Disclaimer: Teen Titans and all related DC stuff isn't mine.
Feeling Better?
"Well?"
Cyborg took a relieved breath. "It's just the flu."
Robin frowned, looking from Cyborg to the comatose Starfire who lay on the bed in front of him. "The flu?"
Beast Boy whistled in amazement. "That's a pretty nasty flu."
Cyborg sighed. "Well, not the flu exactly. It's more like some Tamaranian equivalent. She just had an allergic reaction. She should be up and about in no time."
Robin raised a concerned eyebrow. "You're sure?"
Cyborg nodded, his eyes closed. "Positive. What I don't get is why she had an allergic reaction to Plasmus' goo now and not before."
"He was drinking some kind of radioactive liquid when we found him, so that could have… mutated him. Or something," Raven chipped in, stifling a yawn. "Anyway, I'm tired, so I'm going to get some sleep."
Beast Boy nodded, his eyes half closed. "Yeah, I'm pretty dired doo," he yawned.
"What he said," Raven added, before turning and leaving. Beast Boy quickly followed suit.
Cyborg was on his way out when he noticed Robin stood at the foot of Starfires' bed.
"She'll be fine. C'mon, you need to get some rest."
Robin shook his head. "That's okay; I'll just stay here."
"Man, she's gonna feel bad enough when she wakes up. If she finds out that you spent all night sat here not getting a wink of sleep, how d'you think she'll feel?"
Robin sighed, the sigh transforming into a yawn. He stretched. "I guess you're right." He walked out of the medical bay. "Good night."
Cyborg smiled at his accomplishment, casting one last glance into the medical bay before switching out the lights. "Damn right I'm right… that's 'cause I'm Cyborg…" he muttered to himself as he left down the corridor for his room.
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Starfire awoke from her strange dream involving a cat and a monkey to find that she felt bad. Not injured bad, but a kind of debilitating bad. The kind of bad that stops you from doing anything, because the thought of doing anything seems so repulsive and… tiring. She looked around to find she was in the med lab. She closed her eyes and lay down on the pillow, trying to recall the last thing she remembered. They were fighting Plasmus… then he drenched her in slime… and then…
She must have been injured by Plasmus. Or infected. This felt more like an infection. Of course, Starfire had never been infected with anything to know what that would feel like. She had been bruised, battered, burned, but never infected. It wasn't a particularly pleasant feeling. She looked out of the window to find that it was night. She attempted to get back to sleep, but something was preventing her from breathing through her nose comfortably. She sat up and looked out of the window overlooking the city. She sighed and stood.
She instantly regretted it, feeling dizzy and unable to stand on her unsteady legs. She let out a small 'eep' before slipping on the floor and landing unceremoniously on her behind. She hissed through her teeth and rubbed her rump in an attempt to sooth the pain. She grabbed on to the bed sheets and attempted to pull herself up, but only succeeded in pulling the sheets off the bed. They fell over her, enveloping her. She let out a grunt of annoyance.
"Star? What are ya doin'?" a sleepy voice inquired.
"Beast Boy?"
"Yeah, it's me. Do you know what time it is?"
"Um…no."
"It's like… three in the morning."
"Oh! I do apologise. I was merely trying to get out of bed when I fell. And then I tried to pull myself up, but the sheets fell on me."
"Oh. Okay. Well, lemme help you with that."
Starfire felt the sheets being pulled from her, throwing her hair from behind her head so that it covered her face. Beast Boy laughed nervously.
"Oh, uh… sorry. Do you want me to help you up?"
"No thank you. I am very capable… of…" she said, struggling to pull herself to her feet. She slipped once again, this time falling forward. Beast Boy yelped and grabbed her. Helping her into the bed, he grinned.
"You're welcome."
He pulled the sheets up and covered her up. "Feeling better?" he asked.
Starfire nodded, smiling. "Very much. It is most warm."
"If you feel like any more late night hikes, wake up Robin next time, huh?" Beast Boy said, grinning.
"Very well."
"G'night, Star."
"Goodnight, Beast Boy."
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"Good morning."
Star looked up to see Raven sat at the foot of her bed, a tray full of pancakes on her lap. Starfire grinned, though she felt little better.
"Good morning, Raven! And how are you this glorious-" Starfire was interrupted by a rather throaty and unpleasant cough. Raven winced.
"Peachy," she replied.
Starfire looked at the pancakes on Raven's lap. "Friend Cyborg has been making the pancakes?"
Ravens' face seemed to grow slightly redder. "Actually… I… sort of… made these."
Starfires' eyes widened. "You?"
"Well… Robin remembered that you liked my pancakes, so he thought that…"
Starfire grinned. "Oh, it is a most glorious and thoughtful thing to do! But, tell me, is there-?"
Raven levitated a large, plastic, squeezable bottle of mustard over to Starfire. Starfire giggled with glee. "Thank you, friend Raven!"
Raven handed over the pancakes to her with a slight smile playing across her lips. She patiently watched as Starfire ate the pancakes. When she was finished, Starfire leaned back in the bed, patting her stomach.
"Feeling better?"
Starfire nodded. "Oh, very much so."
"Good."
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"Having a good day?"
Starfire sighed. "It has been slightly… lonely."
Robin smiled. "Sorry. Those car thieves we've been after sprung up again. We got them though, so you weren't lonely in vain."
"In vain?"
"It means you weren't lonely for nothing."
"Oh."
A silence fell between them. Starfire sneezed, sending a stray starbolt across the room, creating a new crater in the wall next to the twenty others already there. Robin raised his eyebrows in surprise, then smiled.
"Nice shot."
Starfire grinned back. "Thank you." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Do you know when I will be able to leave?"
"Anytime you want. But Cyborg says what you need is plenty of rest, so…"
"I am stuck here."
"Well, not really. Just as long as you don't do anything too strenuous, you should be okay."
Starfire cast her gaze upwards, putting a finger on her chin in thought. "What is strenuous?"
"Well, strenuous means that-"
"No, no… I am aware of the meaning of the word 'strenuous', I was merely thinking of what activities Cyborg would define as 'strenuous'."
"Well, um… just crime fighting, I suppose. But… do you feel well enough to walk around?"
"There is only one way to find out."
Starfire tossed the cover from her bed, and Robin tried not to look at her exposed legs. He never realised that they were so long… he shook his head and stood, readying himself in case Starfire fell. Starfire stood to her full height, and they both stopped as they realised that Starfire was the same height as Robin without her boots; slightly shorter when Robin wore his, as he was now. They both stood nose to nose, and Starfire had to continually remind herself to breath as she realised how close together they were. Starfire tried to move, and her eyes widened as her legs gave out, and she toppled towards Robin.
Robin grabbed her using honed reflexes, holding her in a hug to stop her from falling any further. They both froze in that position, neither wanting to let go. After what seemed a wonderful eternity, he set her back down on the bed.
"Feeling better?"
Starfire nodded. "Much."
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"So girl, how are you doin'?"
"Most…" a coughing fit interrupted her sentence. "…wonderful," she finished, smiling.
"Well, I just though I'd come by with a certain someone…" Cyborg said, pulling a very familiar worm from behind his back.
Starfires' eyes widened in joy. "Silkie! Oh, come here my little bumglorf! Your Knorffka has missed you so much! Yes, she has! Yes, she has!" she said, rubbing her nose against the worms' face. Silkie made what Cyborg assumed was a noise of pleasure in response. Starfire looked up at Cyborg.
"Thank you, friend Cyborg!"
Cyborg shrugged. "Actually, it was Robins' idea. I'm just the mailman."
"Well… regardless, it is most enjoyable to see you."
"Yeah, you too." He sat in a chair next to the bed. "So… havin' fun?"
Starfire looked at him in a way that was reminiscent of Ravens' sarcastic stares. Cyborg raised his hands in front of him.
"All right, all right, stupid question. You're free to move about the tower, you know."
Starfire shook her head. "I cannot. Every time I try to stand, I fall."
Cyborg lowered his head in thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "Tell you what: I'll put a TV at the end of the bed with a link to the security cameras, so you can see what everyone else is doin'. And I'll put microphones on the cameras so you can talk to everyone. How's that sound?"
"That sounds most enjoyable!"
About half an hour later, Cyborg had set up the television. "Okay, test it out," he said, handing the microphone to Starfire. He picked up the remote control and began scrolling through the different cameras until he came across Beast Boy watching TV in the lounge area. He nodded at Starfire.
"Hello, friend Beast Boy!"
"Hey Star," Beast Boy replied, glancing over his shoulder at the door. His eyes widened slightly and he turned back, finding no-one there. "Uh, Star?"
"Yes, Beast Boy?"
"Where are you?" he asked, looking under tables and in cupboards in his attempts to find her. Starfire giggled.
"I am in the camera."
"There's a camera?" Beast Boy asked quietly, before looking up and spotting a small lens in the corner of the room. "Dude! That's a camera? I just thought it was a decoration or something!"
Cyborg spoke into the microphone. "Nope, it's a fully functional camera. So I've seen you playing that dancing game we got for Starfire. And the karaoke game we got for Starfire. And the-"
"Okay, okay, dude! I get the picture, geez…"
Cyborg grinned and looked over at Starfire, who beamed back in response.
"Feeling better?" he asked.
Starfire nodded. "Oh yes, very much!"
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Starfire sighed as she scrolled through the security cameras. It had been nearly a week since she had been attacked by Plasmus. She looked out over the night sky, feeling very restless. The others were all in bed, and Silkie was fast asleep on the bed next to her. The door to the med bay opened, and Starfire was jolted out of her boredom.
"Starfire? Are you awake?" Robin whispered.
"Robin! I, um… that is… yes, I am awake."
"Good," Robin said, walking over to the television with something tucked under his arm.
"What is that, Robin?"
"A DVD player. I couldn't sleep, and I remembered how I could never sleep when I had the flu. So, I thought you might like to watch a movie." He turned back to face her. "If that's okay with you."
Starfire nodded. "Oh yes, that is most acceptable."
"So," Robin continued, "what would you like to watch? Something quiet, something loud…?"
"Something interesting," Starfire sighed. Robin laughed.
"Y'know… I think I've got just the thing."
About ten minutes later, the movie had begun and Robin was taking his seat next to Starfires' bed. He fidgeted uncomfortably in his chair, trying to do so subtly so that Starfire wouldn't notice.
"Robin… you may… join me… if you wish…" Starfire said awkwardly, feeling very nervous. She pulled the covers up and rearranged them so that she was sat on top of them. Robin looked equally nervous.
"Well, erm… I… uh…" Robin sighed and stood, slumping into the bed next to Starfire. They both kept their eyes on the screen, attempting to ignore the awkwardness that came with their closeness. Suddenly, Starfire gasped at the events unfolding on the screen.
"Why did that man not help him?"
"Because he wanted the statue for himself."
"But surely it is not worth someones' life?"
"It's just a movie Star," Robin said, a smile playing across his lips.
"Well, that may be so, Robin, but I-" Starfire suddenly squealed and hid behind Robins' shoulder when the man reappeared on the screen again, this time with spikes protruding from his head. Robin just grinned.
An hour later and the hero was fighting off Nazi soldiers while trying to drive a truck. Starfire cheered when a Nazi fell, and berated the Nazis when they seemed to win, saying that they were 'bad men'. Robin was still grinning.
About ten minutes later, the hero and the love interest were on a boat, the hero looking in the mirror as he inspected his scars. And Robin was still grinning.
"It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage."
Starfire looked over at Robin out of the corner of her eye, thinking about how much that line described him; too mature for his years. She put her eyes back on the screen as the hero and lover interest bantered back and forth, before they ended up kissing romantically. Starfire resisted the urge to sigh at how easy the movie made it seem. Robins' grin faded slightly at that part.
Another half an hour later, and the end credits were rolling, the heroic fanfare interrupted by Robin hitting the stop button on the remote. He looked over at Starfire.
"So, did you like the movie?"
"I was most wonderful! It was very similar to Tamaranian legends."
"If you liked that, then you'll definitely like the sequels," Robin said, hopping out of the bed and walking over to the TV. He disconnected the DVD player and began to walk out of the room. "Good night, Star."
"Robin?"
"Yes, Star?"
"Would you mind staying here? In the other bed?"
"Uh… I suppose… if that's okay with Silkie," he said, gesturing to the worm that was peacefully snoozing on the other bed.
"Silkie! Silkie! Shoo!"
Silkie awoke with an annoyed, low pitched squeal and squirmed off the bed. Robin took off his boots and his cape and got into the bed. Starfire reached over to the light switch, and the room was engulfed in darkness.
"Robin?"
"Yes, Star?"
"You said that you could not sleep when you had the flu. How long did it last?"
"Uh… I don't really know. A few days I guess, but that was probably because of Alfred taking care of me."
"Alfred?"
"He's the butler at the place I used to live."
"Butler?"
"It's sort of like a… personal servant."
"But I thought humans did not approve of slavery."
Robin chuckled. "It's not really slavery. They get paid, and they live with whoever they serve. And on top of that, he's like a member of the family. I honestly can't picture the Bat cave without him."
"The Bat cave? That sounds most frightening."
"Actually, it's one of the safest places in the world."
"I suppose it would have to be."
Robin propped himself up on his shoulder, looking over at where Starfire would be if he could see her. "How do you mean?"
"Because I have seen pictures of people like the Joker and the Penguin, and they appear most dangerous."
Robin smiled in the darkness. "I guess you're right. But to be honest, it never worried me that much. Whenever I was with Batman, I felt pretty safe."
"You must have been most afraid when you left him."
"I was. But I had things that helped me through the scary parts."
"What things would they be?"
His response was instant and automatic. "You." His eyes widened. "I mean you guys," he said quickly, attempting to recover. Starfire didn't respond for what seemed an eternity.
"Robin?" she said, finally.
"Yes, Star?"
"Thank you for staying with me."
"It was no problem, Star. I actually had a lot of fun."
"I did also. Goodnight, Robin."
"Goodnight, Starfire."
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Starfire awoke as the sun hit her eyes. She looked around the room when she suddenly realised something. She felt… good. In fact, she felt more than good. She felt great! She had never felt so good. She wanted to jump up and down for joy! She wanted to…
She looked over and saw Robin sat at the foot of her bed. "Morning. I thought I'd leave the DVD player in here so we could watch the next movie tonight. By the way, Raven cooked you some more pancakes," he said, putting the tray on her lap.
"So, are you feeling any better?" Robin asked.
She looked down at the tray of deliciously charred pancakes, then looked at the TV that had been especially modified for her. She looked back up at Robin, who sat with a kind smile on his face and ruffled hair from sleeping in the med bay with her.
"Actually, I am not feeling that well."
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(A/N: In case you didn't know, they were watching Indiana Jones: The Raiders of the Lost Ark. Sue me, I love that movie.
So, you enjoy? You not enjoy? Review!)