For the past few weeks I've been sick as a dog, so I wrote this one-shot to apologize for the lack of updates to Healing Earth.

Disclaimer: I don't own Static Shock.

Warning: Foul language.

.:Line Break:.

Katrina Blake rushed over to Angela Gore's house one Saturday afternoon after receiving a phone call from the officer that Francis was ill. Angela told her that she had an errand to run and needed someone to keep an eye on him and his condition. Needless to say, Katrina was out the door before the conversation was even over.

She darted down the sidewalk, part of her wishing she had a bike or some other form of transportation that was faster than running. Despite that, she pressed on without taking a break.

By the time Katrina reached Angela Gore's house, she was completely out of breath. She tried to compose herself as she knocked on the front door.

Angela answered almost immediately, raising an amused brow upon seeing Katrina hunched over, panting. "You didn't waste any time getting over here, did you?"

Katrina straightened up, smiling sheepishly.

The blond woman patted the young girl's head, smiling. "You're good for him."

Katrina blushed as Officer Gore led her inside. She didn't have to ask to know what she meant.

"So, uh, how is he?" The healer glanced at the stairs, knowing that her boyfriend's bedroom was up there. Francis had told her once that he didn't get sick often, but when he did it was usually bad.

"I had a doctor come by this morning. He said that if it was anyone else, he would have been concerned with how high his temperature was. Since Francis' powers cause his average body temperature to be a little hotter than other people, he said that it made sense for his temperature to be as high as it was due to his fever. He said that with some sleep Francis would be fine." Angela sighed and rubbed the back of her neck with her right hand, "Kid scared the living daylights out of me."

Katrina caught a flash of white as the blond moved her hand and instinctively grabbed the woman's wrist. Angela's right hand was wrapped in thick white gauze, going all the way down to her wrist. Concerned blue eyes met Officer Gore's green ones.

"What on earth happened to your hand?"

The blond chuckled drily, "This morning at about six a.m., I woke up to the smoke detector going off. I ran to Francis' room on a hunch. He was thrashing around and his body and bed sheets were smoking. Obviously, I panicked. I had the foresight to grab a towel so I could guide him to the bathtub, but was in too much of a hurry to make sure that it was around him securely so I wouldn't burn myself. It was just an accident and the doctor said that the burn wasn't serious, so it's okay."

"Did you run it under cold water immediately afterwards?"

The older woman wore an expression similar to that of a child who had been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "No." she admitted in a small voice, "I was trying to get Francis situated and reminding myself that I couldn't fill the tub with icy water or he'd go into shock."

Katrina sent her a scolding look.

Angela pouted, slipping her hand out of the girl's grasp. "Oh, enough of that! I already got the same look from both the doctor and Francis."

The healer sighed and reluctantly let the issue go. "So, what are these errands you need to run?"

"Remember how I told you when I found Francis this morning his bed sheets were smoking?" she paused and Katrina nodded, "Well, they're completely charred. I have to go out and buy new ones. Luckily, his pillows and mattress were spared. Anyway, I was hoping that you'd look after him in the meantime."

"Of course I will."

Angela smiled brightly and patted the girl's shoulder with her good hand, "Thanks, I appreciate it. Francis is still upstairs in the bathroom. I don't know if he's still asleep or not, but I'm sure he'll be happy to see you. Oh, and even though his fever dropped from what it was this morning, I wouldn't recommend touching him directly. You know how he is. If he ever hurt you, even if it was an accident, he'd kick himself for weeks." Officer Gore rolled her eyes at the last part.

Sometimes, Francis was just ridiculous.

Katrina smiled and nodded, knowing firsthand how silly her boyfriend could be. She watched as Angela grabbed her car keys, waved at her, and left. The healer waited until the front door had shut before venturing up the stairs.

When she came to Francis' room, she glanced inside, seeing as the door was wide open. The room's only widow was open, its curtains drawn back so the smoke that was there that morning could escape. The bed was stripped bare, its pillows carelessly tossed to the floor. The white mattress showed faint black marks, but was otherwise intact, just as Officer Gore had said.

Katrina frowned at the scene, knowing that, even though the damage was accidental, Francis probably felt guilty about it. Angela Gore treated the bang baby like he was her own son, and Francis had come to care a great deal about the police officer in return.

Years of crimes, hardships, and a bad reputation had caused Francis to be very hard on himself if he did something wrong or made a mistake. Although what happened to the bed, not to mention Angela's hand, was in no way his fault, Katrina knew that that was how the pyro would see it.

Katrina continued walking down the upstairs hall when she came across a grey cord plugged into an outlet just outside the bathroom. Following the cord inside, she saw that it was attached to a fan that was blowing cool air towards the bathtub.

The healer felt a wave of pity for her boyfriend when she finally saw the stated he was in. Francis sat in the tub wearing only his boxers, a small amount of steam rising from the heated bathwater. His usually spiked up crimson and blond streaked hair was damp and clung to his flushed face and neck. His normally alert emerald green eyes were clenched shut, indicating that he was asleep, but not at rest. His mouth hung open, his breathing coming out in heavy pants.

Though the thing that surprised Katrina was the fact that Francis was sweating. Since the bang baby was practically a human thermostat, he didn't need to sweat. All he had to do was adjust his body heat to a comfortable level and he had nothing to worry about.

"I guess being sick doesn't give him a lot of control over his powers." she thought, remembering Officer Gore's words.

Quietly, so as not to disturb Francis, Katrina made her way to the edge of the tub and sat down. She then noticed a bowl of water sitting next to her, ice cubes floating on the surface with a folded up rag draped over the brim.

Taking pity on her boyfriend, the healer dipped the rag in the bowl and proceeded to wipe the sweat from Francis' face, neck, and shoulders.

The redhead groaned softly, unconsciously leaning into the cool and gentle touch. Eyes flickered from beneath his lids and slowly slid open, greeted by the sight of a smiling Katrina wringing out the now warm rag.

"Hey, Frankie." she greeted quietly, using the pet name that only she was allowed to call him. She intentionally kept her voice low, not knowing if he had a headache or not.

Hazy green eyes drifted over his girlfriend's form, brows furrowing. Katrina could see the wheels in his head turning ever so slowly. She wasn't sure if it was his illness, the medicine he was probably on, or the fact that he just woke up that was impeding his thought process.

"Probably all three." she guessed.

"What are you—" he stopped, clearing his throat in a n attempt to make his voice sound less harsh, "What are you doin' here?"

His words were slurred slightly, eyes half lidded as he spoke. It was completely different from how he was normally. Normally his words were clear and his eyes were wide open and alert. It made her sad to see him so vulnerable, but she was also happy that he trusted her enough to not try to hide the fact that he was sick, as she thought he would have.

"I'm going to take care of you." she replied as she leaned on the edge of the tub, her tone playful, "Why, aren't you happy to see me?"

"Aren't you afraid that you'll get sick, too?" He was sure he already knew the answer, but asked anyway.

"Nope. You know how with my powers my body will heal itself automatically when I'm injured? I'm pretty sure it also applies to illnesses too because I haven't been sick once since the Big Bang and I've even taken care of Kathrine multiple times when she wasn't feeling well. And besides, even if that wasn't the case, it wouldn't stop me from taking care of you when you need me."

Yeah, he had thought as much. Same old Katrina.

"Where's Angela?" he asked, the fuzzy details of the morning crawling to the front of his mind.

"She went out shopping. She said that you needed new bed sheets."

He nodded once, falling silent for a few moments. Francis glanced at Katrina, sliver of guilt that she knew would be there flashing in his eyes before he turned away.

"…You see her hand?"

His voice was so quiet that, had she not been sitting right next to him, the healer never would have heard his question.

"It was wrapped in gauze, but the doctor said that the burn wasn't serious."

Francis said nothing, not even showing Katrina any sign that he had even heard her. Even though she couldn't see his face, she knew that he was mentally berating himself. She wished that she could hold his hand to comfort him, but if he was still too hot to touch and she got hurt as a result it would just make Francis feel worse.

"She knows it was an accident, Francis."

"…"

"It wasn't your fault. You had no control over it and she knows that."

"…"

"She's not mad at you, you know. She's just worried about you and wants you to get better."

Francis scoffed. "She's stupid. Should've run her hand under cold water when it happened, not worry about me like an idiot."

Although the words were harsh and rude, the healer knew that he was just angry at himself and concerned for the well being of his caretaker. Francis wasn't good with words or being open with his feelings, something that those close to him, Katrina and Angela included, learned and accepted early on.

"Don't be so hard on her, Francis. When it comes to loved ones, we all tend to push our own needs, feelings, and safety to the back burner. Everyone's done it and, before you say anything, yes, you've done it, too."

Francis, who had turned to face her to protest, shut his mouth with an audible click, a frown pulling at his lips. "When?" he demanded, "When have I ever done anything like that?"

Katrina grinned, amused by her boyfriend's need to always look like the bad boy when, in truth, he was actually very sweet.

"Do you remember that day I passed out in class because I had been sleep deprived from patrolling the city so late at night all week?"

He nodded slowly, not knowing where Katrina was headed with the story.

"Not only did you take me to the nurse and ask that she let me sleep there for the rest of the day, you also went to all of my classes with my backpack over your shoulder, despite how important your reputation is to you, to collect the notes and homework I was missing."

He rolled his eyes, "How does that count?"

The blue eyed girl raised a brow, "Francis… my backpack is purple with hot pink roses on it. My folders and binders are covered in butterflies, flowers, or kittens."

"…"

"Kathrine told me that at least ten people openly laughed at you, five called you gay to your face, and one person walked up to you and made a whip cracking noise."

"…"

"Though I suppose you got them back the next day when several people's lunches inexplicably turned to ash."

This caused Francis to smirk. While he no longer beat people to a pulp, excluding criminals, he did get back at those who disrespected him or the people he cared about. And who said Francis Stone couldn't be discrete?

Katrina couldn't help but smile and shake her head fondly at how pleased her boyfriend looked at that last statement.

"How are you feeling?"

The pyro's smirk fell as he was reminded of the reason why he was sitting in the bathtub in the first place. His throat was sore, his nostrils burned, his head ached, his skin was slick and sticky with sweat, and no matter how long he slept he always woke up feeling exhausted. Francis rested his head on the wall behind him with a sigh. He truly hated being sick, almost as much as he hated hospitals.

"Feel like shit." he croaked, wincing as he spoke.

Katrina grabbed the rag and wet it again, wiping away the sweat that had gathered on Francis' face, neck, and shoulders when they had been speaking. Francis groaned as he had the first time, leaning into the healer's gentle touch. His eyes conveyed his gratitude to her, as he was still too proud and scared to truthfully express his feelings. Katrina, who understood and recognized the look, smiled lovingly at him.

She heard him yawn as she wrung out the rag. Francis struggled to keep his eyes open, not wanting to fall asleep with his girlfriend there. It was a battle he was quickly losing, though. His illness and the medication he had taken earlier were taking their toll on him and Katrina could tell that it wouldn't be long before Francis would fall to sleep's embrace.

Katrina found that watching him try to stay awake was a little funny, though she hid it well. He reminded her of a tired toddler trying desperately to stay up past bed time.

"If you're tired, you should really get some sleep." she chided in a motherly tone, "Rest is the best thing for your body when you're sick."

"Don' wanna." he slurred, "'Sides, I have weird ass dreams when I'm sick."

Katrina had to stop herself from laughing at his petulant tone. "Everyone has strange dreams when they're sick. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the medication. And didn't you tell me that you rarely dream? They can't be that bad."

Francis rolled his head to the side and regarded her quietly for a moment.

"I dreamed that I was growing potatoes on the moon."

Katrina's face went blank as she processed his words. "Potatoes… on the moon?"

"They were green." he stated, matter-of-factly.

"…Green moon potatoes?"

"I had to harvest them before the evil giant space bunny came and ate them."

"…Space… bunny…?"

"He was green, too."

"…"

The room fell silent, the only sound coming from the soft whirling of fan blades. It took Francis a few minutes to figure out that it was too quiet and a few minutes more, in his half asleep state, to wonder why his girlfriend had yet to acknowledge him. Glancing at the healer, he saw that her head was bowed and her small frame was trembling, her arms tightly hugging her stomach. He stared at her for a good five minutes, wondering what was wrong, until he caught a glimpse of her face.

Bright blue eyes were clenched shut as clean white teeth dug into her bottom lip in a valiant attempt to keep herself from bursting into a laughing fit.

It took a moment for it all to register in Francis' brain. When it finally did, the pyro frowned and asked, "Are you seriously laughing at me?"

That did it.

Katrina fell backwards, dissolving into giggles.

The redhead watched her with a sour expression, his frown turning into a scowl as he leaned back against the wall of the tub. He somehow managed to find the energy to cross his arms over his chest in a childish manner when they had previously been limp at his sides. "It wasn't that funny." he muttered, not actually expecting his giggling girlfriend to hear him.

However, the healer had heard him and was kind enough to force herself to stop as she sat up straight again. The goofy grin refused to leave her face, though.

"I'm sorry, Frankie." she told him, her voice apologetic even though her face was not, "The dream was kind of funny, but I was just glad that you weren't having any nightmares or seeing unpleasant memories like you usually do."

Francis wouldn't willingly admit it to anyone, but on the few occasions he actually dreamt, he would have nightmares. Nasty, grisly nightmares. The only people who knew about them were Angela, who found out because they lived under the same roof, and Katrina, who Angela told because the two females seemed to have bonded over how much they care about Francis.

He grunted in response, refusing to acknowledge that she knew about his sleeping problem.

"Really, most of the laughter was because I was relieved."

Actually, it was really half and half, but she wasn't going to tell him that and risk him becoming grumpier.

"I'd much rather you have strange dreams than be afraid to go to sleep due to those nasty nightmares."

"…Don't get scared." he mumbled, eyes dangerously close to closing.

"Mh-hm. Right. How could I forget?"

The redhead shot her a look that was very similar to a pout, proving how low on energy he really was.

"Go to sleep." she told him, "I promise that I'll be right here the whole time."

He would never say it aloud, but the healer's promise made him feel at peace. This time when he closed his eyes, Francis fell into a dreamless, but restful sleep.

.:Line Break:.

A few hours later, Angela Gore returned home with Francis' new sheets in hand. She paused at the stairs, contemplating whether or not she should yell to let the two teenagers know she was home. She soon decided against it and instead went down into her basement to throw the sheets into the washer so they would be clean before nightfall.

Once that was done, Angela made her way to the upstairs bathroom to check on the kids, noting how quiet it was in the house.

What she saw inside made her wish that she had her camera on her.

The two teens were out like lights. Katrina's arms were folded on the tub's edge, her head resting atop them. The couple's heads were turned towards each other, their sleeping faces serene.

Officer Gore backed out of the room with a smile and closed the door a little. As she returned downstairs she said to herself, "It wouldn't hurt to let them sleep a little while longer."

.:Line Break:.

So, I've been sick for a few weeks and thought of this while lying in bed. I posted it as an apology for the lack of updates to Healing Earth. This obviously takes place after the events of that story, but this is pretty early on in their relationship, I think. No spoilers either. I won't be posting any one-shots that mention something that hasn't yet been addressed in the main story, so you guys don't need to worry about that.

As for Francis' dream, I got that from a dream I had while sick. Only the potatoes weren't green and there wasn't an evil space rabbit. Though for some reason, the Fantastic Four were helping me grow the potatoes… Anyway, that's it. I hope you enjoyed this and will tell me what you thought in your reviews.