full of gratitude and admiration once more. A pure admiration without any intention behind it… something Robin rarely received outside of her brother. “… Thank you, Miss Robin, for helping me. You didn’t have to but… I appreciate it. I wish I didn’t bring you in my mess though… you deserve better.”
Robin’s wings fluttered under the attention and warmth in her chest, but she did her best to keep her composure. “Nonsense. As I said, I would have never forgiven myself if something happened to you because I let you go.” Without thinking, her hands moved to fix Firefly’s crumbled collar, simply not wanting the girl to look disheveled, but a blush covered her cheeks when she noticed what she just done. Snatching her hands away, she stuttered quickly. “I- You take care, please?”
“I will.” One final glance to the singer, and Firefly was ready to leave, hands grabbing the door handle-
“Wait!” Robin grabbed Firefly’s wrist just before she could open her front door. For a moment, they just gazed at one another once more, Robin forgetting why she suddenly stopped the girl. She did not want this to be a goodbye. Impulsively, she blabbered what she had in her mind consequences with her staff and brother be damned. “Give me your phone number?”
Firefly only blinked for a few times, struggling to register what the star just asked her. Frowning down at Robin, the girl mumbled back. “You… want my phone number?”
“Yes.” Heart racing and fingertips tingling, she did her best to think of a valid reason to give to Firefly as fast as possible. “To check on your condition.” Then she decided to be more open and honest, after how kind Firefly had been with her in the last moments. The girl deserved an honest request, even if Robin had to suffer being flustered. Wings partially covering her red cheeks, she let herself be vulnerable. “And to keep in touch with you?”
“I… Miss Robin, you shouldn’t-“
“But I want to.” Fighting her embarrassment, Robin brought Firefly’s hand closer, cupping it with both of hers as she blinked up into those starry eyes. “You don’t?”
Firefly’s red cheeks puffed into a pout before she let out another sigh. She looked exasperated from Robin’s antics, yet her voice was still as soft and gentle as ever. “… You never play fair, do you?”
A soft giggle carried her words while her heart soared at the prospect of keeping in touch with the girl. “Playing fair is not fun after all, is it?”
With a newly acquired phone number, and a promise to keep in touch soon, Robin finally let the girl leave her place, not interrupting her again when the door opened, only to close on the last shining smile given to her.
And just like this, when she thought the tension was slowly easing between them, Firefly had to leave with a heavy silence behind her. Alone in her empty apartment, Robin suddenly felt like she had something stolen from her.
Shaking her head, she went back inside to clean the living room from the mess they made earlier. The blood was definitely not going to go easily from the couch, but she would never regret helping someone injured, even if Firefly ended up being right about not needing Robin’s help if she had someone waiting for her already.
Once the coffee table was empty of the mess, she took care of the couch. The only trustworthy person that could figure something out without involving her brother and giving him a stroke was her manager, Gallagher. A quick message to find her a replacement for the couch… no. She wanted to keep the couch. She deleted her message instead and asked if he could help her clean it up.
It was only when she was in bed, clean with all her night time routines done, that she let her thoughts drift towards Firefly once more. The girl who looked so frail yet so strong-willed and determined. Someone who, despite admiring Robin, still made sure to be considerate of her safety and not involve the singer into the messy situation.
“Firefly…” Robin was far from stupid, especially when it involved her own hometown. There were only a few reasons for the girl to have a gunshot wound, and none were utterly pleasant to envision. Robin knew she should not get involved further, it was more of her brother’s work. Yet… she couldn’t stop herself.
She only met Firefly today, in one of the worst situations she could ran into someone, but Robin knew her life would never go back to before.
Firefly truly captivated her.