THE BAD GUYS IN: raising princess

Princess and the Chickenpox

(A request from Tahmir968 )

It was a quiet afternoon when Princess first started to feel a strange itch. At 11 years old, she was usually too busy with school, friends, and various social events to slow down. But something about this particular day felt different.

She was sitting at the kitchen table, carefully picking through a bowl of fruit and trying to organize her thoughts for a class project. Wolf was lying on the couch, flipping through a comic book, while Snake was humming to himself as he prepared a batch of scrambled eggs. The house was calm, a typical morning in the Montclair household, but something was off with Princess.

Princess scratched her arm absentmindedly, only to stop when she felt something strange. The faintest bump. It wasn't painful, just... odd. She looked at her skin, furrowing her brow. The bump was tiny, almost unnoticeable at first. But then, as she glanced down, she noticed a few more spots scattered across her arms.

"Princess, you good?" Snake called from the kitchen, glancing over his shoulder at her.

Princess blinked, shaking her head and trying to focus. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... itchy."

Wolf glanced up from his comic book, his ears twitching in curiosity. "Itchy? What's wrong?"

Princess rubbed at her arms, the bumps growing more noticeable. "I don't know. I think I'm just tired."

Snake raised an eyebrow. "Tired? That's odd. You usually don't get tired unless it's from running around all day."

"I don't know," Princess said, scratching at the itchy spots again. "Maybe I'm just getting sick. I don't feel great."

Mr. Shark, who had been lounging near the front door, overheard their conversation. His sharp eyes narrowed, and he stood up with surprising grace for someone his size. "Let me take a look," he said, his voice deep and calm.

Princess hesitated, but she held out her arm for Mr. Shark to inspect. He studied the red bumps carefully before meeting her eyes. "That looks like chickenpox," he said simply.

Princess blinked in disbelief. "Chickenpox? But I had that when I was little. I thought you couldn't get it again."

"Not always the case," Mr. Shark replied with a shrug. "Some people can get it twice, especially if it wasn't a bad case the first time."

Princess sat back in her chair, feeling a little lightheaded. "This is just great. I've got a ton of things coming up. A class brunch tomorrow, a family dinner this weekend... I can't cancel all of them."

"You need to rest," Mr. Shark said firmly. "You'll be contagious, so you definitely don't want to spread it to anyone else. And you need to take care of yourself."

"Ugh," Princess groaned, sinking into her seat. "This couldn't have come at a worse time."

Piranha, who had been lounging on the couch next to Wolf, perked up at the mention of the class brunch. "The brunch?" he asked, leaning forward. "I'm sure I could go for you. I've got the best table manners."

Princess shot him a skeptical look. "Not happening, Piranha."

Wolf chuckled softly at the exchange, but his attention shifted back to Princess. "Are you sure you're okay? This looks pretty rough."

Princess sighed, feeling the heat from the fever that was starting to rise. "I'm just really itchy. And tired. And now I can't even go to the brunch tomorrow. What am I supposed to do?"

Snake, who had been quiet up until then, stepped in with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. We'll make sure you're comfortable. I've got some stuff for the itching."

Princess didn't feel all that comforted, but she appreciated his attempt. "Okay. I guess I'll just stay in bed and rest. I'll be fine."

As the day wore on, the itching spread. The bumps seemed to multiply across her arms and legs, and her fever began to get worse. Princess spent most of the afternoon in bed, feeling miserable. The house was quiet except for the occasional sounds of Wolf muttering at the TV or Snake humming in the kitchen, trying to get her to drink more water.

Later that afternoon, Ms. Webs, who had been quietly observing from the doorway, came into Princess's room carrying a bowl of ice cream. "You need to keep your strength up," she said with a gentle smile, placing the bowl on the nightstand beside Princess's bed.

"Thanks, Ms. Webs," Princess mumbled, reaching for the bowl gratefully. "I feel so awful. I can't even enjoy the ice cream."

Ms. Webs chuckled softly. "You'll feel better soon. Just try to relax, okay? You don't need to worry about anything right now."

Princess tried to focus on the ice cream, but the itchiness was unbearable. She scratched at the bumps again, but she quickly stopped when Mr. Shark walked in, holding a bottle of lotion.

"Don't scratch," he warned. "You don't want to make it worse."

"I know," Princess said, frustrated. "But it itches so much. It feels like I can't stop."

"I'll put some of this on," Mr. Shark said, gently applying the lotion to her arms. The cool sensation provided some relief, and Princess sighed in relief.

Snake had already made tea, and he brought the steaming cup to Princess's bedside. "Drink this," he suggested. "It'll help you feel better."

"Thanks," she mumbled, wrapping her hands around the cup. The warmth of the tea soothed her, even though she still felt like she was burning up from the fever.

As the evening wore on, Princess felt more and more tired, the exhaustion from the fever weighing heavily on her. She drifted in and out of sleep, comforted by the quiet presence of her friends, who stayed close by.

The next morning, the itching was still there, but the fever had subsided a little. Princess spent the day lounging in bed, her body feeling sluggish but the worst of the chickenpox beginning to pass. Piranha walked in with a stuffed bear, offering it to her with a grin. "I thought you might need some company while you rest," he said, and Princess couldn't help but smile, grateful for his quirky attempt to cheer her up.

Despite the circumstances, Princess felt loved and supported. Her friends were there for her every step of the way, making the days of chickenpox a little less miserable. As she recovered slowly, she realized that she wasn't alone—she had her friends by her side, and with them, even the worst sickness could be endured.

By the time the last of the spots had healed, Princess was already feeling much better. She sat up in her bed one last time, smiling at the group gathered around her.

"Thanks for everything, you guys," she said sincerely. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Wolf smiled at her. "Don't mention it. We're always here, even if you're covered in spots."

Snake nodded. "Exactly. Now get back to feeling good so we can go out and have some fun again."

And with that, the worst of the chickenpox was behind her. Princess was ready to take on whatever came next, knowing she had the best team of friends around to help her through it.