[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.

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[from_the_outside]

She wakes up, groggy, to Alpine jumping up onto her hip and the low sounds of the television telling them about the migration patterns of humpback whales.

"Mm," she grumbles, and pulls a hand out of her blanket nest to push her hair, now dry and wild from her nap on the pillow, out of her face.

[nerves_of_ice]

He covers her hand with his, helping to push her hair back.

"Hi," he murmurs. "How're you feeling?"

[from_the_outside]

She coughs to clear her throat and turns her head into his hand.

"A little better," she says. "I think that medicine is helping."

[nerves_of_ice]

He lays his hand gently against her forehead. "Your fever is better," he murmurs. "How's your throat?"

[from_the_outside]

She swallows and nods. "Better," she reports. "That medicine is drying up my head so less gunk is trickling down. Maybe I'll try the juice again."

[nerves_of_ice]

He nods. "Let me get you a fresh glass. Want apple this time? It might be easier."

[from_the_outside]

"Okay," she says, peaceably, and blinks at the television, where humpback whales swim calmly somewhere off the coast of Hawaii with their calves.

[nerves_of_ice]

He comes back with a glass of apple juice, and also with another cup of tea with honey.

"Here you go, baby." He sets them down in easy reach for her and starts straightening the blanket over her.

[from_the_outside]

Sharon pushes herself up and takes the juice with a grateful sound. It does go down a little more easily, cool and sweet. Her head has that odd sandpapery feeling, her drained sinuses feeling too dry, but she can breathe through her nose and for that she's pleased enough.

"Good," she says, when she's drained about half the glass, then smiles at him fussing with the blanket. "Sorry you're stuck in here taking care of me, baby."

[nerves_of_ice]

"I'm not," he says, firmly. "I'm only sorry you're not feeling well."

[from_the_outside]

"I feel a little better," she points out. "If you need to go do anything."

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky eyes her. “Trying to get rid of me?”

[from_the_outside]

"No," she says, smiling winningly, and considers changing over to the bedroom so she can check her phone for a few minutes before dismissing that thought as unjust.

"I like getting to hang out with you all day, even when I feel gross."

[nerves_of_ice]

“Okay. As long as I’m not smothering you too much.” Even as he says it, he picks up the tea and hands it to her.

[from_the_outside]

"You're not," she promises, though she looks amused as he hands her the mug.

"It's just been a long time since I had anyone to take care of me like this when I'm not feeling well."

[nerves_of_ice]

“Well, you have me now,” Bucky points out, with a slight smile.

[from_the_outside]

"I sure do."

She sips at her tea and smiles back, still a little flushed but far more clear-eyed than before. "And I'm definitely never letting go."

[nerves_of_ice]

“I’m glad,” he murmurs. “And so is Alpine. He owes you one, the little devil.”

[from_the_outside]

"You bet he does," she says, slanting a half-amused, half-exasperated glance at the cat. "I probably caught this after getting soaked when you found him."

[nerves_of_ice]

“I figure that’s the case, yeah.” He also looks at the peacefully snoozing cat. “I’m sure he’s sorry.”

[from_the_outside]

Sharon gives him a deeply skeptical look.

"Yeah," she says, straight-faced. "He looks all broken up about it."

[nerves_of_ice]

“He’s keeping you company too,” Bucky points out.

[from_the_outside]

"I think he's just happy to have someone to lie on all day," she says, amused, but she unwraps one hand from her mug to reach over and stroke the little cat. Alpine chirrups and rolls over in his sleep to expose his belly, then yawns widely and goes back to purring while something in Sharon's own chest turns over and purrs, contented, right along with him.

[nerves_of_ice]

For the first time in a long, long time, as he watches the two of them together, Bucky thinks of getting his camera. He doesn’t, not wanting to spoil the moment, but memorizes the image instead.

“You’re a good cat, aren’t you, buddy,” he murmurs.

[from_the_outside]

"He really, really is."

She strokes over Alpine's fuzzy belly, then curves her palm around him so she can feel the rumble of his purr. "We lucked out."