Author's note: As of now I am suffering from that stupid flu bug that's going around. Trust me, this one would knock an elephant out. This is a dedication to and cruel torture for our wonderful female teen titans. And maybe slight romance, I haven't technically written it yet so I don't know… Anyway, uh… summary! Right. The male titans, all earthlings, get the flu after a long hard battle, who's gonna take care of 'em?
Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. But the computer's mine, so get over it.
…
Beast Boy lay on the couch in the living room, a thermometer sticking out of the corner of his mouth and a blanket tucked carefully around him. Cyborg lay at the other end on his stomach. He was snuggled under five blankets since one didn't cover him completely. Next to the shape-shifter and uh… cyborg were boxes of Kleenex, three full and about twenty empty. The huge coffee table was covered with empty mugs previously containing Raven's herbal tea (sugar added for the boys) and approximately 27,385 used tissues. Robin, who had previously been on the couch with his other teammates, was laying on his back on the floor, staring at the ceiling in numb acceptance, and debating whether to reach for a blanket or a tissue.
A minute later he felt himself levitated off of the ground and back onto the soft couch. He continued to stare at the ceiling, because closing his eyes hurt and moving his head hurt and thinking hurt. He vaguely recognized the pile of tissue and empty mugs float over his head towards the kitchen, surrounded by a black mist. Suddenly a smiling Starfire appeared in his view. He tried to smile back, but… that hurt, too.
He watched without much focus as she shifted her gaze from him to the kitchen. "Raven, Robin looks discomforted, what should I do to ease his pain?"
Robin didn't hear the reply, he distantly wondered how many questions Starfire had asked Raven in the past fifteen minutes alone. Starfire faced him again and the smile returned to her eyes as she covered him with a blanket. His blanket. The one he was going to reach for because it was his favorite. She knew that.
"ACHOO!" *POP* The couch shifted with Beast Boy's sneeze as he morphed into a rhino. A second later he returned to human form, like every time he sneezed.
"ACHOO!" *POP* A green flamingo. Human.
"A-ACHOO!" *POP* A horse. Human.
"ACHOO!" *POP* A kangaroo. Human.
"ACHOO!" *POP* A mole. Human.
"Raven! Beast Boy is sneezing again! What should I do to help him?"
"ACHOO!" *POP* A bear. Human.
Beast Boy blindly reached for a tissue, hoping to find one before he sneezed again. His hand grasped thin air one minute, a soft tissue the next. He could feel her through it and smiled a little before-
"ACHOO!" *POP* A lamb. Human.
Starfire un-tucked the blanket and grabbed Beast Boy's shoulders, rolling him onto his stomach like Cyborg (don't ask me why that works with some people, but shifting positions can sometimes stop sneezing attacks *shrugs*). "There you go, my friend." She carefully re-wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and gave him a smile.
"Raven, is there anything I can do to assist you?"
Robin saw Starfire nod in his peripheral vision before he felt a thermometer shoved under his tongue. He heard a distinct groan that had to be Cyborg and knew that he was not alone in his suffering. He did not mind the three minutes of thermometer pain anymore. Once every four hours, he knew, this was the fifth time.
After the thermometer was removed his head was lifted by one of Starfire's hands while a mug of herbal tea, with added sugar, was brought to his lips. He felt the liquid sooth his throat every time he swallowed and a light mint aftertaste was left in his mouth. Raven had added cough drops to this batch, or maybe Nyquil? Starfire led his head back onto the couch and wiped his forehead with a damp washcloth. She began to remove it but impulsively changed her mind and left it. Robin felt her leave his side and knew that she was going to check on Cyborg.
Cyborg let out another groan as his thermometer was removed. Starfire looked over to Raven and sighed, "102, Robin's 103. They should be going down, should they not?"
Raven looked up from Beast Boy (102) and gave Starfire a slight smile. "It's ok, their bodies are just fighting the virus, their fevers will break by tomorrow."
…
Deep into the night, after the first hours of morning had passed but long before the sun rose, she sat awake. Watching, waiting, loyal, patient, empathetic. The living room had been blanketed in a calm and silent darkness soon after the setting of the Autumn sun. Warm, comfortable, filled with the soothing aromas of tea and lavender and cinnamon and a worn sense of belonging only the most loved rooms had, a feeling of home.
On the couch sat Raven, awake, a few feet away lay Beast Boy covered from toe to chin in a tan blanket. He had returned to laying on his side after falling asleep, his mouth open to allow oxygen that could never pass through his stuffed nose, hair disheveled, and a face of serenity. Not far from him lay Robin, still on his back but well tucked under an old blue comforter. He slept lightly, breathing shallow but even, eyes shifting in dream, forever watching the ceiling because, though he would never admit it, it hurt to move.
Starfire was not far from his side. She had fallen asleep sitting up and watching with Raven, her head tilted back. Raven lifted her hand and muttered a few words of practiced meditation. A bedspread of deep forest green lifted from the coffee table and wrapped around Starfire's shoulders, hugging her small form. Cyborg was last, at the very end of the long couch. Only the top of his head was visible from under a mound of blankets haphazardly thrown on to cover his massive form. A deep snore resounded from his chest, rumbling and rich. Luckily the blankets smothered the sound, and the other three continued their sleep.
Between sunset and sunrise Raven sat, surrounded by disease and darkness, persistently watching her allies. Fevers broke and chilled dreams followed for two, but one still suffered rising heat and sweat attacks. For him her eyes stayed open, for him she watched.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. But the computer's mine, so get over it.
…
Beast Boy lay on the couch in the living room, a thermometer sticking out of the corner of his mouth and a blanket tucked carefully around him. Cyborg lay at the other end on his stomach. He was snuggled under five blankets since one didn't cover him completely. Next to the shape-shifter and uh… cyborg were boxes of Kleenex, three full and about twenty empty. The huge coffee table was covered with empty mugs previously containing Raven's herbal tea (sugar added for the boys) and approximately 27,385 used tissues. Robin, who had previously been on the couch with his other teammates, was laying on his back on the floor, staring at the ceiling in numb acceptance, and debating whether to reach for a blanket or a tissue.
A minute later he felt himself levitated off of the ground and back onto the soft couch. He continued to stare at the ceiling, because closing his eyes hurt and moving his head hurt and thinking hurt. He vaguely recognized the pile of tissue and empty mugs float over his head towards the kitchen, surrounded by a black mist. Suddenly a smiling Starfire appeared in his view. He tried to smile back, but… that hurt, too.
He watched without much focus as she shifted her gaze from him to the kitchen. "Raven, Robin looks discomforted, what should I do to ease his pain?"
Robin didn't hear the reply, he distantly wondered how many questions Starfire had asked Raven in the past fifteen minutes alone. Starfire faced him again and the smile returned to her eyes as she covered him with a blanket. His blanket. The one he was going to reach for because it was his favorite. She knew that.
"ACHOO!" *POP* The couch shifted with Beast Boy's sneeze as he morphed into a rhino. A second later he returned to human form, like every time he sneezed.
"ACHOO!" *POP* A green flamingo. Human.
"A-ACHOO!" *POP* A horse. Human.
"ACHOO!" *POP* A kangaroo. Human.
"ACHOO!" *POP* A mole. Human.
"Raven! Beast Boy is sneezing again! What should I do to help him?"
"ACHOO!" *POP* A bear. Human.
Beast Boy blindly reached for a tissue, hoping to find one before he sneezed again. His hand grasped thin air one minute, a soft tissue the next. He could feel her through it and smiled a little before-
"ACHOO!" *POP* A lamb. Human.
Starfire un-tucked the blanket and grabbed Beast Boy's shoulders, rolling him onto his stomach like Cyborg (don't ask me why that works with some people, but shifting positions can sometimes stop sneezing attacks *shrugs*). "There you go, my friend." She carefully re-wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and gave him a smile.
"Raven, is there anything I can do to assist you?"
Robin saw Starfire nod in his peripheral vision before he felt a thermometer shoved under his tongue. He heard a distinct groan that had to be Cyborg and knew that he was not alone in his suffering. He did not mind the three minutes of thermometer pain anymore. Once every four hours, he knew, this was the fifth time.
After the thermometer was removed his head was lifted by one of Starfire's hands while a mug of herbal tea, with added sugar, was brought to his lips. He felt the liquid sooth his throat every time he swallowed and a light mint aftertaste was left in his mouth. Raven had added cough drops to this batch, or maybe Nyquil? Starfire led his head back onto the couch and wiped his forehead with a damp washcloth. She began to remove it but impulsively changed her mind and left it. Robin felt her leave his side and knew that she was going to check on Cyborg.
Cyborg let out another groan as his thermometer was removed. Starfire looked over to Raven and sighed, "102, Robin's 103. They should be going down, should they not?"
Raven looked up from Beast Boy (102) and gave Starfire a slight smile. "It's ok, their bodies are just fighting the virus, their fevers will break by tomorrow."
…
Deep into the night, after the first hours of morning had passed but long before the sun rose, she sat awake. Watching, waiting, loyal, patient, empathetic. The living room had been blanketed in a calm and silent darkness soon after the setting of the Autumn sun. Warm, comfortable, filled with the soothing aromas of tea and lavender and cinnamon and a worn sense of belonging only the most loved rooms had, a feeling of home.
On the couch sat Raven, awake, a few feet away lay Beast Boy covered from toe to chin in a tan blanket. He had returned to laying on his side after falling asleep, his mouth open to allow oxygen that could never pass through his stuffed nose, hair disheveled, and a face of serenity. Not far from him lay Robin, still on his back but well tucked under an old blue comforter. He slept lightly, breathing shallow but even, eyes shifting in dream, forever watching the ceiling because, though he would never admit it, it hurt to move.
Starfire was not far from his side. She had fallen asleep sitting up and watching with Raven, her head tilted back. Raven lifted her hand and muttered a few words of practiced meditation. A bedspread of deep forest green lifted from the coffee table and wrapped around Starfire's shoulders, hugging her small form. Cyborg was last, at the very end of the long couch. Only the top of his head was visible from under a mound of blankets haphazardly thrown on to cover his massive form. A deep snore resounded from his chest, rumbling and rich. Luckily the blankets smothered the sound, and the other three continued their sleep.
Between sunset and sunrise Raven sat, surrounded by disease and darkness, persistently watching her allies. Fevers broke and chilled dreams followed for two, but one still suffered rising heat and sweat attacks. For him her eyes stayed open, for him she watched.