"Poor thing" Rapture cooed as she carefully stroked his forehead.
Minx got up and told the two she would be right back.
She reappeared with a bowl of cool water, a wash cloth. and a thermometer which she handed to Rapture. She set the bowl beside the soup on the table by the bed and dipped the small towel in. She wrung it out and began to caress his forehead.
"I'm going to take your temperature " Rapture instructed. "Ok?"
"Yes, fine" He snapped sounding irritated. His patience for this whole scene was wearing thin. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?
She placed the instrument underneath his tongue as he rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Now you have to leave it place for at least 3 minutes"
Riot didn't say anything but his eyes spoke volumes. They looked at her condescendingly as if to say ' I'm not an idiot'
After about two minutes Riot felt his nose began to twitch. Rapture could see the urgency in his eyes. Recognizing the signs she said "If you need to sneeze try holding it back. You just have 1 minute to go"
He sniffled a few times when that didn't work he gave his nose a violent rub and held his knuckle under the bridge. He felt the tickle worse then ever. He began to inhale in short and quick breaths.It was clear he was losing the battle as he fought off the increasing teasing sensation of the sneeze. He tried to hold out as long as he could but when he could bear it no longer he pulled out the thermometer just in time to sneeze 3 times in succession. He turned to Minx and between drastic breaths gasped "wh- whats wrong with you? H-h-hand me the t-t-tissues for christs-s- -sakes!! She complied as Riot rudely snatched the box from her. "HehCHOO!, IIIiiisssSHHeewww!! ,Choo!SNiiiFFF ,Eptchew!"
"Gah!" Riot growled in frustration. "I don't thing I cad take eddie bore of this" He sniffled miserably. He was about to blow his nose when he paused. He seemed hesitant and almost fearful. By this time his nostrils had turned from pink to a serious scarlet. Rapture could just imagine how sensitive and sore they were. He relented and blew his nose resulting in a very liquid like sound. He winced afterwards.
"That looks painful" She said in sympathy
"Have you ever skinned your knee and had layers of skin come off?" He asked rhetorically
"Imagine touching that raw exposed flesh and having to rub it constantly"
Rapture did and cringed
Riot looked at her coldly. "That's how it feels" He said to her as if it was her fault
Minx and Rapture could both tell that Riot's temperament was going downhill fast.
What else could they expect. On a good day he was ill mannered to most. Unless he wanted something from them. Of course both girls were the exception but who else did he have to take his bad mood out on

Minx picked up the thermometer from Riot's bed where he had discarded it. She took a look and her brow furrowed.
"well?" Riot looked at her through narrowed eyes. " What does it say?" he asked full of contempt.
"103"
"what? That's impossible! Let me see!" He demanded as he grabbed the glass tube from her hand. He glanced at it and realized what she said was true " I don't believe this. You must have done it wrong!" He accused furiously pointing in Rapture's direction.
Rapture sighed and took a deep breath. "look Riot..." She began " It's not wrong. Your sick. it's not your fault..."
"Of course it's not my fault" He interrupted. " It's yours!"
Rapture laughed bitterly " How is this MY fault?" She asked baiting him.
"Your the one with the tarot cards. You probably put some gypsy hex on me" Riot knew he was talking nonsense. He knew what he was saying was absurd. He didn't care. He was mad and he wanted to blame someone. Something. Anything! It was so unfair! Why did he have to get sick. Things like this weren't supposed to happen to HIM. He was after all "Riot!" That in itself was enough explanation.
"I thought you didn't even believe in stuff like that?!" Rapture shot back
"Well it turns out I was wrong!" He shouted.
" Guys!" Minx announced " This is no time to fight"
" He started it" Rapture pouted
"You are both behaving like children" She pulled Rapture aside and whispered harshly
"what are you doing? Riot's ill. Do you want to make him worse"
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."
"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to him!"
Rapture pursed her lips and gave Minx a look but turned around and walked back over to where Riot lay. He really did look pathetic and she immediately began to feel guilty.
"Look " she began and almost had a deja vu. " I'm sorry. I Iost my temper and I,I'm sorry" She finished.
"Forgiven" Riot said simply with a dismissive wave of his hand before coughing into it.
"Is there anything we can get for you?" Minx asked him kindly.
"Yes! Some piece and quiet would be nice!"
Rapture did not need to be told twice.
"If you want anything we will just be in the next room" she said quickly walking out with Minx behind her. she was thankful to be out of there. Riot seemed like a ticking time bomb.
"God hes cranky!"
"How happy are you when your sick? Minx challenged. "You know how people get when they aren't well"
"I'm not nearly as volatile as that"
"Well lets just try to be patient. It's not that serious. Just a bad cold. He should be ok in a few days. Hopefully in time for our show."
"Lets hope so. For all our sakes."
And no sooner had Rapture spoken those very words then she heard her name bellowed from inside the blond singers bedroom.
"Rapture! come here at once!"
She smiled a smile as cheerful as it was fake. "His majesty calls"
She crossed the hall to his room all the while grumbling to herself
"Yes Riot?" She enquired with a sweetness she didn't feel.
" This soup. It's cold"
"I thought you didn't want it"
"Yes, well I changed my mind."
"Fine." she said shortly. " I'll warm it up." she took the soup from the table turned to leave and then thought better of it and before Riot could ask anything else of her she faced him again. " Anything else before I go?"
"No that will be all. You may leave now"
"Yes master." She muttered under her breath.
" What was that?" Riot asked
"Oh nothing." she answered casually.

She returned to the kitchen feeling very much like a yo yo.
"I need to warm up the soup. Its cold"
"Guess he changed his mind. Well at least he has an appetite. That's a good sign"
"How much you wanna bet he wont eat it"
"Why don't I bring it to him before you two kill each other" Minx suggested.
She didn't like the way Riot was acting anymore then Rapture did. But she recognized a potentially bad situation The last thing she wanted was the two at each other throats. That wouldn't do at all!. Anything she could do to prevent that, she would. When the soup had resumed it's previous temperature she took it back to the room. She knocked and when she didn't hear anything she entered to the room to find Riot in the mist of yet another full blown sneezing fit. She watched as he sneezed helplessly. They came about like rapid fire and he barley had enough time to take a breath between each one. He seemed powerless against the torturous experience. After the 10th one it seemed to stop. Riot groaned and looked up to see Minx in the doorway.
"Bless you" she said with so much sympathy it hurt. He rubbed his nose and blinked back the resulting tears. "Thang you" he said and sniffed pitifully.
She hated seeing him like this. she felt so bad for him. She made up her mind that no matter how mean Riot was to her she would be as nice to him as possible.
"I brought you your soup. Do you want to try some now?"
She sat on his bed with the bowl balanced on her knee and was about to start spoon feeding Riot when he looked at her with a concealed rage and said in a tone so icy it sent shivers down her spine.
"I'm not a fking child...Ingrid!" He knew she hated when anyone used her real name and it amused him to see her eyes flash. Minx's temper could rival Riot's any day but when push came to shove, although a rare time it was, she knew when to control it. Now was one of those times. "No problem. Here you go" she handed the soup to Riot and high tailed it out of the room before she could say anything else.

"He's getting to you too? Isn't he?" Rapture smirked when she saw the look on her German friends face
"He's impossible" She said through gritted teeth."but I promised myself I would be nice to him."
"well I didn't" Rapture said.
Minx did not like the sound of that at all.
Having nothing to do until Riot next called on them they plopped in front of the T.V. and decided to watch the latest music videos. They always got a kick out of seeing their stuff broadcasted. They liked to keep up to date on what number they were at on the current countdown. They turned on the T.V to the video stationand began watching a segment called "way back play back" It was tracking the hottest disco from the 70's. The song " Turn the beat around" By Vicki Sue Robinson came on and immediately the two jumped up. " I love this song!" Minx cried and they turned it up and began dancing around the large living room.
The television was turned up so loud that they did not hear Riot shouting from the next room.

Riot sat up in bed his head throbbing worse then ever.
"Turn it down!!" He barked. He waited but nothing happened.
"Didn't you hear me?" He shrieked his voice getting louder. " I said turn down the god dammed T.V!! Are you deaf??" His throat was scorching sore now. This only infuriated him more.
He stormed out of his room and headed into the living room to give the two a decent tongue lashing. He went straight to the T.V and turned it off. And was about to rip into them when he opened his mouth to speak and...nothing came out.
He tried again. His throat closed up and he began coughing. He swallowed again excruciatingly. "Why is the T.V so loud?' he rasped He meant to sound threatonging but it came out bearly above a whisper.
"Riot! Your voice!" Minx was taken aback. "It's gone!"
He was about to reply that 'of course it wasnt gone' but again he opened his mouth and tried but nothing came out. Absolutly nothing.
This was not good. Not. Good. At. All