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Starfire frowned at the flower on her bed. Head tipped to the side, she could not make sense of it. A single rose had been left on her pillow, its red petals a stark contrast to her white sheets. Attached to the stem was a short note that did nothing to quell her confusion. It simply read: "From Robin."
She gingerly picked the flower up, holding it up to the light. It was pretty, she thought, with soft curves and smooth petals. But the colour, although vibrant, reminded her of blood. It was a thought that made her stomach churn.
A knock at the door drew her away from her thoughts. The corners of her lips were still downturned when she greeted Robin.
"I do not understand," she said. She presented the flower to him with outstretched hands. "Why did you leave this for me?"
"It's a rose," Robin responded slowly. At her blank stare, his shoulders dropped. "Ah. I suppose you don't have roses on Tamaran."
"Roses," Starfire let the word roll over her tongue. "No. We do not have the roses on Tamaran."
"On Earth…" Robin trailed off, looking pained. "On Earth, giving some flowers is special. If someone is sick, you might get them flowers to say that you hope they get well. If someone has died, you might send their family flowers to send your condolences—"
"But I am not sick," Starfire interrupted. "And I do not think that anyone has died."
"No. But roses..." His eyes were trained on the flower in front of him. "Red roses are particularly special. You give them to people you care about."
"But there is no reason?"
"Well, the reason is just that you care."
"Did you give the rose to everyone?" Starfire asked. She looked down in awe at the plant in front of her. Earth certainly had some strange traditions, but this one seemed especially odd. "Did you give one to Beast Boy, Raven and Cyborg?"
He winced. "No. I only gave a rose to you, Star."
She still didn't really understand. But Robin, now staring at the ground and wringing his hands, seemed to care deeply about the rose in her hands. And knowing that he'd only given one to her and not the others—that she was special somehow—made her cheeks warm. She grinned brightly at him.
Then, after a moment, she added, "I will give the rose to you as well. But I will have to find one first."
Robin blinked. "Oh, you don't have to—"
"But if I care about you, I should give you the rose," Starfire insisted. "I care about you, so I should give you the rose. Yes?"
At this, the stiffness in Robin's body seemed to disappear. Finally, he met her gaze and smiled.
"Yeah," he said. "That's right."
"Thank you, Robin." Her head felt light. "I like the rose very much."
Following Robin's advice, the rose was placed in a vase with some water. For the rest of the evening, Starfire found herself distracted by the rose. Even as her eyes fluttered close and sleep began to overtake her, she was still thinking of the rose. And that night, she dreamed of Robin, smiling and telling her he cared.