Title: Worried

Summary: Starfire and Kid Flash bond over their sick Robin.

Completed: 26/08/14

"Hey Starfire." In a gust of wind, the bright yellow ex-sidekick was sitting beside her, tapping his heel off the floor. The sound echoed through the white room like the ticking of a clock, mildly distracting her from the abhorred beeps of the heart monitor attached to her teammate. "I, ah..." he trailed off, holding a familiar yellow bottle with a straw up to her, "was told you would want this?"

Starfire forced a tiny smile and took a polite sip from the bottle before placing it between her thighs and turning back to the bed. "Thank you, Friend Kid Flash."

Absently, she gripped Robin's hand and stroked her thumb against the back of his abnormally warm skin. Kid Flash didn't seem put off by her lack of usual cheer and turned the warming cloth on his friends' forehead to the cooler side.

"Wally," he blurted after a few long seconds. "'Friend Wally' may be easier to say." Starfire blinked absently at him before smiling –a little more genuinely—and nodding.

"You trust me with your given name?" Wally pulled his cowl down, making his fiery hair fall over his blue eyes and exposing his freckles.

"'Course I do. You're Rob's girlfriend, aren't you?" the redhead inquired. She blushed softly but nodded. "Why wouldn't I then?" She didn't have an answer for that.

"It took Robin the longest time to reveal his given name."

Wally scoffed."Yeah. Everyone knows 'Dick Grayson'. He may not be on great terms with Bats, but that's Rob: worried about Batman's identity 400% of the time," Wally grumbled in agreement. "I can tell you my name 1000 times, you probably wouldn't know who I was even if you went looking for it. Not that I'd care anyway. Rob trusts you." Starfire's smile was a little brighter than the last, and it made Wally's heart swell.

Robin and Wally had been on a buddy-catch-up-patrol when the –obviously sick- boy wonder had passed out from his fever. For the first couple hours of their vigil, Robin and Wally had discussed their time apart—missions and girlfriends. Wally had never heard Robin be as excited about non-vigilante things as he was about the wonderful alien girl beside him now. Rob was right: Something about being the cause of the smile on this girls face was intoxicating. Maybe it was because it was so purely, innocently, happy.

The pale boy stood up, taking the damp cloth from his best friends' forehead with him to the sink.

"I was not aware that you knew him as Dick," the Tamaranean stated in awe. Leaving one hand on Robin's paler one, Starfire picked up the mustard and sipped absently from it. Wally glanced over his shoulder at his masked friend. Despite his raging fever, Robin looked as calm as he ever had with his 'Robin' persona glued to his face.

"I was the first person he ever told," he revealed. "I was 12 and he was 10. My... mentor, the Flash, was in Gotham helping Batman with Mr. Freeze and Captain Cold. It was the first time we'd met, too. Bats was pissed." The smirk on his face made Starfire wish she could see the memory playing through his head. "We snuck into the warehouse even though Batman and Flash told us to stay out of it. Freeze had turned the ground in the warehouse to ice. I had only just come into my powers and friction and I weren't really friends yet. I slipped and took out Captain Cold as collateral," he joked, placing the cold cloth against the unconscious birds forehead again. It was weird to see him subconsciously shiver from the sudden chill. "but I was knocked silly, and I can't really remember what happened next – I got a concussion from the fall; the next thing I knew, Rob was bandaging my head in the Batcave. Apparently, he distracted Freeze long enough for Flash and Bats to arrest him." Wally leaned back against the chair, staring at the simple ceiling while talked. "He called me by name to make sure I was alright, and because he's a damned bat," Starfire noticed him glare for a split second before rolling his eyes, "and he told me his name to make up for it. Right in front of Batman. The look on his face was priceless."

For the first time since Wally had brought him back to the tower, passed out from his fever, Starfire giggled profusely. Having heard rumours and stories about Gotham's Dark Knight, it seemed highly out of character for him to fume, but it was hilarious to imagine a young Dick causing that reaction.

"How'd you meet him?" Wally asked, turning his attention to the glowing Princess. He knew that story would cheer her up. When he asked the acrobat earlier in the night, he had blushed and avoided the question. 'No way to get out of it now, Boy Blunder!'

"I landed on Earth and was unable to speak the English. He thought I was a threat and tried to remove me from Earth before Raven suggested he attempt the talking. I initiated lip contact with him to utilize his English skills and then we repelled the Gordanians," she answered factually.

She didn't understand why Kid Flash began laughing, but she couldn't help but find it contagious. Soon, the sterile medical room in the Tower was filled with the bright laughter of the two red headed Titans.

"Robin: Boy Wonder and hopeless romantic," Wally gasped between chuckles, finally crawling back into the chair from his bout of maniacal laughter.

"Still a better first date than yours," they heard a familiar voice rasp from the bed. Seemingly quicker than light, his two teammates were at Robins side, moving the cloth off his face and checking his temperature.

"Listen here, Dude! At least I didn't try and banish Jinx from Earth!" he argued softly, holding the thermometer in the ebony boys mouth.

"You were supposed to arrest her—I guess that might have ruined the mood though." Wally laughed again, just relieved to have his best friend awake. "And may or may not have been my fault."

"You will not do this again, Richard," Starfire demanded, grabbing his hand and catching the attention of the squabbling cohorts. Her emerald eyes bored past his blank mask and into the crystal blue eyes underneath, making Robin lose his breath. Wally couldn't help but notice the reaction and smiled to himself—careful not to let Starfire see. "You worried me and your friends and Friend Wally because you would not admit to your sickness. You will not behave this way again."

"I—" He turned to Wally for salvation from his angry Tamaranean Princess, but the only comfort he received was Wally throwing his hands up in surrender, and responding: "she's right, dude."

Robin sighed and pushed himself up. He was a bit dizzy from being horizontal for so long, but ignored the disorienting feeling and hugged his girlfriend, feeling her burning skin warm his own.

"I promise Star—"

"And Friend Wally," she interrupted, never breaking the hug.

"Huh?"

"Friend Wally was also very concerned for you. You will promise him as well."

Neither could see it, but Robin grinned. Even the happiness he felt with Starfire's comforting heat surrounding him, couldn't beat the swell in his chest knowing that his two redheads were friends; that his past had finally –positively- caught up with his future.

"I promise guys, I won't go on patrol when I'm sick next time."

They seemed happy with that response—at least, if the slightly tighter hug and familiar warm hand on his shoulder meant anything.