(A/N)- BOY DORKWAD INCOMING.

One of the earliest things about Robin and Starfire's relationship that I fell in love with was just how utterly awkward and flailing Robin could get when he was fumbling all around Starfire like a braindead idiot. So naturally this prompt was the perfect excuse for that.

Disclaimer: I think by now we know the drill.

RobStar Week 2019, Day 5 - Blush

It was only a week after he and Starfire had moved into the new Titans Tower with the others that Robin realized the alien girl's cultural standards of modesty were very different from his.

He had walked into the common room, heading for the kitchen area absentmindedly, and caught a flashing glimpse of entirely more orange skin than he'd been expecting, silhouetted against the large window.

"Ack!" he cried, throwing up a hand at once, his eyes snapping shut.

Starfire turned around. "Robin!" she exclaimed happily, seemingly undisturbed by her current state of undress, as well as him seeing her in said state. "The good morning to you! I hope you slept well!"

"Star…" Robin strained out, very determinedly holding position. "Wh… why aren't you wearing clothes?"

"Hmm?" she inquired, tilting her head. "Oh! I am taking in the morning's sunlight. Tamaranians absorb solar energy through our skin," she explained.

"I never…" Robin sputtered, feeling his face warming up. "When we were rooming together I never saw you… You were never…" He trailed off, unable to make himself say the word 'naked', as if merely speaking the syllables would strip away all his carefully cultivated professional defenses and leave him the uselessly inarticulate hormone-charged teenager that he was.

…Actually that may have already happened.

"My apologies. The apartment windows were not facing an ideal direction for my normal morning routine." Concern pinched in her green eyes, her brows knitting over her nose. "Is there something the matter, Robin? Your face is changing color quite dramatically."

From that comment and the burning heat he could feel across his whole face, Robin guessed he must have turned very red indeed.

"You know you're naked, right?" he squeaked.

"Yes? Is that a problem?"

A wordless scream passed through his head. Robin took a deep breath and steeled himself, willing his heartbeat to stop pounding and his brain to stop freaking out.

"Okay, um… On Earth it's… it's not really considered modest to…"

Starfire's concern grew as Robin seemed to darken another shade.

"…to be nude in public," he finished.

"But we are not in public," she pointed out, gesturing to the room around them. "We are in our own residence and home."

"I mean—!" Robin corrected quickly. "—with people you don't know. People you're not close to. Especially someone of the opposite sex," he blurted out.

"I do not understand."

Starfire stepped closer, her bare feet making soft crunches on the new carpet, and it took all of Robin's willpower not to open his eyes. He squeezed his face tighter, flinching.

"You are my friend, correct? Are we not 'close'?" Starfire's eyes were full of distress now, as the language filter in her head tried valiantly to make sense of the word and its underlying contexts, its deeper meanings.

Robin muttered at the floor as he answered, "Star, I've barely known you a month." He finally let his hand drop back to his side, both fists curling tightly, but kept his eyes firmly closed. "It's… Being naked around someone is supposed to be a show of intimacy. A sign of trust and a willingness to let another person see you at your most vulnerable." He spoke carefully, with an even tone of voice, trying to make her understand. "It's… it's not really done around people you just met."

Intimacy. The word clicked something into place inside Starfire's head. Private. Special. Reserved.

"Ohhh," she breathed in understanding. "I see…" Robin was trying to tell her that, according to Earth custom, they weren't close enough, he wasn't allowed to see her undressed yet. They weren't at deep enough a stage of their relationship. Of course. They had just met, after all. Her head drooped, her chin dipping. "I am sorry for making you uncomfortable," she said, truly apologetic now. The last thing she had ever wanted was to cause him discomfort, do anything to make him… not want her around.

"It's… okay," Robin said, forcing the words out. "Just… just please go put on some clothes," he begged her.

"Very well," she agreed, taking off and floating past him.

Robin held in his breath until he heard her pass behind him, and finally opened his eyes, letting out a long puff of relief.

The door swished open as Starfire approached it, a yawning Beast Boy walking past as Starfire made her way out.

Five steps into the room and the door already closed behind him, the changeling blinked hard and double-took.

"Wait, was that…" he said. He thumbed over his shoulder at the door. "Was Starfire naked?"

"Don't remind me," Robin muttered, his hands over his face, willing the color in his cheeks to fade.

(A/N)- Serial monogamist Dick Grayson FTW.