Author's Note: This was inspired by one of my guy friends saying that if guys had to go through what girls did every month, they would die. Plus, I like the idea of magical mishaps. Read and Review!
Day 1
There was always a risk involved when Raven used magic. This, however, was a side effect that had her biting her lips till she was alone to laugh. Only with her team could these kinds of things happen.
It started normally enough. But Raven had misunderstood the simply spell, thinking it was one for pain relief, as her uterus felt like it was slowly killing her, and the pain meds hadn't worked, so she tried her magic. What it resulted it was her symptoms being gone, but she hadn't know that the spell was a transfer one, meant for another.
See, that was the thing with the lovely red flower each month; the symptoms didn't show up one by one, no, they decided to hit you all at once. Well, unknown to Raven, utter chaos was about to hit the tower. It started slowly.
She had been sitting on the couch, book in one hand and her other was currently stroking her boyfriend's hair. Beast Boy was curled up on his side, not really paying attention to the game he was playing. When the round was over he quit and curled up tighter. Raven stopped reading and looked at him.
"Are you alright?" Raven asked as she set aside her book. Beast Boy shrugged and rubbed his forehead into the couch cushion.
"Fine," Beast Boy said into the fabric. Raven frowned. She rubbed her hand along the back of his neck; to his credit, Beast Boy didn't flinch or try to curl up tighter. He moved his head so she could see his face.
"Wanna try telling me what's going on again?" Raven commented. Beast Boy stared aimlessly out the bay windows.
"Nothing, really Rae. Just kinda sore, I think," Beast Boy responded. Raven cocked her head.
"What'd you mean?" Raven questioned. The fight the other day had been pretty straight forward; the only injures they had sustained were a bruised knee on Starfire. She had even checked her boyfriend over herself later that night.
"Everything is just sore. Maybe I did one too many forms yesterday, that's all." Beast Boy said. Raven leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead. He gave her a small smile in return. Raven got up and headed to the kitchen.
"I'll get you some Ibuprofen," Raven said. Beast Boy snuggled deeper into the couch.
"That's wonderful. You're wonderful," Beast Boy told her. Raven rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's antics. She opened up the cabinet over the sink and pulled out the bottle of pain killers. She pulled out three, knowing that Beast Boy would process them faster than normal, and moved to grab a glass. She looked up but she heard the doors to the common room slide open. Robin trudged in, his face set heavily in a scowl, and Raven decided very quickly that she didn't like that look at all. A pissed off Robin meant bad things for the rest of them. Robin plopped down at the kitchen table.
"What's wrong with you?" Raven asked. She regretted the question the minute it came out of her mouth, especially when Robin huffed into his folded arms.
"Today sucks. Everything sucks. Just a big sucky ball of suck," Robin moaned. Raven didn't know what to do with that. She cautiously petted him on the shoulder.
"There, there," Raven said awkwardly. Robin didn't respond to her. She made her way back to the couch and handed Beast Boy the pills.
"Everything ok in there?" He asked after he swallowed. Raven looked back in the kitchen; Robin hadn't moved or said anything yet.
"I think Robin is in one of his moods," Raven said as she settled back on the couch. Beast Boy placed his head in her lap; Raven resumed running her hand through his hair. Robin moved into the living room and curled up on one of the other couches. The pouting look on his face was hard to laugh at, and Raven had to steel her face back several times.
"Something bugging you, Rob?" Beast Boy asked. Robin shrugged. Beast Boy looked up at her and Raven shook her head at him; she didn't know what was wrong with him.
"No, stop asking stupid questions," Robin snapped. Raven narrowed her eyes at him.
"If you're gonna to be a jerk, go be one somewhere else. We were having a nice time together, and I don't want you bringing your prissy attitude in to it." Raven demanded. Robin sat up and glared at the two of them. Then he did something…unnerving.
Robin started to cry.
"Why are you so mean? You don't have to be so mean, Raven!" Robin cried as he fled the room. Raven and Beast Boy just stared in shock as Robin disappeared.
"What was that?" Beast Boy asked after the doors had shut. Raven shook her head wordlessly. She was just as baffled at her leader's actions.
"I'm not sure, maybe Starfire could figure it out," Raven said. Beast Boy smiled at that. They relaxed together for the next hour or so before the next weird event of the day happened. Beast Boy had drifted off and Raven was loath to move, so she had to endure Cyborg's light teasing when he came in.
"Lazy day today?" Cyborg asked as he began rummaging around the fridge.
"I think he overdid the shifting yesterday," Raven mentioned. Cyborg snapped his head around. The thought of his buddy being hurt was enough to stop his plundering of the refrigerator.
Raven saw his expression and rushed to calm him down. "He's ok, just sore. I double checked," Raven said. Cyborg looked relieved. Since knowing what Beast Boy's abilities actually did to his body, they were always careful to check and make sure nothing was being pushed to harmful limits.
"So, by chance, would you know why Robin was crying in the hall?" Cyborg asked as he walked back to make his snack. Raven twisted her chest around to talk.
"I'm not sure. I just asked him if he was ok, and he started crying. Maybe he's finally cracking," Raven said. Cyborg laughed, took his large snack out of the room, and headed back down to the garage.
Raven put the weird incidents out of her head.
Day 2
Raven walked into the kitchen to find Starfire trying to break apart Robin and Cyborg. The boy wonder was yelling, in between crying, while the android was screaming back, holding on to the bagel bag for dear life. Her boyfriend wasn't here to break it up, so it was their problem.
"What is going on here?" Raven shouted. Starfire looked at her; the red haired girl looked more than frazzled. Seeing his girlfriend distracted, Robin darted around, grabbed the bagel bag, and sprinted for the hall. Cyborg threw some choice words at him, before stalking off to the cabinet for another breakfast choice. Starfire came over and wrapped her arms around the empath.
Raven slowly returned the hug, still having no clue what just happened.
"Wanna tell me what happened?" Raven asked. Starfire looked on the verge of tears; she hated it when anyone in the tower fighted, especially the boys.
"They just started to fight," Starfire said. Raven threw a cautious glance at her older friend in the kitchen. Raven gave a small smile for her friend.
"Why don't you go check up on Robin? I'll work on Cyborg," Raven suggested. Starfire nodded and walked off to find her boyfriend. Raven steeled herself before walking over to the android.
"Wanna talk about anything?" Raven asked. Cyborg grumbled under his breath. Raven frowned.
"Look I can't hear you when you talk like that," Raven said. Cyborg looked at her over his shoulder.
"I'm fine. Not my fault Robin is being weird." Cyborg spat out. Raven reeled back slightly. This whole day was looking odd. Electing to give her friend space, she said she was gonna go mediate for a bit. However, judging from the yelling coming down the hall, Raven made a beeline for her guaranteed safe spot.
Beast Boy was just lacing up his shoes when she walked into his room. From the look on his face, he didn't get much sleep. Raven smoothed back his hair from his forehead. A loud door slam came down the hall and both of them looked at the closed door in veiled concern.
"Maybe we should go check to see if everything is going ok," Raven suggested. Beast Boy shook his head as he stood up.
"It's probably just a little lovers spat," Beast Boy said. The two of them walked out of the room and came face to face with a very worried Starfire.
"Do you know how to apologize to your boyfriend for saying he may be acting more emotional than usual?" Starfire asked. Raven rubbed her forehead.
"Everything seems to be weird today," Raven said. Suddenly, it hit her. The mood swings…eating habits… She looked over at her boyfriend.
"Go get some food," Raven told Beast Boy gently. Seeing that the girls were going to have one of their 'girl talks', Beast Boy gave Raven a peck on the cheek before walking away. Raven pulled Starfire closer so she could whisper her theory.
"I think I might know what's wrong with the boys," Raven said. Starfire looked at her expectedly to continue.
"Tell me!" Starfire urged. Raven took a deep breath.
"I think I misused a spell, and it might have put some of my symptoms on them," Raven confessed. Starfire frowned for a moment.
"Symptoms? Do you mean from..?" Starfire finally caught on. Raven nodded meekly. Starfire looked like she was stuck between laughing and scolding her.
"I just wanted so relief from the pain, I didn't think I would misread the spell," Raven muttered. Starfire gave her a small smile; one that said "I get why you did it, but you just gave us so many problems to deal with."
"We should tell the boys," Starfire said. "I will try to get Robin to come out with me, you go check on Cyborg and Beast Boy."
Raven agreed and quickly walked to the kitchen. Starfire went to get Robin. Raven entered the kitchen to find Cyborg looking at her boyfriend with a frown on his face. Beast Boy was at the kitchen table, but had clearly ignored the idea of food if his untouched plate was anything to go by. Raven sat down next to him, feeling all the more guilty now, and rubbed his back. The muscles felt even tighter today.
"He didn't want to eat," Cyborg said. Beast Boy replied, but it was muffled by his arms. Cyborg sighed.
"Can't hear you, B," Cyborg pointed out. Beast Boy raised his head.
"I said I'm not hungry." Beast Boy said. A painful muscle spasm happened and the changeling curled back into himself. Raven felt helpless. She'd never make sure a stupid decision to use magic again.
"Did the pain killers help?" Raven asked. Beast Boy shook his head. That was always the issue with Beast Boy's biology; either the drugs worked too well, or they didn't at all. It was always a guessing game. The doors opened and Starfire walked in holding hands with Robin. The boy wonder seemed more calmed down, but Raven wasn't going to hold onto hope for long.
Especially when she came clean.
Robin sat down across from her and Raven waited until everyone was sitting. Deciding that the silence was too much, Raven burst.
"I might have done a spell to take away my menstrual cramps, but I think I did it wrong and I might have put all symptoms on you guys. I'm really sorry," Raven admitted.
For a moment, no one talked. The boys looked confused. Starfire stood by ready for damage control.
"What the hell do you mean I'm gonna be experiencing your monthly menses?" Cyborg asked. Robin looked ready to start crying again.
It was gonna be a long week.
Day 3
Raven's guilt about this mess was steadily climbing. She and Starfire had managed to pinpoint the symptoms to each of the boys. Robin got the nice emotional rollercoaster. She would rather be facing Slade then having to see her stoic leader burst into tears several times a day. Cyborg got the weird cravings, which wasn't much different from how he was before. The android tried to take it in stride, but sometimes it got bad when there was nothing to satisfy him. Beast Boy got to deal with the physical side of it: cramps. She knew how bad those were, and now she got to put them on someone else.
Thankfully there hadn't been any calls. All of them were in the common room, watching a Myth Buster's marathon, trying to relax. Robin was curled up next to Starfire, Cyborg had already eaten one of the hidden kit kat bags, and Beast Boy was next to her. Unlike the rest of them, who were stretched out on the couches, Beast Boy was curled up into the tightest ball possible. Raven had posed the possibility of the stronger pain meds, but Cyborg had said no. With their friend's physiology, no one could be sure how he would react.
Not wanting him to experience any more grief, Raven had turned toward safer remedies. Her heating pad was on the coffee table, and ready to be used. Raven brushed his hair back.
"How are you feeling?" Raven asked. Beast Boy shrugged. She knew his pain tolerance was high, but he'd been blind sighted by this. "That isn't an answer."
Beast Boy craned his head to look at her. "I can't feel my lower half that a good answer?" Beast Boy told her. Raven wilted a bit. Beast Boy saw, and he regretted his answer.
"Sorry, Rae," Beast Boy said when he saw how her face fell. She was already beating herself up over this, she didn't need him ribbing her as well. "It's not that bad, ok?"
Raven felt a little better. She reached for the heating pad and plugged it into an extension cord. As it heated up, she unrolled it and tried to get Beast Boy in a better position.
"Come here," Raven said softly. Her boyfriend ended up stretched out on the couch, with her spooning from behind. She placed the heating pad over his abdomen and contented herself with running one of her hands through his hair and the other making a trail from his shoulder to hip.
If the others were wondering about her antics, they didn't ask. They had grown used to Raven being more hands-on when in public; Beast Boy was a much more private type except when the situation called for it. Cyborg looked over at her and motioned with his eyes to the boy in front of her. She raised her hand and gave a so-so answer. Cyborg frowned and looked back at the screen. She bit back a smile as Beast Boy cuddled in closer.
When Raven wasn't feeling well, she wanted to be left in piece. When Beast Boy wasn't feeling well, he would become practically attached if you let him. Which she did; until the spell wore off, she had a feeling she wouldn't be going anywhere for a while.
"Alright, I think it's time we worried about lunch, any ideas?" Cyborg said when the episode finished. Starfire didn't have any requests, but Robin had suggested something that could be cooked here. Raven watched as Cyborg walked to the kitchen and began to look through the cabinets.
"Anything quick," Robin said from his position on the couch. Starfire agreed with his choice; none of them had eaten breakfast, so at this point anything would be satisfying.
"Anything that doesn't require moving," Beast Boy muttered. Cyborg walked back into the room. He had taken one of the notepads from the kitchen with him.
"Well, we have two cans of soup, but the label is missing, so if you're feeling brave, there's that," Cyborg said. "If not, I vote for take-out? Any suggestions?"
In the end they decided on Chinese. Cyborg took down everyone's orders and headed out to collect the food. Robin stood up, saying he was going to go shower before lunch, and Starfire went with Cyborg to help him. The common room was quiet, save for the quiet undertones from the show in the background. Raven let her mind drift as she watch the scenes.
"Does it always feel this bad for you?" Beast Boy asked suddenly. Raven frowned and propped herself up on her elbow so she could peer down on her boyfriend.
"Not all the time, but it does hurt a bit," Raven confessed. "Now, since no one is around, you can finally be honest. How bad are you really feeling?" Beast Boy's ears drooped a bit.
"Is it that obvious?" He asked. Raven pressed a kiss to his cheek.
"To Starfire and Robin, they probably didn't notice as much. Cyborg, on the other hand, decided not to call you out on it." She wished she could have chosen the symptoms; Cyborg knew how she felt about this. Of all of them, Beast Boy constantly had to deal of the physical pain from his powers. Now he had this to deal with. From now on Raven was always going to read the fine print.
"Now, we have at least an hour without being interrupted. I say we try to find a cheesy movie, I'll go make you some tea, and then we can cuddle until the food gets here. How does that sound?" Raven asked. Beast Boy grinned.
"That sounds like the best idea I've heard all day." Raven pressed another kiss to his cheek before getting up. She made sure that her boyfriend was comfortable, and then went off to make them something hot to drink. She wasn't surprised to find Beast Boy in the same position that she had left him in.
Day 4
Raven was sulking in the kitchen. Beast Boy had kicked her out so he could shower and her only company at the moment was Robin and Starfire; Cyborg was off banging on something in the garage. The boy wonder was looking over the newspaper and nursing a cup of black coffee. Starfire was putting away the dishes in the dishwasher. Raven was looking at the door, wondering if she could sneak back in before Beast Boy noticed. She jumped when Starfire came up behind her and gave her a hug. Raven relaxed and leaned into the girls embrace.
"Day four," Starfire said. "Nearly done, I think." Raven couldn't be any happier for that. If the guys had ever wanted to know how these things really went, they had just gotten a crash course on it. She was certain that Beast Boy would be getting a kit together for her when she got her period again.
"Do you think this will happen again?" Robin asked. Raven shook her head. She had double and triple checked the spell since this mess had happened.
"It was a one-time use. I made sure of that, the symptoms should start going away tomorrow," Raven said. Starfire sat next to her and pulled out the crossword puzzle and started doing it. Raven drummed her fingers on the table before getting up.
"I'm going to get check on something," Raven announced. Robin snorted as he took another sip of his coffee.
"You mean you're going to check on Beast Boy," Robin said. Raven flicked his ear as she walked out. Pleased that it wasn't met with tears, Raven smirked as the doors closed behind her. Beast Boy's door was open when she got there. She leaned on the doorframe as he laced up his shoes.
"Planning on going somewhere?" Raven asked. Beast Boy smirked as he looked up. Raven was glad to see that he was trying to hide his discomfort anymore.
"Just a quick run," Beast Boy answered as he walked to the door, picking up his communicator off his desk, before joining Raven in the hall.
"A run? I thought you'd be enjoying all this free time," Raven teased. Beast Boy bumped her shoulder.
"Ya, but I've haven't been outside for a while, and it's a nice day, so why not?" Beast Boy said. Raven shook her head. No sense stopping her boy. Raven linked their hands together as they walked back to the common room.
"At least take it easy, ok? No sense overworking yourself," Raven insisted. Robin was still seated at the table when they got back. Starfire was trying, and failing, to sneak a sip of his drink.
"Told you she was going to get him," Robin said. Raven frowned, but smirked as Beast Boy intercepted Robin and gave Starfire the coffee.
"Hey! That was mine," Robin cried. Beast Boy rolled his eyes as he leaned against the counter.
"You drink at least a gallon of that stuff a day. I'm actually saving your kidneys from an early death," Beast Boy said. Robin tried to pinch him but wasn't fast enough. Raven sat across from Starfire and both girls shared a smile over the boy's antics.
"I was thinking we could all go to the pier today," Starfire suggested. Robin said yes to going and was attempting to get his coffee back.
"We're going fly today," Raven said. Beast Boy frowned as he jumped up onto the counter.
"We are?" Beast Boy asked. Raven raised an eyebrow and Beast Boy shut his mouth.
"Yes, we're both going out, but maybe we can meet you there later?" Raven asked. Starfire seemed to be alright with that and within the hour Raven had them both on the roof.
"So, where do you want to go?" Raven asked. Beast Boy adjusted his glove.
"I thought you were planning this. Or was what happened downstairs just a fluke?" Beast Boy teased. Raven tried to flick his forehead but he dodged her.
"I was going to follow you anyway; now I might as well just join you," Raven mumbled. "So, where do you want to go?" She asked again. Beast Boy looked patiently at her.
He walked over to some stacked up boxes near the roof door and sat down. Crossing his arms, he stopped moving and rubbed his neck.
"Ok, something tells me you aren't just going to go with me for kicks," Beast Boy said. Raven scuffed her shoe. She could already feel her face heating up.
"I just wanted to make sure you were ok," Raven whispered. No doubt Beast Boy heard her. Still, when his arms came around her, she melted.
"Rae, I'm fine. No harm done, see?" Beast Boy was trying to get rid of her guilt, but it stayed.
"I made a stupid mistake. One misread and I caused all of this to happen. All because I wanted some relief," Raven muttered. Beast Boy pulled her tighter and Raven pressed her head into the crease of his neck.
"We all make stupid mistakes. Even I know that, and I make a bunch," He reassured her. Raven looked up at him.
"Ones that make your friends feel like crap for several days?" Raven wondered.
"Can't say I've ever done that, but I've downloaded a virus into my best friend. Does that count?" Beast Boy asked. Raven leaned back into him.
"Don't joke about this. I could have seriously hurt you," Raven scolded. Beast Boy held her back and didn't start talking until she was looking at him.
"No one is injured, and if anything, now we know how you feel and can at least try to make it better for you. In all honesty, this could have been a lot worse," Beast Boy said. Raven slowly nodded.
"Good, now, since you're so determined to go out together, I've got a place to show you," Beast Boy told her and they walked to the ledge. Raven didn't give a single protest.
Day 5
By now the spell had worn off. Robin wasn't dissolving into tears at everything; he seemed utterly mortified by that and was currently hiding away in the file room. Cyborg had tried to coax him out several times, but it didn't seem to be working. Starfire and Beast Boy were tackling to towering pile of dishes when Raven entered the room. To her relief, Beast Boy seemed to be back to his normal self. Raven sat down at the table and listened to her friends.
"Perhaps the grape flavor would not be so bad," Starfire wondered out loud. Beast Boy rinsed off a plate before putting it into the dish washer.
"Sure, but I still think the blue raspberry would be the best choice," Beast Boy suggested.
"Why would that be the best choice?" Raven was curious to see what they were discussion. Starfire grinned.
"Flavors for our gummy treats!" The girl was far too excited for a simple candy.
"You're buying gummies?" Raven wondered if massive amounts of sugar should be something to warn to older boys about. Probably in Starfire's case; Beast Boy, surprisingly, didn't tend to have a large sweet tooth. Who'd of thought that?
Then again, Robin and Cyborg had cleaned out any food, healthy or not, in the fridge and cabinets so it wasn't a shock that they wanted to make something.
"We aren't buying them," Beast Boy told her as he accepted a dish from Starfire. Raven frowned.
"Then how are you going to get the gummies?" Starfire perked up.
"We shall make them in the gummy making device!" Raven raised an eyebrow.
"And when did we get a gummy making device?" Sometimes one had to be observant on what entered the tower; the tootsie roll machine had been a nightmare a few years back.
"We haven't gotten one yet," Beast Boy said. "We're going to the mall after this since Robin wouldn't let us get one unless we did the dishes." Raven shook her head; since this whole mess started, Robin had been much more agreeable. She wondered how long it would take him to get back to his no-nonsense ways.
"Joy, like the two of you need any more sugar," Raven teased as she got up. Starfire finished her end of the job and headed off to her room to get her purse. Raven leaned against the cleared counter top.
"You could come too if you wanted," Beast Boy said suddenly. Raven shrugged her shoulders.
"I was thinking of getting some meditating done," Raven knew that it was fun to spend time with her friends, but she also knew that adventures between Starfire and Beast Boy required a lot of energy that she didn't have.
"Sure, but if you change your mind just let us know," Beast Boy gave her a smile as he headed for the door. He spun around when he got halfway to the door and faced her. "What's your favorite type of chocolate, by the way?"
"I like dark chocolate," Raven answered. Beast Boy grinned and nodded his head.
"I'll remember that," Beast Boy headed back for the door. Raven raised her hand.
"Why do you want to know?" Raven asked. Beast Boy turned around again to face her.
"Because I hear chocolate helps when you're…you know," Beast Boy said sheepishly. Raven raised an eyebrow.
"And where did you hear this from?" She watched her friend's face turn redder.
"I might have done some research," Beast Boy mumbled. Raven smiled. She could only imagine Beast Boy holed up somewhere reading about menstruation. He shouldn't be embarrassed.
Raven walked over to him and gave him a hug. Beast Boy went stiff for a moment before wrapping his arms around her. Raven pulled back and flicked a strand of hair off of his face. "I think it's…sweet that you did some research. But you don't have to get me chocolate if you don't want to, ok?"
Beast Boy nudged his shoulder into her side. "I don't mind, Rae. I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't going to go through with it. Besides, it's like, what, a couple of bucks for a bag of candy? Not really that expensive."
Raven couldn't argue with him anymore on the matter since Starfire came back into the common room. The two headed out to the store, Starfire calling out over her shoulder that they might be back around dinner, and if she had changed her mind about coming out to call one of them. Raven saw them off and then headed back to her room. She fetched a book from her shelves and then walked back to the common room. She curled up on the couch, but she couldn't focus on the text. A ping from her communicator made her jump suddenly.
There was a picture attachment from Beast Boy. She clicked on the link and smiled as she saw several bags of different chocolate. The message beneath was Is this enough? Or is there another type you like? Raven quickly typed out a response, telling him that that was more than enough and no, he didn't have to pick out another kind. She went back to her book while she waited for a reply. It came a few moments later; Beast Boy sent a thumbs up emoji. Raven shook her head and settled in for the afternoon.
The next morning she woke up to several bags full of candy outside her door. A quick glance showed that Starfire had gotten the same treatment. Peeking through the rest of the bag, she show that all of the boys had contributed. Robin had made sure that there were pain killers and a heating pad. Cyborg had included a comfy pair of sweat pants. Beast Boy had given her all the chocolate she could ever need. She brought the stuff back into the room and put it all away. Raven finished getting dressed and went off to find her friends.
It looked like the next time she got her monthly gift, it wouldn't be so bad.