Author's Notes: Okay, first of all, sorry for skipping a week! I was, and still am, exceptionally busy. Homework, trips, presentations, homework, sleep deprivation, homework, blahhh. And secondly, omg, I'm so cheesy. I wrote this a while ago and looking back at it... oi. But anyway, may as well finish this story since I have gotten so far XD
Chapter 8: Sick?
Starfire stared blankly into the darkness of her prison. She was becoming a regular visitor of this illusion, and knew that the only way to escape was to wake up. However, being a sound sleeper, she had difficulty forcing herself awake. When she was in this world, she was trapped until her body decided it was time to return to reality. Though it was completely black around her, she could hear the mechanical whirring of several machines - the ones she saw the time the lights had been switched on. Since she had plenty of time to herself, she let her thoughts numb everything around her, contemplating why this dream was so persistent. Perhaps I need to see a psychiatrist? she wondered, assuming that this sort of thing wasn't exactly normal. Then, all of a sudden, she began to feel nausea rising in her stomachs. She breathed deeply, trying to alleviate her discomfort, but to no avail.
Without warning, she switched sceneries. She was sitting up in bed, having woken up in a sickly cold sweat. Feeling like she would heave at any moment, she flew out of bed and down the hall, to the bathroom. As soon as she was positioned over the toilet, she felt much of what she had eaten before return in a way she didn't want. After having vomited it all out, she gasped for air, tears making their way down her cheeks. Robin was correct… I did eat too much. She quickly flushed the toilet and rinsed out her mouth several times, even gargling some mouthwash to rid herself of that unpleasant taste. Right as she was about to go to the kitchen for some water, Robin appeared outside the doorway, having been startled awake when Starfire fled the room.
"Hey… are you okay?" He rubbed his face sleepily, not quite alert yet. His mask was askew, having been put on in a daze.
"Yes, sorry for waking you. I felt... unwell." Starfire placed a hand on her belly, still feeling mildly ill. Robin woke up a little, looking at her in concern.
"Huh, did you… throw up?" Starfire nodded weakly. Robin sighed, not exactly surprised, considering the week's worth of food she had consumed in one evening.
"I apologize… I should have heeded your warnings sooner." She said quietly, looking at her hands.
"Don't worry about it, it isn't your fault. You should make Tamaranean dishes more often, we wouldn't mind it." He told her, knowing that she would be more than happy to do this. He was sure she had missed her home planet's food, which was what likely caused her to eat it so obsessively. Starfire smiled at him, thankful for his offer.
"If you would not mind it! I really do enjoy making them."
Robin nodded sweetly. They then went back to their room, hand-in-hand.
After a relatively slow day, no distress calls or emergencies, just Robin continuing his newspaper surfing and the others going about their daily routines, Starfire cuddled up against Robin in their bed. She wasn't quite asleep, and didn't exactly want to be, fearing the creepy room's return. She had finished off the last of her glorg as soon as she woke up again the morning before, confusing Robin extensively, since she had just been so sick. But now her appetite seemed to be nonexistent. Even thinking about the glorg was making her stomachs upset again. Ohh no, this will not happen again, she told herself, swallowing back the sickness. I never feel this way, why do I now?
She laid there, practically arguing with her stomachs to not throw up again, but within half an hour she finally lost the debate, shooting out of bed yet again to get to the bathroom. This time Robin woke up faster, following after her a few moments later, holding back her hair as she was sick. He silently handed her some water and mouthwash as she recovered.
"Robin, I am so so sooo sorry." She apologized profusely, feeling bad that he had to see that.
"Starfire, really, it's alright. You must be getting sick."
Starfire whimpered slightly, pressing herself against him. He held her close in return, their shoulders pressed together and her head resting beside his neck, now that he had grown to be a little above her height.
"Perhaps you are right. I could not find 'the sleep' tonight either." She had been checking the time every once and a while when she was laying restlessly in bed, and assumed it was around 3 AM now. She hadn't a wink of sleep to speak of all night long, which was odd since she wasn't normally one to have insomnia.
"Hey... why don't we watch a movie? Maybe it'll take your mind off things and you will be able to get some sleep."
Starfire backed out of the hug, looking at Robin's face, which she could see in the dim lighting wasn't covered by mask at the moment. He had gotten out of bed in such a hurry that he hadn't retrieved it. "No, no, I could not ask you to do tha-"
"I want to." Robin stated, cutting her off. "The better you feel, the better I feel." She smiled at his kindness and allowed him to lead her to the common room, sitting next to him on the couch. Robin started playing one of Starfire's favorite movies, an old black-and-white classic that the other Titans weren't quite as fond of, and let her lay her head on his lap, stroking her long red hair. He realized after a while that his mask was missing, and quickly went back to get it from his nightstand, settling back down as Starfire's cushion after returning from his hasty exit. He no longer minded Starfire seeing him without the mask, but he was still too nervous to let the rest of the team see his true identity. He often scolded himself for being so ridiculous, but he just couldn't be that open to anyone except the girl he adored.
After the movie was halfway over, Robin felt Starfire relax and take deeper breaths, knowing that she had finally gotten to sleep. He stayed where he was for nearly another hour though, motionless, afraid of jostling her awake. As the end credits started scrolling across the screen, he gently laid her head down onto a pillow and lightly kissed her forehead. He then returned to his desk to continue the Slade search.
"Good morning, friends!" Starfire greeted as Raven and Cyborg joined her in the common room. It was around 7:30 AM now, and Starfire had managed to get over three hours of sleep, which, though she could use more, was enough to restore her to her relatively usual self. Since she had miraculously avoided 'the room' in those hours, she felt much better.
"Hey Star, whatcha doin' down here so early?" Cyborg asked, walking to the kitchen and turning on the stove. Starfire was often awake at this time, but not usually the first person in the common room.
"Oh, uh, well... I had issues sleeping so I... we... watched a movie this morning." She grinned. She had been a little disappointed when she woke up and Robin wasn't there, his lap replaced with a pillow, but knew he was a busy guy and couldn't be with her for every moment of the day.
Cyborg grinned for a brief moment at Robin's somewhat uncharacteristically kind gesture before becoming neutral again. "Oh, sorry to hear. Well, want breakfast?" He offered, cracking some eggs into a pan.
Starfire thought about it for a moment. I was quite sick, but I now feel perfectly normal, hungry even. "Yes, thank you!"
As she waited for her food, she chatted with the two Titans while providing her beloved pet Silkie with his morning meal. Right as she started to eat her large plateful of eggs and container of mustard, Robin entered the room, having been summoned by the smell of breakfast. His eyes fell on Starfire and was at a loss for words.
"What? I thought... but you were-"
"I am great, Robin! And how are you this morning?" She asked quickly, preferring not to worry her teammates. He just blinked at her a few times, standing beside the door.
"I'm... good. Um, I think I'll be back down here in a little while... I'm on a lead about Slade." He turned back around, leaving Starfire a little saddened at his odd departure.
I don't understand, what's wrong with Starfire? If she doesn't have the stomach flu or some other bug, why does she keep getting sick? A small thought passed through his brain, sending an electric bolt down his spine. What if she's... pregnant? He skidded to a halt in the hallway, just outside his room. He looked into space, considering this option. She's been having strong cravings, gets sick in the early morning, and feels just fine shortly afterwards... not to mention her trouble sleeping.
He felt like he was floating as he finally entered his room, plopping down on his chair. He looked at the words on a newspaper page, but couldn't interpret their meaning, his mind occupied with dizzying thoughts. Could she really be pregnant? I mean, it is possible... that night of our wedding... But I don't know anything about a Tamaranean pregnancy, I don't know the signs. And if she is... can I really take care of a child? Can I be a hero, a husband, AND a father? Would our child suffer the same fate as I did... His questions paused for a moment as he remembered his parents' death, a traumatic memory he tried hard to suppress. He shook his head, attempting to return to investigating his theory, which he preferred over thinking about his childhood. Well, I'm probably not going to find out for sure unless I ask her myself…
Even though he and Starfire's friendship had strengthened exponentially over the past few years, he still felt a nervous lump in his chest at the thought of proposing that she could be pregnant. He couldn't help but wonder if she was totally innocent in the matter, not even considering if that could be what was ailing her. The way she acted certainly suggested this.
And… do I even want a child?
He sat there for nearly ten minutes, thinking about this single question. All of his better logic told him no. He had a sworn duty to protect society from the world's most notorious criminals. The fate of this city - and sometimes, the world - rested on his shoulders. He regularly ignored the person behind Robin, pushing himself to be the greatest hero he could be without ever paying attention to Dick Grayson. Robin couldn't have a child… but Dick could. And Robin wasn't sure if he was ready to allow Dick to reappear.
But everything else told him yes, and never before had he felt more conflicted.
Author's Notes: Heh heh heh. Bet you didn't see that coming. . . . Just kidding, I'm the most predictable writer I have ever seen.