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One thing he had to say about this ship, it was impressive. "Can't really think of anything. So we just get some blood from me, and take it from there then?"

"Yeah. Only need a little really, so just hold out your thumb." Peter said, holding up the lancet.

Fortunately, Mark wasn't afraid of a little needle. He held out his thumb. "Sure."

Peter pricked Mark's thumb, and let the blood drip down onto the glass side. Putting it under the microscope, he focused the lenses, and spotted the problem almost immediately.

Nanites.

"Okay, so bad news is, I can't fix the problem myself, but I already figured that much. Good news is I know exactly what we're dealing with and I know someone who probably can fix it."

"Her name's Angie Spica, she works in Engineering, and is an expert on nanotech, among other things. If anyone can fix this, she'd be the one. I'll just send her a message to let her know you'll be coming."

Mark gave a silent nod. "At least that's something. I guess we wait then."

Starfire's everyday hobby, other than training, consisted of wide-eyed absorption of as much ship life as possible. She wasn't foolish enough to try breaking into unauthorized areas, but if a door was open, so to speak? She'd fly through it.

On one of these trips, she found herself poking around the science department. She must not touch anything, she knew that much, but she could ask around.

This was where Peter worked, wasn't it? And oh---there he was, with a coworker? Friend? They didn't seem to be heavily concentrating on something at the moment, so it wasn't the worst time to ask.

"Peter? Is everything well?" Snooping, yes.

"Oh hey Starfire." Peter said, brightening considerably when she entered the room. "Everything's fine-ish, This is Mark Allan. He's from my world. Mark, this is Starfire."

Now this? Mark could tell two things about the manner which Starfire and Peter spoke. The were very friendly with each other and also Starfire was not exactly human with orange-golden skin, and a very strange manner of speaking. Realizing he was staring at her, he shook off his thoughts for now. "Nice to meet you, Starfire."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Starfire answered, striding over to offer her hand.

"You were taking a tour of the department? Are you a scientist as well?"

Would questions never stop?

"There was an issue he had to talk to me about." Peter said, leaving it up to Mark to tell her what exactly the issue was.

Mark sighed. Despite Peter's rather annoying tendancy to leave Liz alone as a irresponsible boyfriend, Peter was willing to trust him at least a little. Maybe he should stop being too hard on him. "It has to do with my powers, and how I can control them even without the remote the Green Goblin had on him."

'Green Goblin' didn't sound like a very nice name. Starfire tapped her chin in thought, wondering if Mark was all right.

"You are worried that your powers will control you?" Boy, didn't that sound familiar.

"We're more worried about the Goblin controlling him, really. He's one of the worst supervillains Spidey's ever had to deal with." Peter answered, confirming Starfire's thoughts.

And, in order to let her in on why he'd jsut referred to himself in the third person, Peter opened a telepathic channel on the comm-ring to her. < He doesn't know about me being Spidey, and I don't wanna tell him unless I get forced to just yet.>

"And if he shows up somehow, I'd need some way to deal with him that he can't control me." Mark stated.

"So you're as friend of Peter's?"

I understand. My lips are sealed on this matter, Starfire thought back to Peter in a flash.

"That is truly worrisome. I will help you if there is ever a way that I can! Peter is my very good friend, I would not wish anything to happen to his friends," she rushed out, a slightly worried smile on her face. About that 'friends' thing...it felt awkward to say, really, as she'd planned to address all of that upon finding him again.

"Soo, What's up?" Peter, asked, wondering why'd she entered in the first place. "Did ya need me for somethin'?

"I heard your voice," Starfire started, "and I wished to follow it. To see that you were well."

And...and something else, but she wasn't quite sure she could discuss it in front of Mark. She flushed, awkwardly looking from side to side.

"Hey, you know me. As long as there isn't a mission or someone or something going nuts with me in the wrong place at the wrong time, I'm usually o...kay." Peter's voiced trailed a bit before he picked up on Starfire's body language.

"...oh. OH. Uh Mark. You need any directions to Engineering, or can you find your way their on your own?" he said, trying to get Mark out of the room without sounding to desperate,

Unfortunately for Peter, Mark picked up on something wrong. He was no genius, but this sort of thing made him very suspicious. "Okay. What the heck is going on? And you? You better have a good answer." This was obviously pointed towards Peter.

Uh oh. Starfire worried that Mark would search for something like Peter's secret, when all it was was a wish for quiet conversation about something rather insignificant.

"Everything is all right, Peter," she insisted, eyes wide. "I allowed my thoughts to wander too far, I can address them later."

Which sounded even more suspicious. Great.

Well, it wasn't like there was any reason Mark shouldn't know what was going on. From Peter's perspective, he'd broken up with Liz ages before he'd even woken up.

Still, this was going to be at least a lite embarrassing. "A little while ago, I sort of, in a round-about way," he started awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck, "asked Starfire if she'd be willing to go on a date with me. I assume she's getting back to me on that."

So he wanted to tell? Already? Starfire flushed a bright red, nodding hurriedly. Best not to put any wrong ideas in Mark's head.

"Ah...yes, but I see that this is an inconvenient time! I will be very happy to meet with Peter later," she offered.

See if Mark was a cool and rational person, he could have waved the comment off, ignored it, or even just walked away. However, he wasn't that pleased with Peter before waking up and this just made it worse. He didn't say a word to Starfire (it didn't really have anything to do with her) and walked over to Peter and socked him squarely in the jaw.

"Spider-Sen-," the fist connected as Peter's internal monologue started. "Right, move then think"

Before Mark himself could react, peter grabbed his shoulder, spun him around, pinned his arm to his back, and forced the other teenager to the floor, adding quite a bit more strength than someone his size should be capable of, but not enough to really hurt.

"Mark? I know you've got a long history of doing stupid things, but you probably shouldn't be punching the person that's trying to help you."

"Peter!" Starfire yelled, her eyes flaring into their brilliant angered green before she could stop it. Starbolts coalesced in her fists, and she made sure to hover nearby in case Mark tried any funny ideas.

She said nothing, but the anger in her eyes should be clear enough in its message: You do NOT hurt Peter.

Ignoring Starfire for the moment and the slight dizzying pain, Mark slowly tried to shake Peter off. He was not happy, but more about the Peter/Liz thing than anything else. He glanced at the doorway, and he should probably leave before he hurts himself more.

Peter felt the movements. "Ohno. You're not getting up until you give me a very convincing reason for why you just punched me in the face." he said, pushing down just a little harder to get his point across.

"Yes, please tell us why you would harm Peter," Starfire chimed in. From the tone of her usually sweet voice, now hardened, it wasn't a request.

"You know why!" He was visibly angry at Peter and in his mind, rightly so. "Okay, I'll bite. You two-timing, Liz!"

Peter groaned, facepalming. "Why the hell is everyone I know from earlier than I am? We broke up. Like, three months before I even ended up on Stacy. I mean, I know I was kind of a terrible boyfriend, largely because of the very same reason I'm able to pin you without even needing to struggle, but come on." He pulled off of Mark, letting the older teenager get up.

Starfire hovered in the background. This was...an awkward topic of conversation, to be sure. So he was angry about Peter's past girlfriend...

She suddenly had a vision of Beastboy pinning her and making the same accusation about Robin. Did Peter feel it too? She kept herself on guard, wary of any more explosive events.

Some time later, somehow, some way, Starfire found herself alone with Peter. Without the excuse of talking to Mark to fall back on, she actually had to say what had been on her mind for days.

"...I have considered what you told me before, Peter, and I have made my choice." She looked obviously nervous, but it was hard to read one way or the other.

"Alright. Probably best to get it all ut at once. Like ripping off a bad-aid ...only that's a horrible analogy." he rambled on a bit, also nervous about the possible answer. "Never mind. You were saying?"

"A sudden pain that ends quickly," she nodded, not that she was regularly bandaged with such things. She understood what she had to do well enough.

Smiling more timidly than usual, she reached for one of Peter's hands. "I do like you in...'that' way. As someone to spend special time with and cherish."

"Wait, really?" Peter smiled back. "I kinda hoped, but wasn't really, sure, y'know."

"So," he said after a pause, "what do we do now? Cause, ah, fair warning. I'm actually kinda terrible at the whole dating thing"

"Yes, it is true," Starfire laughed in relief. "I am ready."

He had company in the cluelessness department, that was for sure. "I am certain that I know even less about the rituals of courtship practiced on Earth, but...it is true that couples kiss, yes? On my planet, it is possible to learn languages that way."

She wasn't quite sure if that information would help or hurt.

"As long as you're fine with learning Klingon." He quipped, trying to take the edge of the nervousness off.

"I am," Starfire nodded. "I have heard of this language before. It is used to converse with geeks, yes? Help with that endeavor would be very appreciated."

She giggled nervously, bringing herself close. This was right, yes? A new life, new adventure, past behind them. When she felt ready, she tried a first tentative kiss.

Peter slowly deepened it,, though not forcefully so.

"Wow." he said, reddening after they had pulled away.

That little word was so encouraging. Starfire now sported a lopsided grin, her arms loosely wrapped around him still.

"I felt the colorful explosion," she nodded seriously. "We are doing well."

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The Talk

Re: The Talk

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