Unlike most mornings, Kori wasn't up with the sun. Usually she was at her most spry in the mornings, ready to bask atop the tower in nothing but her favorite bikini as the first of the suns rays shredded the horizon. But it had been three days, and Hurricane Karla had yet to let up. It had been nothing but dark skies, rain and wind for what felt like an eternity.
Thankfully the dangerous conditions made committing crime difficult, even for the most accomplished of villains. But unfortunately, it also meant no sunlight whatsoever. And without sunlight, Starfire was feeling more then a little under the weather (pun intended). Groaning heavily as her eyes slowly parted, Kori's lids felt crusty and heavy with sleep. The inside of her nose felt clogged, as though someone had shoved cotton balls up there during the night.
Sniffling slightly as she sat up on her arms, Kori's entire body felt weak, and she was freezing despite the mass of blankets piled over her head. Wiping at her nose with the back of her hand, the underside of it felt painful and raw as Kori - unmotivated - swung herself over the edge of the bed. This caused all of her skin to be exposed as she shivered immediately.
"Brr, it's so cold in here," running a hand through her rats nest of tangled red curls, Kori felt a pain tighten up in her chest as she released a horrible, rattling cough from her lungs. It was a painful experience, one that shook her very essence as another quake lifted the hairs on her skin.
What was this sensation?
Normally Kori didn't feel so horrible. After all, her Tamaranian blood usually adapted to the fluctuations of temperature on Earth; not to mention her immune system was far superior to that of ordinary humans. Yet here she was, sitting in the dark, a quivering, snotty shell of usual herself. Kori didn't know how long she had been sitting there, but her mind was brought back from her thoughts as someone tapped lightly on the door,
"Hey, Kor?" It was Garfield, Kori knew that voice immediately, "you missed breakfast, are you ok?"
"I'm..." Kori started her sentence, but the sudden thought of food made her stomach roll. Squeaking slightly in panic, the Tamaranian warrior zoomed from the bed, slamming open the door to her attached bathroom as she leaned over the toilet immediately. The poison which came forth was as unpleasant as it was tasteless. Embarrassed as she was about her situation (Kori didn't like feeling venerable at any time), she was grateful when a pair of hands came to hold back her hair.
After the main round of sickness had stopped, Kori groaned and flopped back against the vanity exhausted as another rattling cough shook her figure,
"Woah, you don't look to good," Garfield said, seemingly unbothered by her disheveled state as he reached out a hand to feel Kori's forehead. She wanted the green skinned boy to keep his palm there, as it was warm like a furnace. But he retracted quickly instead, his eyes widening in surprise, "you're cold as ice!"
"I'm...f-fine," Kori was lying flat out. But she didn't want Garfield worrying about her. They had important things to do, after all. It would only be a matter of time before some evil poked its head out from the hurricane, "really,"
"Uh, no,"
Garfield's sternness in the matter supposed her as the boy folded his arms over his chest, "this is not fine." Gar motioned to Kori on the floor as he shook his head, "definitely not fine. Come on, you're going back to bed,"
Raising her brows at the sudden commanding tone used by the youngest member of the team, Kori watched as Gar shifted into a giant bloodhound. He then proceeded in nuzzling his long face under the bend in Kori's legs, prodding her back to her feet. The Tamaranian wanted to complain, after all she promised the team extra training today while crime was still low. But as her chest rattled painfully, Kori couldn't find it in her to fight as she practically fell back into bed, pulling her knees to her chest as Gar licked her face.
"Ew, Gar,"
"Sorry," transforming back into his regular self, the boy smiled as he pulled the blankets back over Kori's shoulders, "force of habit. Now, don't move a muscle, I'll be right back,"
Trotting off towards the door, Gar turned as Kori sat up slightly on her elbows, his eyes narrowed, "no getting up. I mean it,"
Stifling her smirk at the irony of the sudden shift in power, Kori lay back down with a soft huff as she glanced towards the empty doorway. She was sick, that she admitted. But why she was feeling so lonely all of a sudden was something beyond her. Ever since fleeing from Tamaran, Kori always felt like an outsider. It took her years to adapt. But the Titian's did their best to make her feel wanted. So why did she suddenly feel so alone?
And as if on cue, the door to her room slid back open. Blinking in surprise, the rest of the team entered behind Gar, who was once again in the form of a bloodhound. Reyes was dressed in an apron, and was holding a tray with some bowls on it, while Rachel hung behind, levitating a pot in her hands. Even Damian looked to have been dragged along for the ride, though his usual Robin attire was abandoned for a casual hoodie and he had some books tucked under one arm.
Coughing unintentionally again, Kori winced as Reyes smiled,
"Sounds like you've caught a nasty bug,"
The humor was intentional as Kori smiled at the joke, watching carefully as Reyes unloaded the bowls onto the nearby desk, "here, sit up. I have something which should make you feel better,"
Not having the energy to fight, Kori nodded slightly, shifting her weight as she slowly sat up in bed. Carefully, Blue Beetle set the largest bowl in her lap. If Kori could use her nose, she knew the soup would have smelled heavenly. But she mostly cherished the warmth it brought to the insides of her hands, "it's my mama's recipe," the boy explained, handing Kori a spoon as she took a hesitant first sip, "she always gave it to me when I got sick."
"It's...good," Kori complemented, smiling as she took to eating, "thank you,"
"Sure thing, Kor,"
Nodding, Reyes joined Gar down on the carpet as Rachel approached the bedside, using her levitation to carefully pour a shallow cup of steaming brown liquid,
"This should help with the queasiness. It's a special herbal blend,"
"Thank you, Rachel,"
Finally, as Rachel floated towards the chair at the opposite end of the room, Damian approached the bed. He was stiff as ever, obviously unhappy about being out of uniform. But he managed a nod anyway, handing over the several books tucked under his arms,
"Being sick is boring," he said sharply, though it was still significantly softer then usual as his dark eyes followed Kori's hands as she fingered the yellowing pages. She didn't know much about the books, but they were comic books, old ones if Kori didn't know any better. "These should occupy your time during recovery."
"Thank you, Damian,"
The dark haired boy nodded as he turned sharply on a heel. To Kori's surprise though, he didn't leave the room. Instead, he chose to stand by Rachel, the two of them having a quiet conversation. At the foot of her bed, Reyes and Gar had pulled out a board game, and were eventually joined by the other two Titian's after a short time of whining. Listening to their voices as they played, Kori couldn't help her smile as she sipped Rachel's tea, flicking through the first comic Damian had given her.
Kori didn't know when she drifted off, but her eyes flicked open when she heard the sound of her room door swiftly opening and closing. Grunting slightly from sleep, a figure came to sit at the edge of the bed as Kori turned her head to one side. She knew that silhouette.
"Dick?"
"Hey babe," leaning in, Nightwing gave Kori a peck to the forehead as she knitted her brows. How long had she been sleeping for?
"Aren't you...supposed to be in Gotham this week?"
"I was, but I got a call from Gar saying my Princess was sick. So Babs took the rest of my shifts so I could come see how you were,"
Running a hand through her hair, Kori closed her eyes at the familiar sensation as Dick laughed lightly, "looks like you had some great company,"
Nodding her head, Kori looked around the dark room. Even without lights, she could pick out the shapes of her friends passed out on the floor together, surrounded by cards, cups and pizza boxes.
"They stayed with me all day?"
Kori lifted her eyebrows as Dick wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer.
"Looks like it. I wouldn't expect anything less,"
"It's just..." Kori's mind trailed off to her childhood as she physically winced. Dick didn't fail to notice as he held her tighter, but said nothing, "when I was a girl, most of my childhood was spent on Okara. I would train day and night, as hard as I could. The warlords were great teachers, the best I've ever known...but they weren't family. They weren't...kind."
"And your sister?"
"We spent most of our time competing with each other. She was always one to have...aspirations. I sometimes don't feel like I deserve any of this,"
"What?" Dick seemed bothered as he tangled his fingers with Kori's, the Tamaranian soothed by the heat of his palm, "Kori, you deserve all of this. After everything you've fought for? What with Trigon and now Blood, I think you deserve it more then anybody,"
"You think?" Kori leaned into Richard's chest as she exhaled, doing her best to keep the coughing to a minimum,
"I don't think, babe, I know. They love you, all of them. And I love you to."
Resting his chin on her shoulder in the darkness, Kori exhaled deeply as she closed her eyes. She still felt like hell, and the night was still young. But as Kori drifted off to sleep with happy thoughts, a smile flicked onto her face.
The most heartwarming thoughts come at the toughest of times, after all. What made catching a human virus any different?
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A/N: Hey all! Rose here, back again with my fourth Teen Titans related story! This one is just a little family Drabble. Nothing to special. I hope you enjoy!