[oom] take it easy

[from_the_outside]

By the week after Bucky had found Alpine caught in a soaking downpour and brought him home, Sharon can hardly remember a time when she woke up and didn't feel the little white cat curled somewhere nearby.

Today's no different, although it seems like he's decided to set up camp on her chest instead of by their feet as usual. Sharon mumbles, tired, and pushes at the sheets to get the cat to move, in the process realizing two things:

First, she's lying on her side, not her back.

And second, when Alpine's small miaow? comes, it comes from the floor, not the blanket. 

Sharon takes a breath to respond to him and instantly breaks into a series of wet coughs that she does her best to stifle.

Well, crap.

Comments

[from_the_outside]

"Mm." She curls up beneath the blanket and has to admit that yes, she's annoyed. "Sorry."

She knows she's a pain when she's sick. She always has been. "Thank you for taking care of me."

[nerves_of_ice]

“You don’t have to thank me, baby.” He keeps petting her hair, gently. “It’s okay.”

[from_the_outside]

"I don't know how you put up with me sometimes."

And definitely not when she's sick and frustrated and cranky at the world. She sighs and coughs, closing her eyes to focus on the soothing feel of his hand on her damp hair. "I promise I'll try Sam's tea."

[nerves_of_ice]

“If we can find it,” he says. “Or maybe I can get him to overnight us some.”

Bucky smiles down at her. “You’re not hard to put up with,” he promises.

[from_the_outside]

"You're very sweet."

Sharon curls an arm around his leg and cuddles into his lap. "I hope you don't mind me lying on you."

[nerves_of_ice]

“I don’t.” He runs his hand over her hair again. “How are you feeling?”

[from_the_outside]

"Gross."

She sneezes and makes a disgruntled sound. "The steam helped for a little bit, though."

[nerves_of_ice]

“Hm. All stuffed up?” A small smile plays at the corner of his mouth as he tells her, “You’ll be glad to know mustard plasters aren’t a thing these days. I’ve got a better idea.”

[from_the_outside]

"I just dare you to try putting a mustard plaster on me," she says, with a little of her old spirit. Sharon rolls a little to look up at him.

"What idea?"

[nerves_of_ice]

“It’s this great invention. They call it cold medicine,” he drawls. Bucky tucks a pillow under her head and goes to the kitchen, coming back with a couple of pills.

“Apparently they keep the real stuff behind the counter these days and want ID for it, though. I struck a deal with the pharmacist.”

[from_the_outside]

"Oh yeah?"

She takes the pills and sits up, reaching for the glass of water he'd put on the flip-top ottoman. "What kind of deal?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Well, he pointed out no one would believe I was sick if we used my ID, and I had to admit he was right," Bucky says. "But you know, people who don't have a legal ID have a lot of trouble with this kind of thing. Undocumented people, for example. So there's kind of a ... neighborhood agreement. We used one of those, and I told him I'd 'recruit' a few more people to add to the list."

[from_the_outside]

She makes a satisfied sound and swallows the pills, then sets the glass down and curls back up again on the pillow. "Good."

Alpine, seeing the nest made in the curve of her knees, hops down to make a few biscuits on the blanket, turning around until he's made a comfortable spot for himself, then curls into a ball, tucking his nose beneath his tail with a small sigh.

[nerves_of_ice]

"Smart cat," Bucky chuckles, resuming his seat beside Sharon. "Want me to put anything in particular on the TV?"

[from_the_outside]

She shakes her head. "I don't care. Something I can fall asleep to."

Nudging his thigh, she rolls her head to look up at him. "Or you could read to me, maybe."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Anything in particular you want to hear?" He tucks a lock of hair behind her ear.

[from_the_outside]

She shakes her head. "You said you were reading. Whatever that is."

It's not the story she's interested in so much as just hearing him as she's drowsing. "I just like hearing you."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Okay," he says, a little dubiously. "But if you change your mind just tell me. I won't be offended."

Bucky flips the screen on his phone back to a wall of text as he says, "Something Sam said back when we were arguing at the start of the whole Flag Smashers thing reminded me of these books, and when I went to look up if I could get a copy I found out there was a new one I hadn't read."

He grimaces. "Well. Not new, but you know what I mean."

[from_the_outside]

She gives him a slightly suspicious look. "What books?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"This one's called 'the Silmarillion,'" Bucky tells her. "The first one was The Hobbit. I read it back when it was originally published."

[from_the_outside]

"Oh," she says, visibly relieved, then closes her eyes and tugs the blanket up beneath her chin. "No, that's perfect. Go for it."

[nerves_of_ice]

The relief surprises him enough to ask, "What did you think I meant?"

As he says it, he tucks the blanket in a little closer. "Warm enough? Want another blanket?"

[from_the_outside]

"I'm fine."

She shakes her head against the pillow and opens her eyes to look at him. "I don't know, I thought since it was when you were first going after the Flag Smashers, maybe it was related to Karli... And if it was, maybe you weren't sure I'd want to hear it because – "

She shrugs. "My part in the whole thing."

[nerves_of_ice]

"No, baby," he murmurs, curving his hand over her upper arm and letting it rest there. "Nothing like that."

[from_the_outside]

"No," she agrees, smiling slightly.

"Elven mythology is pretty unrelated. But don't be offended if it puts me to sleep; I'm still pretty tired."