Work Text:
The light of the practice room flicked as the sound of strumming filled the halls an imperfect song slowly being constructed like an unfinished puzzle founding its pieces but as the sound faded it was replaced by a voice
“Wow, you’ve improved alot Firefly and just over two sessions non the less” Robin complimented her voice soft as she set the guitar down onto the floor
Firefly merely blushed at the compliment “I just had a really good teacher that's all” she laughed nervously her fingers fidgeting
“No like I’ve told you so many times you’re just talented, don’t sell yourself short Firefly” Robin told her as her emerald eyes looking deep into hers with a warmth Firefly long missed.
Firefly just nodded sheepishly bowing her head as she fidgeted more “Is there anything else you... You want to go over before we finish?” Firefly asked avoiding eye contact
Robin though for a moment leaning back in her chair “Not that I can think of”
“Same time next week?” Firefly asked her voice uncertain
“Always~” Robin smiled her voice a gentle hum
With that their session came to an end and like the winter wind time flew by and before they knew it a week had gone by and there Firefly was her breaths laboured, face flushed red sweat dripping down her head as she tossed and turned
“God damn it...” She panted “Had to be ill today of days”
Weakly she grabbed her phone and began to slowly type out an apology her head throbbing the light of her phone only making it worse
Firefly: Can’t make it I’m ill
The response was quick; they had grown quicker on both ends the more they spent time together, messages sent back on forth and yet Firefly had never started the conversation, until today and it was because she was ill of all things, it was both utterly amusing and awfully sad
Robin: Oh no are you ok by yourself?
Firefly: I’ll manage, I can go a day without food
Firefly typed back the light only making her migraine worse, she wanted to sleep the day away but the thought of leaving Robin on send sent a wave of guilt over her
Robin: Nope I’m coming over, your address now
Firefly had to read the message a few times to really understand it, her brain was working overtime, her eyes were seeing double, and every movement was awfully slow
Firefly: No, end of story
Robin: Yes, you know I’m not going to let this go
Firefly knew all too well and just sighed, she knew how determined Robin could be when she put her mind to something and she knew Robin wasn’t going to let this go and she couldn't act like saying no to Robin was easy
Firefly: Fine, the door code is 26710
Slowly and reluctantly, she typed out her address, each letter she typed felt like they had hours between them but soon
Robin: Good, be there in 5
And with that Firefly launched her phone onto her nightstand and with some difficulty drifted back into sleep all the pain seeming to sooth as she fell unconscious.
She didn’t know how long she was out cold, but her eyes slowly fluttered open a cold towel resting upon her temple her migraine dying down to nothing but a simple headache.
An unfamiliar warmth on her hand the feeling of something rubbing against the back of her hand tenderly
“Hello~” Robin cooed her voice a gentle whisper eyes looking at her tenderly as her thumb rubbed tenderly against the girl's hand
“Robin?” Firefly asked perplexed, trying to remove her hand from Robin’s grasp but the exhausted washing over her made ever movement feel like they took ten times the effort until she gave up “How long was I out?”
“Not long, about an hour do you want something to eat or something?” Robin asked no change on her expression
“Oh God no” Firefly snapped “Sorry I can’t handle food right now and... My head is killing me”
“Ok, just tell me when you’re ready”
Robin reassured as she removed the towel from Firefly’s head ringing it out into a basin before dipping it into cold water returning the relief back onto her head
“Can you sit up for me Firefly or at least tilt your head upwards, I’ll give you some pain meds” Robin requested taking a half uses packet of pain killers out of her pocket
“O... Ok” Firefly said weakly groaning as she tilted her head upwards
And with a struggle Firefly did as she was asked opening her mouth slowly her eyes squeezed shut every bit of light only hade her head feel worse. She felt two tablets rest against her tongue before water was gentle rested against her lips sending the pills down smoothly
“Now go back to sleep, please I don’t like seeing you in such pain” Robin commanded in a warm caring tone brushing sweat coated her out of the sick girl's face.
For how irregular sleep felt her joints hurt and her throat was dry, even so it didn’t take her long to fall back into slumber once again
Robin just looked down at Firefly as she thrashed in her sleep the sound of her uncomfortable almost painful groans made Robin’s heart throb, it was painful watching her friend be in such a sorry state
“Oh, you poor thing” Robin whispered “Please get better, I hate seeing you like this” she quivered before gently walking away from her friend.
Before she could leave a hand wrapped weakly around her wrist, not hard enough to hard of even keep her in place put hard enough to catch her attention
“Don’t L... Leave me” Firefly sobbed her words slurred as laid there in a state she could only describe as both awake and asleep “Not like... Like everyone el—”
She was stunned, her eyes wide frozen in place, she had no intension of leaving just needed to refill the glass of water on Firefly’s nightstand but that sob the plead to not be alone it was a side Robin had never seen and a side to wished to never see again
She returned to her seat and wrapped both her hands around Firefly’s resting her temple against Firefly’s limp fingers closing her eyes “I won’t go, not unless you tell me Firefly”
She didn’t get a response only the sound of Firefly’s breathing becoming softer, less laboured her body less tense as she seemed to drift into a deeper sleep putting a satisfied smile on Robins face.
Slowly the iron grip Firefly had on Robin’s hand began to loosen and soon she was ‘free’ not like she minded holding Firefly’s hand it was Firefly’s request after all, but when she could she left the room leaving Firefly to sleep soundly.
Robin would come in periodically to change Firefly’s wet towel wiping away sweat from the poor girl's forehead and making sure she was comfortable in her unconscious state.
Soon Firefly’s eyes opened groaning as she rubbed her forehead sitting up weakly
“Oh, Afternoon~” she chuckled as she rung out the towel
Firefly had to take a moment to adjust, just blushing as her eyes stayed fixed on Robin, sweat and lukewarm water from her brow “Ye, Afternoon” she chocked
“Are you... Feeling better?” Robin asked with reluctance her voice much softer
“Well, my headache is gone, and I don’t feel like I’m going to throw up at least” She admitted before her laying back down her eyes flicking between the ceiling and Robin
“Are you well enough to move, some fresh air could do you some good, maybe a shower as well, built-up sweat is bad for the skin.” Robin suggested offering out a hand to help the girl out of bed
“A shower sounds amazing right now” she told Robin between a chuckle her voice hoarse as she reluctantly took Robin hand
“Here we go!” With a tight grasp Robin pulled Firefly out of bed
Firefly stood up before tumbling forward her legs weak and numb for lying in bed for God knows how long, only being caught by Robin her hands resting gently on the girl shoulders
“I got you” Robin whispered in Firefly’s ear her voice hot against her ear.
The girls face blew up in a sea of red, her heart rate increasing to a dangerous degree
“T...T...T... Thanks” She stammered her eyes avoiding anything to do with Robin
“Want me to take you to the bathroom? I don’t want you tripping over again” Robin asked her voice riddled with concern
“Please” Firefly whispered her gaze fixed against the floor
And with that Robin kept a tight grasp on Firefly guiding her to the bathroom, it wasn’t far but to Firefly each step felt like a million years, the sensation of Robin brushing against her, the feeling of her soft hands against her sweat coated shoulders made Firefly shiver with both disgust and shame
“Sorry for making you do this, coming to my place and looking after me like I’m some kid” Firefly mumbled in shame her voice utterly apologetic
“Oh, non-sense God, I would do this for you anytime” Robin told her
But that smile on Robin’s face, it made Firefly’s heart race ever faster and beat louder. Knowing someone was there for her for once, it was a warm feeling
Once they reached the bathroom Robin stood in the doorway as Firefly began to regain her footing, but surprisingly the first thing she went for was a cabinet, pulling out a pill bottle and taking two pills
“I could have given you some pain killers if you needed them” Robin told her
“Oh these...” Firefly paused looking down at the pill bottle her gaze almost distant, words stuck in her throat begging to be release and yet shacked down by guilt
“It’s not important, maybe another time” Firefly said with a half-hearted laugh a faltered smile on her face
Robin just nodded, she wasn’t stupid she could tell Firefly didn’t want to talk about it, and she wasn’t going to force the answer out of her as well, every truth comes with time, and trust will only grow
“Ok, I won’t press you if you don’t want to tell me” Robin reassured with that same soft smile
“Thank you” she whispered in response running her hand across her arm Rhythmically
“Is there anything I can do while you wash yourself? I don’t mind” Robin said trying to change the subject
“Uh if you don’t mind, it’s selfish but can you strip my bed I don’t feel like lying in my own sweat” a nervously chuckled escaping her lips
“Will do” she conformed with a nod
The sound of running water filled the apartment as Firefly began to clean away all the sweat that coated her skin and hair, the feeling of the steaming water against her skin seemed to calm every nerve and returned that tranquil feeling she loved.
Robin cleaned Firefly’s room slowly and meticulously, tossing the laundry and sweat covered bed sheets into the unused laundry basket tucked into the corner of the room being relace with a fresh pair cool to the touch
As the mess slowly began to thin Robin noticed a guitar case tucked away in the corner of the room, hidden behind her closet covered in a thick layer of dust, abandoned and meant to be forgotten, yet far too precious to be discarded
But the more she stared the more enticed she became; curiosity got the better of her and in the end, she took the relic from it place and slowly unzipped it.
Inside was a guitar with a lime green gradient turning into a stunning teal colour, a black neck made of a deep rich wood and polish, the stings loose from years of neglected tuning. From its case you would think it was faulty or utterly unusable, but the strings were intact, heavily out of tune but still intact.
Robin ran her hands across the strings a dreadful scream erupting from the instrument. She tensed all her muscles and scrunched up her face at the dreadful sound, nothing some tuning would fix
With a gentle touch she ran her nails upon the back of the neck her rails rubbing against what seemed like blocky letters crudely etched into the neck of the guitar; it was a phase, no more of a promise yet to be fulfilled
'I will set the Seas ablaze until everything burns to ashes'
Robin just blinked as she read the promise, her eyes filling with a realisation an even deeper sense of curiosity seeming to take hold of her as she let the meaning sink in, chuckling lightly as she did, her gaze softening
“So, you did have a passion for it, Firefly” she said through a whisper, her hands running gently across the instrument
But before she knew it, her thoughts were ripped away by a blaring ringtone. Robin knew what this meant and she wasn’t pleased.
“Work always comes at the worst time” Robin spat, irritated
All Firefly could hear was the running of water running against her skin, it was the calm she longed for, and yet the absence of Robin’s gentle voice, the unease enveloped her. Through all that static of her own thoughts Robin’s voice still cut through it
“Firefly” Robin called out her voice a gentle hum
“Y... Yes?” Firefly stammered
“Work just called, you should be ok on your own right?” She asked her voice filled with a gentle concern “I’ll be back as soon as I can, if you need me just call, I’ll arrive as soon as I can ok”
Firefly’s heart skipped a beat at that moment, knowing she had someone to lean against, it was surreal “Oh, uhh ye, you don’t need to come back, I didn’t think you would come anyway” Firefly told Robin chuckling slightly her voice shaky from exhaustion and overwhelming nervousness
“No, I’ll back!” Robin shouted her voice stern “Firefly you’re my friend and I’m not leaving my sick friend alone” Robin told Firefly, even through the door Firefly could tell Robin had that stern stubborn expression on her face
A silence rang out before a word was spoken “F... Fine” Firefly chocked out “Just... Don’t force yourself ok, I’m really ok on my own... I’m used to it”
Firefly wasn’t lying, she was so used to being alone that she couldn’t even recognize how much of an impact meeting Robin had done to her, it wasn’t because Robin was famous or her idol...
It was because she was the first person who treated Firefly with unconditional kindness
No goodbyes were spoken because goodbye meant the end of something
But all Firefly knew was that Robin was gone, and that loneliness engulfed her once again. That haunting silence, that unending darkness she had grown accustomed to, somehow felt foreign now that a star had left its mark on her.
She stepped out of the bathroom and the darkness felt haunting, each step echoed across the apartment until she reached the confines of her room, her comfort, and her prison.
Within that darkness she saw a familiar silhouette, a silhouette that had she had long forgotten laying bare on her bed, that relic of the past, that instrument that she wished to forget
Water pooled around her feet as low chuckled escaped Firefly “So you found it huh” She whispered her voice almost defeated “I guess you can’t run from the past forever.”
Once dressed in something fresh she ran her hands down the fret board, running her fingers across the strings; a hallowed scream ringing out from the instrument making the girl curl into herself
“Jesus... You need tuning” She chuckled softly her face scrunched up, resting the guitar on her lap muscle memory kicking in as she did, her hands settling comfortably even after years of neglect
She fiddled with the tuning pegs each strum becoming less of a scream and more of a soft song sighing softly after the fact. Her hands caressing the instrument, holding it like it would disappear
“One song... Wouldn’t hurt, would it?” She asked the void her hands drifting seamlessly to the fret board
Fingers pressing down gently her hands shook teeth grinded together as she played the first chord letting the note ring out until the vibrations ceased, beads of sweat falling down her brow
“T... That's enough” she said hastily her voice nothing but a timid whisper her eyes growing glassy her hands beginning to shake
She tucked the guitar under her bed and distanced herself from the guitar, her tense muscles loosening, the tension leaving her as she did. Taking a seat at her desk her notebook open, pen in hand. She began to write her heart out onto the page
Dear Robin
Why?
Why did you come here today? Why did you come look after me someone who is basically a stranger to you, a nobody can’t be that important, I will never be that important, so why?
Robin I’m sorry I can’t tell you more about me, there is so much I want to say but I feel like my words are shackled down, to never be revealed secrets locked so deep inside me I can’t help but keep them close, could you understand me? Would you even understand me
If I could tell you all I wanted to I would, but I just can’t, not now. Not when the only thing I’ll see on that radiant face is guilt and sorrow, I can’t let that face ever how anything but a smile, because your smile is even brighter than the sun
Admiring you from afar
Firefly
Once the pen dropped to her desk another wave of exhaustion washed over her, and she stumbled back into her bed the sleep embracing her gently cradling her in a cold, empty warmth
It was hours after when Robin even returned home her eyelids heavy, yet her eyes drifted constantly to her phone, hoping for a text, a call, anything. Any excuse to see Firefly was something she wanted
But there was nothing and it only made Robin’s heart ache; she climbed into bed and clutched her pillow “Why didn’t you ask me to come back... Am I really that much of a bother?” She asked the darkness as she drifted off into sleep
Both falling asleep with each other on their minds even being so far apart they still held each other close and weather they realised it or not. They both needed each other’s presence to feel ‘whole’