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Teri yawned as he got up from his bed.
Nobody else in the house would, anyway. All his bird boys were known for crashing into their beds the second they'd come home, and sleeping like a brick. He'd grown used to it, in the few weeks he'd spent in this city and by their company, and had even grown to find comfort in it, being able to wander around at night without fearing their awakening.
Even if it meant that whenever somebody needed their aid in the middle of the night, Teri had to be the one to wake up and come to the person's side, every single time. It didn't matter. It was better than the alternative.
He sat up straight on his bottom bunk bed as the bell of their house still rang, careful not to wake Birb, who was asleep on the bunk above him. He swiftly took his phone off the nightstand and checked the time, to find that it was five AM.
Who is awake at five AM..?
Someone was, so the question was useless. He'd find out as soon as he arrived by the door, which he had to hurry to. So, he stood up, shoved his phone in his pocket. He always slept in sweatpants, even if the weather had started becoming ever so slightly too warm for them. At least, he'd transitioned from hoodies to t-shirts, which was an improvement in his books.
He was careful with his steps, as not to be too loud, even if his roommates could sleep through a thunderstorm. Their residence was small, and such it didn't take long before he was at the front door.
He grabbed the keys from a counter nearby and opened it.
So, Hera was awake at five AM. Or, at the very least, if you could consider her state as awake.
She looked terrible, and while under normal circumstances Teri would never say this about any other young woman, it was true. Hera's hair was an absolute mess, not straight and neat as he'd gotten used to, but messy and strands going in directions Teri would have sworn gravity wouldn't have allowed for. Their roots had started growing through her lightly colored purple hair. Her skin was paler than usual, if such thing was possible. Dark and deep eyebags could be found under their blue eyes.
She wore the same as usual, a long trench coat, pouch by her side, under-Tshirt and jeans, though they all looked much more worn out, wrinkled and dirty than usual.
Hera was by far a neat and tidy person, but she still held standards.
Those standards did not usually include immediately falling into Teri's arms and burying their head in his chest.
After being out so long in the world, Teri had learned to move past surprise in less than a second, as life seemed to be full of them. So, instead, he crouched down, bringing them to a lower level, wrapped one hand around their waist while he put the other behind her head.
"Hey." He called out as he started to feel tears on his shirt and hear muffled sniffles. "Are you okay?"
"Noooo.."
Well, Teri could have guessed.
He let out a little sigh, and allowed Hera to stay in this position for a few more minutes. After she seemed to have regained some of their composure back, Teri tried to coax them ever so gently out of their position, up and walk to the kitchen, where they could sit down with any semblance of dignity.
While they were making their journey over, Teri made a scan of her appearance. As he'd mentioned previously, she was pale and looked terrible, but now, her face looked redder, tears falling from her precious eyes, and a stuffed nose.
Swiftly, he passed a hand on their forehead, and was not surprised to see that it was burning hot.
"Do you have a fever?" He found himself asking.
Hera nodded slowly.
Teri sighed deeply.
He wasn't a doctor, far from it. But after the amount of time he'd spent traveling from town to town, odd job to odd job, all under some doctor or a nurse, he could at the very least say he picked up some things.
So he sat them down by their dining table, while he went ahead and looked at their cupboard filled with medicine. He'd give her some kind of pain killer, which certainly would make her complain about the symptoms, as well as a wet cloth that he could press against her forehead in order to cool her.
Nothing fancy. But it would do it's job.
He handed it all to them and watched as she followed the instructions. They then collapsed on the dining table.
"Thank you.." Teri thought they'd said, but he may as well be wrong. The sound was so muffled it could've been an insult for all that he knew, but he also did know the little Hera.
Sweet, little Hera. She lived alone and made-do with what they had. They were so brave, and all Teri wanted was to help.
"You're welcome."
"But—but 'm not, tho." She said, and this time, she'd been more audible, as they'd lifted their head ever so slightly, and rested it above her arm, which she'd sprawled all around the table. "'Cause, 'cause, the other Teri. He doesn't like me. I dunno why. I never did anything wrong."
The words didn't make any sense. They almost sounded like Skye's, but Teri did not want to think of her, nor the fight they had, which ended pretty bloodily on Skye's side. He did not entirely regret it.
But he could not compare the two; Skye was downright insane. Meanwhile, Hera simply had a fever.
So he'd settled on chuckling softly. "Sure, Hera."
She groaned, and went back to burying her head on the kitchen table.
Teri's own eyelids felt ever so slightly heavy, though when he checked the time, it was closer to six then it had been to five, now. Going to sleep now would not guarantee he would wake up in time for his gig, and he needed the experience to help Cat.
Either way, he could not sleep as well as the remainder of his bird boys. And he knew at least Flegde needed to wake up this early...
And, speak of the devil.
Fledge was standing by the kitchen's entrance.
"Hey," Sea said with a smile. Noticing Hera, he then tilted his head, and asked; "Well, then. What's Hera doing here?"
Teri simply gave sea a small, apollogetic smile.
Hera barely looked up and simply waved hello.