"You didn't use my cup, did you?"

ROBFIRE RAAAA

apologies to those who aren't a fan, they're all i think about rn and i love drawing them too but they're for me

Starfire assumed that due to her rather strong alien DNA and invulnerability to pretty much everything that could kill a regular human, she had nothing to worry about when it came to Earth's illnesses. It seemed silly to be taken down by a regular virus when she was entirely irregular on Earth. So far, she'd been right in her assumption. She hadn't gotten sick with the flu that came around and went through the team nor had she gotten a stomach bug from the dodgy leftovers that they weren't sure how long had spent in the fridge. 

Robin, however strong he may be, was still very human and once in a while caught a bug. Recently he got a cold that forced him on bedrest. It wasn't an easy job keeping him out of work but they relented and allowed him a laptop so he still felt productive in some way. She agreed to stay back with him whilst the team went on a mission to make sure he didn't go running into danger without their watchful eyes. Here is where she made her mistake. 

"I hope that isn't coffee," she commented, seeing the acrobat cradle a mug as he took a break. He shook his head but she still checked the contents, knowing he was more than capable of lying with a poker face. Instead of finding dark brown contents, she found an odd purple liquid within. She frowned as it steamed and glanced up at him questioningly. 

"It's Lemsip," he explained. She still looked confused. "It's a drink that's supposed to help with sore throats. This is blackcurrant because the lemon is god awful."

"How is blackcurrant juice supposed to help?"

"It's got some medicine in it. Like the white pills I took this morning. The blackcurrant just helps mask the flavour. Not very well though." She hummed with interest. 

"Can I try some?"

"This was the last packet but we can pick some up tomorrow," he responded sympathetically. A beeping noise sounded on his watch and he quickly ditched his cup. "Breaks over." He left to get back to work, leaving the interesting liquid behind. 

She watched him until he went around the corner before approaching the mug. She knew that you shouldn't drink out of cups sick people used without washing it first but surely this measly cough wouldn't bring her down and it would just be one sip. The medicine wouldn't do all that much either, it wasn't the type of medicine that if you took it when you weren't sick was going to do horrible harm. 

She picked up the cup, hesitating for a moment, before taking a sip. She expected to wince away from it as she'd done when she first tried coffee but instead, the flavour was something Earth hadn't been able to show her yet. It was similar to one of the juices on Tamaran and a small feeling of homesickness was whisked away at finally having something so close to home. She took another sip. It was very close. Too close. 

Surely if Robin abandoned the drink, he wasn't intending on coming back to it. The next time he took a break it would be cold and it was clearly intended to be a hot drink. He wouldn't mind if she finished it off. However, if he did come back and asked where it went he would start worrying about her getting sick. They hadn't even kissed since he got sick because he feared how she would react to an Earth virus. She could just say she poured it away. With that in mind, she finished it off and put the mug in the sink to really sell her story. What was the harm?

Three days later, Starfire noticed her throat was sore. Every time she swallowed it felt like she was swallowing a handful of pins. She felt her throat, wondering if she had indeed swallowed some pins without knowing. Villains could've put something in their regular takeaways without any of them noticing. However, her throat felt normal and when she inspected it in the mirror, it was red but not full of cuts. She coughed hoping it would help but it only made it worse. Maybe it was just dry. She chugged the bottle of water by her bed, wincing every time she gulped it down and sighing with disappointment when it didn't work. 

Without missing a beat, she went straight to Robin's office, skipping his bedroom knowing he was already up and working. She didn't envy the strict routine he kept. How he ever found the time to sleep would be a mystery to her. Maybe that's why he stood so close to the speaker, it was just to keep him awake. Robin already had three mugs stacked on the end of his table with a fourth in his left hand as he typed with his right. He turned around with a surprised smile that swiftly fell off his face when he saw her standing meekly in the doorway. 

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't feel good," she told him. 

"Like emotionally or physically?" he clarified.

"Physically. My throat feels sore." He waved her to come over and she took the spare office chair feeling sorry for herself. She would've thought if it was only a sore throat then it wouldn't be so bad but it had her feeling rotten. 

"Open your mouth and stick out your tongue." She did as she was told and he picked up a penlight, shining it inside her mouth. He winced slightly. "Yeah, you've got a sore throat alright. Looks like mine did. Any other symptoms?"

"Justh-"

"You can put your tongue back in."

"Just the throat." He hummed but still rooted around for an ear thermometer. It wouldn't be completely accurate but it would do for a low-level fever. He pressed it into her ear, waited till it beeped and then checked it. As he thought, it wasn't anything to worry about. 

"Small fever. Get some painkillers, water and rest," he ordered. "I'm sorry Star, I'm not sure how you caught it but you've got my sore throat. You've never picked it up before, were you feeling sick when I was ill?"

"No, I was fine," she replied. She frowned at how strangled her words came out. It was like her voice was fighting out of her throat to be heard. 

"Not compromised then. I guess we'll have to be more careful and keep some distance when I get sick."

"Yes because that is how I got it. By being around you. Nothing else," she agreed. She was an awful liar and would've done better to keep her mouth shut. He stared at her for a moment. 

"Star, is there another way you may have gotten it? I won't be mad."

"Nope, no, just being around you." He raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"You didn't use my cup, did you?"

"What? No, of course not, I would never."

"So you didn't drink the Lemsip you were desperate to try when I left it out?" he confirmed.

"No."

"Star." He'd put on his leader voice and she knew he already knew the answer. Maybe she could downplay how much he had.

"Maybe a little sip."

"Starfire."

"Bit more than a sip."

"Koriand'r."

"Fine! I drank all of it," she admitted. He let out a long sigh but he didn't lay into her for it. He should've taken it with him or poured the rest out since she was who the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat' was made for. "Are you mad?"

"No, I know what you're like. I bet you'll be fine before the day's out," he reassured her. "Did you even like it."

"It was really nice," she relented, putting on her best puppy eyes to show her regret. 

"Suppose that's a good thing since I got more for you to try. Head back to bed and I'll bring you a mug." 

"Thanks."

Starfire trailed back to bed and got under the covers. Silkie seemed pleased with her decision to come back and crawled into her lap, curling up contently. Misery did like company and whilst the rest of her team would be working, she would have to resign herself to a day confined to her bed. If not for herself then to set an example to Robin on what to do when you're sick. She'd only been there for a minute before she got bored and started loosely braiding her hair. Somehow she didn't have the energy to do much more with it. She couldn't understand how she could feel so beaten by a sore throat when she'd spent the days before nearly fist-fighting with Robin to keep him in one place. She was starting to think he wasn't human and just didn't know it.

The drink that got her into this mess arrived inside her favourite mug carried by her boyfriend. He carefully handed it to her with a reluctant but sweet kiss to her temple. Starfire expected that to be the last she saw of Robin since he also seemed to be in a relationship with his work but surprisingly he sat down beside her with a laptop she hadn't noticed at first. She scooched across the bed to give him some space, Silkie grumbling but ultimately settling back down when she stopped. 

"What're you doing?" she asked.

"Working," he replied as though it were obvious.

"In here?"

"Yeah, well, you kept me company when I was sick."

"It wasn't really keeping you company. It was making sure you didn't get yourself killed."

"Boredom can kill. I know that," he countered with a soft smile. "Did you want to braid your hair?" he inquired, gesturing to the half-done loose braids.

"I didn't want it to tangle if I'm going to be here all day. Sore throats are weirdly tiring."

"It's because your body is working on fixing it. I can help you if you want. I'm not the best braider but I could do something more secure. I don't see those lasting twenty minutes," he offered. 

"I would love that. Thank you." She moved forward to let him slide in behind her and pulled out what little work she'd already done then handed him a comb. 

There was something adoring even in the way he carefully parted her hair. He knew no one could see if but she could feel him checking his work over and gently separating the curls into sections. Robin wasn't often a man of words, he showed his devotion through action. It wouldn't mean a lot to many but him leaving his office space to continue his work by her side gave her butterflies. She could never wish for a sore throat again yet if it happened again, she wouldn't feel so bad when this was her boyfriends reaction. His hands tenderly worked to make simple braids that were tight enough to hold their shape but loose enough not to pull on her scalp. They weren't perfect, that didn't matter. It mattered more that he'd fixed something to make her more comfortable. 

"How's that feel?" he asked quietly, waiting for her approval with an implicit devotion to try again if she didn't like it.

"Much better. Thank you." He went to move away but she quickly leaned back and guided his arms to wrap around her waist. "Can we stay like this for a moment?"

"Of course." Little did he know he'd spend most of the day holding her. Despite her having cat naps in the middle, he couldn't bear to sneak away. She was too happy where she was.