A little Secret Santa gift for evil-butler on Tumblr. Hope you like it!

Set sometime before season four

Raven could hear the coughing even before she got to Starfire's door, making her grimace slightly. There was a harsh, wracking quality to them that hadn't been there that morning. A robust sneeze followed, echoed by the crash of something likely being struck by a stray Starbolt discharge. Raven frowned, wondering exactly what state she would find her friend in when she entered.

Stopping at the door, one hand occupied holding a mug of tea, Raven shifted the bowl of soup she held in her other hand into a cradle of dark energy and used her now-free hand to knock softly. "Starfire?"

There was a loud sniffle. "Come in, Raven."

Raven carefully opened the door, taking the bowl back in her hand as she walked in.

The normally bright room was unusually darkened by the curtains pulled across the windows. Starfire was huddled under enough layers of plush blankets and pillows to cast doubt on where exactly the girl was in the fluffy confection. Unless, of course, you followed the sound of sniffing and the trail of tissues. Raven carefully stepped through the scattered mosaic of more discarded tissues on the floor that had missed the wastebasket as she made her way closer.

Silkie looked up from his position at the foot of the bed as she approached, giving a concerned little warble. Raven wasn't sure how to comfort the larva on the best days and, with her hands full, she fell back on just giving a small, reassuring nod and focusing on the ill alien.

"I brought you some soup for lunch. Robin said this was your favorite kind."

Starfire's head peeked out from an overhang of quilts, looking about as rough as she sounded. Her eyes were bleary with dark veins standing out against the green that was more sickly than vibrant, her nose irritated and running. She pushed a clump of sweaty hair out of her face and gave a weak smile. How she could still give off an air of genuine happiness to a friend when she was miserable baffled Raven.

"You made the soup for me?"

"Actually, Robin did," Raven answered, setting the bowl and spoon on the table beside the bed. "He spent the morning working on it before the alarm called them off. I just reheated it."

Starfire had pushed herself up enough to pick up the bowl, breathing the steam that wafted from the sludgy, black liquid. "That is most thoughtful of Robin. I will have to thank him when they return."

Raven had some doubts about whether Robin's culinary efforts had been up to the task of a Tamaranian recipe, but she knew his sincere determination had probably made up for it. Besides, Starfire likely couldn't taste much in her condition anyway.

"I'm sure he'll just be happy if you're well enough to be awake when they get home. You should drink this too." She set the mug within Starfire's reach as well.

Starfire paused from slurping up something that had the consistency of a raw oyster to look at the aromatic liquid. "Robin made the tea as well?"

"No, that one's from me. It's a blend I use when I feel stressed or unwell. It can have a…soothing effect, most of the time." She didn't mention the extra incantation she had used to try to give the tea's abilities a boost since she wasn't sure it would work on a Tamaranian system anyway. Though perhaps a bit of placebo effect wouldn't hurt…

Starfire smiled again. "Thank you, Raven. That is very kind." Before she got a chance to sip the tea, another coughing fit overtook her. Raven caught the soup and mug with her powers to prevent spilling, then lowered them back into Starfire's hands as it passed.

"How long has it been that bad?" Raven asked, frowning.

"I am not certain. I fell back asleep after breakfast and was woken up by such an attack." She sniffled again, stroking Silkie's head as he crawled onto her hip worriedly.

At least four hours then, Raven mused. And no coughing the previous night at all. This virus seemed to be setting in fairly quickly. Hopefully it would run its course and pass as quickly as it had set in. The team wasn't used to seeing Starfire in such a fragile state and the increased concerns in the Tower were beginning to wear on Raven's control of her own emotion.

"I should check your temperature before you eat too much of that soup," Raven said thoughtfully.

"Yes, of course."

Raven picked up the large device from the bedside table and Starfire put it under her tongue. They had learned early on that a standard human thermometer was unprepared to measure the regular temperatures generated by Starfire's impressive metabolism, much less a fever. In the end, they had resorted to a kitchen cooking thermometer typically reserved for obtaining the internal temperature of cooked meat. At least it had a more useful range than the meager mercury versions.

Raven waited while the needle crept up the dial on the thermometer. It was definitely higher than it had been that morning. She wasn't sure what the danger point was for Tamaranian brains, but she hoped they were still well short of it.

Starfire watched her face as she read the results. "It is not good, is it?"

Raven set the thermometer aside. "Knowing the exact number won't help your state of mind. Just focus on recovering and your body will do what it needs to do. We'll do what we can to help too."

Starfire sighed, looking more subdued than Raven was used to. "I am sorry for being such a burden."

Raven frowned, thinking maybe the fever was making Starfire delusional already. "What are you talking about?"

"Our friends are out on a mission, fighting what is left of the Fearsome Five. They are outnumbered and not only am I unable to help them, but you are stuck here to take care of me."

"You shouldn't feel guilty about that," Raven said firmly. "You're sick. Everyone gets sick."

"You do not," Starfire murmured.

"I have healing powers," Raven retorted. "And even I still need days to myself to recover from difficult missions or tiring battles. There's no shame in taking time to let your body heal. Believe me, no one blames you for not being out there today. We just want you to get better."

Starfire still stirred her soup despondently. "Thank you. But I am not used to being so weak. On Tamaran, I rarely became ill. Even as a child, I only caught the glorrfnorik twice and I did not even get the rogiblarnicax! I should not be so badly affected by a simple flu."

Raven crossed her arms, using her powers to gently shoo Silkie away from the mostly untouched soup. "Starfire, you're an alien on a planet you didn't grow up on. It's more amazing that you hadn't caught something sooner. Trust me, there is nothing weak about you."

A hint of that honest smile pulled at Starfire's lips as she sniffed again. "It still does not make being stuck in bed easier."

"I don't think any of us are the easiest patients in the world," Raven agreed, trying to lighten the mood slightly. "At least you don't turn into insects to try to sneak out of the infirmary."

Starfire started to chuckle at that and it quickly turned into a coughing fit. Raven caught her soup again, putting out a hand to steady her friend until her lungs calmed. She could feel the exhaustion and soreness of her rib muscles wafting off her with the fever heat.

"Thank you." Starfire clenched her fingers around the bowl. "I would hate to waste Robin's hard work."

Raven looked at her thoughtfully, then made a decision. "Starfire, you know I have healing abilities."

"Yes. But you said they cannot cure sickness, only help heal injuries."

"That's true. However, if you want, I can ease your symptoms for a while. It won't stop them from coming back as your body recovers, but it might give you a break for a while."

A bit of hope sparked in Starfire's eyes. "If you are willing, I would be most grateful for even a brief time without coughing. Even if it is just long enough to finish lunch." Suddenly, fear replaced the hope. "Wait! I do not want you to catch the flu as well!"

"Don't worry, Star. If I was going to catch it, just being in the room with you is enough," she said, sitting down on the bed. "This won't make a difference. And I still can heal myself if I have to."

Starfire nodded, setting aside her bowl. "Then thank you, my friend. What must I do?"

"Nothing. Just let me concentrate." Raven held out her hands, letting them hover slightly over Starfire's forehead and chest. Internally, she braced herself. All she had to do was be the conduit to remove the symptoms and disperse them. It was never pleasant, but she had done it many times before.

As Raven reached out with her powers, the soft blue glow extending around her hands, she opened her soulself to receive the symptoms.

The force of it knocked the breath out of her. Fire ignited inside her like a volcano waiting to erupt. Her joints felt like they were being crushed in vices. Her sinuses clogged with brain-squishing pressure and drained into her throat, exacerbating the raw tissues. The all-consuming pain and heat and overall feeling of pestilence rocked her concentration and she became aware of the outside world again.

Somehow, she was on her knees on the floor, arms trembling as they tried to support her. Starfire was saying something behind her in an upset tone, but Raven couldn't pick out the words over the haze of fever. She managed to hold up one finger to signal her need for quiet and thought she muttered something about needing to let it go.

Focusing on the cool metal of the floor and the radiant concern beaming off Starfire behind her, Raven found her center again and concentrated on controlling the pain and sickness festering inside her. She visualized it all vaporizing and bleeding off her like steam on a cold day. The energy release was like lysing a blister and she almost melted with relief as it flowed away and the chill of her soulself rose to restore everything in its wake.

As Raven opened her eyes again, she drew a steadying breath and turned back to face Starfire's terrified expression. "It's okay."

"Raven! What happened? Did I hurt you?"

"No." Raven stood, hiding the lingering quiver of her legs, and sat again on the bed. "The healing was just…more difficult than I expected."

Starfire's hand rested gently on her shoulder. "You cried out in pain. The fever and coughing and sneezing has stopped, but I felt as if you suddenly were overheating. And you were coughing…" The fingers closed on her shoulder. "Raven…Did you take my sickness?"

Raven hesitated. This was a side effect of her powers she had never wanted to reveal to her teammates. Healing comes with a cost. Nothing appears or disappears; it only moves from one place to another. To take away pain, it must go somewhere else. It may also have been Trigon's little joke, to punish her for easing suffering instead of causing it, but that may have been giving him more credit than he was due.

Still, there was no point lying to Starfire. The nature of her healing ability was bound to come out eventually. Denying it wouldn't work for long.

"I didn't take the virus itself. Even I can't do that," she explained, keeping her voice calm and neutral. "But removing pain does require it to be…filtered away…through me."

She expected to have to elaborate, to explain the entire process and reason behind it. She probably was still going to when Robin found out later. But Starfire said nothing more. She just leaned forward and wrapped Raven in a hug before she could react.

Raven stiffened automatically at the contact, but she knew this was both Starfire's 'thank you' and her reassurance after witnessing that traumatic ritual. So Raven just waited awkwardly until her friend was content to let go. She was satisfied to feel that Starfire's body temperature was temporarily back to normal and her breathing was smooth and even.

Finally, Starfire sat back, but her eyes still looked troubled and she grasped Raven's arm seriously. "Raven, does this mean…every time you have healed us?"

Raven tried to shrug it off. "It isn't usually that bad."

"But you feel our pain to take it away!" Starfire shook her head. "We cannot let you do that anymore."

Raven pulled free of her grip, huddling into herself again reflexively. "That's why I didn't tell anyone, and I'd prefer you didn't tell the others, if possible. Healing only hurts me for a few moments. Healing naturally hurts you all for a lot longer. It's a logical trade, and I…want to do it." She paused, but so much had been revealed already and maybe she was just still unsettled from the effort, but she looked down and said softly. "My powers don't usually do anything good. But this…"

"Is a heroic and selfless act," Starfire said gently.

Maybe slightly in some small way makes up for a little bit of the bad I'm destined to do. Raven swallowed, still looking away. "If you say so."

Starfire smiled, nodding definitively. "I say so."

Raven straightened, redirecting the conversation away from that kind of talk. "What about you? I felt the power and depth of your pain. How were you not in much worse shape?"

Starfire shrugged, pulling Silkie into her lap casually. "I have had worse. Part of my training on Tamaran included learning to handle levels of discomfort worse than the effects of this flu."

"I'm not even sure that's just a flu. That was…brutal."

"Perhaps it affected you differently because you are not Tamaranian," Starfire suggested.

"Maybe," Raven murmured, still dubious. But it changed little, so she put the question aside. "Either way, you should never, ever think you're weak again."

Starfire smiled slightly, hugging Silkie close. "And you should never think you are less than a hero."

Raven felt a surge of emotion threaten her barriers. She threw her shields back in place, drawing back behind her metaphorical mask again as she got to her feet. "You should also eat your soup before it goes cold or your symptoms come back," she said over her shoulder, voice flat again. "I don't want to do that again sooner than necessary."

"I will, Raven." Starfire settled into her nest of cushions and comforters. "And drink the tea you made me."

Raven nodded a bit brusquely. "Good. Then get some rest. I'll check on you again soon."

Raven's communicator went off as she reached the door. "Raven," she answered.

"It's Robin. We're wrapping up here and will be home in about half an hour. How's Star?"

Raven looked back at her friend and arched an eyebrow slightly. "Good. I think she'll be all right soon. She's stronger than we give her credit for."