Defrost
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Teen Titans, except this plot.
A/N: Before anyone asks again, no, this story is not over, it's far from over actually!
Raven sat by Beast Boy's bed in the infirmary, keeping a close eye on her deathly sick boyfriend. It was two in the morning, she could have easy slept in that chair, but sleep did not come easy for her at the moment. She was deep in thought, unable to get the image of her burning "victim" out of her head. She hadn't mentioned it to them, but when she was angry, she did want the rifle to explode... She just didn't think she'd actually do it! It was clear she needed more training over her control on her emotions and power. Meditation was in order, however, before that, she had to make sure Beast Boy was okay. She could meditate later. She leaned over and felt his forehead, it was still very hot.
"Raven?" Beast Boy croaked.
"I've said it before but this time I really need you to listen to me, don't speak," she shushed him.
"That was funny," Beast Boy laughed softly, then had to stop to cough roughly. "Who knew... you had a... sense of humor?" he said, his throat torn and scratchy from all the coughing.
"I've always had a sense of humor, I was just never able to use it that much," she shrugged.
"Sarcasm... isn't really the kind... of humor I meant..." Beast Boy smiled.
"Well I always found it amusing," she defended. "How do you feel?" She asked, taking a warm, damp rag and wiping his face gently.
"A bit hungry..." He said weakly. Raven nodded and stood up, but he caught her wrist before she could walk away. "You... Don't have to do this for me?" He said softly.
"I know," Raven answered simply, tugging her hand back from his decidedly strong grip - for a greatly ill person, - and headed off to the kitchen.
"Hey Raven, how is he?" Robin created her as has got to the common room.
"Why are you still awake?" Raven questioned, eying the police reports in front if him where he sat at the table.
"I couldn't sleep, worried, you know? Cyborg says he can't find what's wrong with him, so I was trying to find something on the guy we fought yesterday," Robin yawned.
"Any luck?" Raven asked, shaking away the gruesome images of the man she burned from her mind.
"No, just guesses. Some reports say he might be an ex-cop from Gotham city, but no one is sure. In any case, no one can figure out where that weapon he had was manufactured, or what that sludge is. For that, they need a specialist," Robin sighed deeply.
"...Well, to answer your question, he's doing fine. He just woke up-"
"He did?" Robin looked up sharply, a relieved smile on his face.
"Yes. I came here to get him something to eat," she explained.
"YOU? Do something for someone? And Beast Boy, of all people?" Robin teased sleepily.
"You make me out to sound like some selfish, heartless jerk," Raven rolled her eyes and walked over to the cupboard, finding a box of the miso soup Beast Boy sometimes ate when he was sick.
"Do you know how to make that?" He asked wryly.
"I assume I just have to follow the-" she blinked and realized she still did not understand Japanese. "...-directions..."
"I've seen Beast Boy make that before, just heat some water up, pour that into a bowl, then let it sit for like ten minutes I'm boiling water," Robin mercifully explained.
"Thanks," Raven answered. Raven finished making the soup and put it in a tray with a glass of water. She took the food with her down to the infirmary and found Beast Boy dosing a bit. "Think you can keep some miso soup down?" she asked him.
"You... you made me soup? Tofu soup?" Beast Boy's eyes were wide and his cheeks flushed even further than the sickness had already made them.
"Yeah, well, you need to eat," Raven hid her own blush under her hood. Raven sat at the chair next to Beast Boy and helped him up. She gave him a tolerant look when he opened his mouth, mirth evident in his eyes. Raven rolled her own eyes and handed him the spoon. When it was clear that he really couldn't keep the spoon steady in his hands, she took it again and helped him eat. "At least you haven't thrown up yet," she drawled, but the moment he finished the last bite, he had to quickly rush over to the other side of the bed, where the bucket was. Raven recoiled from disgust and frowned in concern when he started having a coughing fit after evacuating his stomach.
"Oh..." Beast Boy moaned in misery. "This sucks..." he said, collapsing back onto the bed. When he began coughing again and shivering from the sickness, he looked upon her with pleading eyes.
"Maybe I can do something to help you?" Raven suggested, and gently pushed him back onto his pillow and spread her hands over his chest. She concentrated and tried to heal him. Almost immediately Beast Boy calmed down, she did the same with his ruined throat. However, the most she was able to do was ease his pain. It seemed that, whatever this was, was there to stay until his body beat it. "I'm sorry, that's all I can do," she said, brushing his damp hair from his forehead. "I'll go get you some pain killers or something," she said, and went to stand.
"Wait!" Beast Boy coughed. "Stay?" Raven paused, unsure about this, but decided to appease him. He scooted over a bit and she sat down on the bed. She blinked in surprise when he suddenly curled up next to her. She smiled and let him use her lap as a pillow. Beast Boy felt better already and sighed in contentment as Raven gently stroked her hand through his hair. "I... I like that you're using more of... your emotional side now..." he told her, hiding his blush effectively by. Being an empath, Raven could tell he was embarrassed to say that, so she just smiled but kept silent.
Cyborg woke up at the same time he always did in the morning, like clock-work. He yawned and got ready for the day. When he was through with his morning duties, he decided to go and check his patient. When he got to the infirmary, he found Beast Boy curled up to Raven, the both of them sleeping soundly. He made sure there was no one around and that they were still asleep, then took a picture of them with his optical cybernetic implant. He grinned to himself, this could be good blackmail if he ever needed. Still, it was a pretty nice scene. He tip-toed as best as a half-machine young man could, and gently shook Raven's arm, whispering for her to wake up. He wasn't counting on Beast Boy's incredibly sharp animal hearing, waking him up with her. "Sorry buddy," Cyborg apologized.
"It's okay," Beast Boy yawned, trying not to feel hurt when Raven jerked away from him, when she realized their intimate position in front of Cyborg. "Oh jeez," he groaned, and had to rush to his bucket again. Raven and Cyborg both flinched and scrunched up their faces, feeling pity for their poor sick boyfriend and friend respectively.
"I'm going to go take a shower," Raven mentioned, then turned and floated away.
"Hey man, let's see how you're doing this morning," Cyborg checked over his best friend, taking his temperature, and noticed it had dropped a bit. "Hey! Good news! Your temperature is now one-hundred three! That's four degrees less, a decent improvement," he smiled.
"It was probably Raven's healing touch," Beast Boy grinned goofily at his pun.
"Probably," Cyborg smiled. "Guess she had a lot of time to use those healing hands on ya, huh?" he grinned.
"Dude, we're not like that!" Beast Boy flushed.
"Yet, not like that yet!" Cyborg laughed. "Alright, I had my fun - for right now, - do you need anything?" he asked.
"Nah, if I-" another coughing fit shook the changeling. After a few minutes and deep breaths, he rubbed his eyes tiredly and finished his sentence. "If I eat anything, I'll just throw it up..." he sighed wearily.
Elsewhere, Raven had finished her quick shower and stood by her mirror, staring into her reflection but not really looking at it. She was deep in thought about her recent changes in her attitude, especially toward Beast Boy. Sure, she had admitted her feelings for and to him recently, and sure, they were dating and he was starting to mature a bit... but would that really change her that much? Maybe she was growing up and maturing too. With that thought in mind, she finished her morning duties, dried her hair with her powers, and headed back to check on Beast Boy.
When she got to the infirmary, she found Cyborg pointing at something on a hand-held device that Beast Boy had all his concentration on. "Dude, I know what I'm doing..." Beast Boy grumbled.
"You're gunna miss the check-point!" Cyborg said.
"You seem a lot more alert today," Raven observed. Beast Boy looked up suddenly, startled by her quiet entry and nodded enthusiastically, the game all but forgotten.
"I still feel weak and a bit groggy, but I do feel better!" he grinned, but his exclamation was soon followed by yet another need to cough his lungs out. "Aww, this really sucks..." he sighed. "But hey, I do feel better, and I know you'd rather be doing other things right now... I don't want you to spend the whole day looking after me, okay? Cyborg brought me this game, I'll be okay, alright? You can check on me later if you want," Beast Boy smiled. Both Raven and Cyborg were impressed by his selfless attitude, a very mature change to him, and they wondered what brought it up all of a sudden.
"Are you sure?" Raven tilted her head to the side curiously.
"Yep! Go on, I'll be fine," he smiled at her.
Raven could see a new light in his eyes, a quiet maturity that wasn't there before. 'What happened to him?' she wondered. "Well... I'll be in the common room if you need me..." she told him, giving him one last glance before heading out. What on earth could have changed the once completely immature and obnoxious green-skinned shape-shifter? Whatever it was, she hoped it would stay... it certainly was an attractive change.
TBC...
End A/N: Sorry this chapter was shorter than the others, ran out of material for it! The next chapter SHOULD be longer, but I can't make any promises. Still, I hope ya'll enjoyed this!
Shout-Outs:
Ulcaasi: Lol, yeah well I don't make it easy for most people to keep their heads out of the gutter either, lol! I usually read more than one story, most of the time different types, so I can't really relate there...
Anonymous: That was a very good guess! It's been done to death, though. I wanted to do something relatively unique, so I decided to do my own explanation as to why (at least in the comics) Beast Boy, or "Changeling", is so tall!
