Chapter Text
Knock-knock.
“Fuck obb!” The omega lady Steve came to visit bellowed from her den at the back corner of the apartment.
Amused at the little omega’s ire, he knocked again, hoping she’d be in a more forgiving mood after he’d given her his gift.
“I’m ztaying away bor your owd good. What part ub ‘called in zick’ do you azzholez not get?” she grumped, stomping down the hall towards the front door.
“The part where I’m not likely to get sick, I guess,” Steve replied when the door popped open, revealing his favorite stuffy-headed, brunette omega.
“Steeb,” she sighed, leaning on the doorjamb. “I’be hab dreabs dat ztarted jus wike dis,” she sniffled.
“With my ma’s hot toddy?” he checked, lifting the steaming mug in his hand. Facing out, the mug said ‘This is what an omegavist looks like’. On a weekend stop at a farm market in Jersey City, Bucky bought a dozen mugs with sassy sayings on them for Christmas for their apartment. Of the ones they hadn’t broken outright or chipped thus far, the omegavism one was the only mug left without the word ‘fuck’ on it somewhere.
“Ooh…” She sniffed at the mug as he held it out.
Steve snickered when her nose twitched at the scent. “It’s about eighty percent apple bourbon; got a splash of boiling water to warm it up, some lemon and honey to help your sore throat, and a dash of cinnamon to open your sinuses.”
Darcy stared at the mug with dreamy eyes. “Mawwy me.”
“Uh…”
“Not you.” Darcy swatted at her alpha visitor. “D’ obegavist bourbon. You’be paid your dues, dough, Rogerz. You zhall pazz.” She waved him into the apartment, clutching at the mug like a drowning woman grappling for a lifeline when he handed it off, but he saw the longing glance down the hallway toward her den and the nest she’d likely made for herself in bed.
“No need to stand on ceremony with me,” Steve assured her. “Just came by to see how you were doing, check if you needed anything.” His instincts had been humming all day, ever since Natasha stopped by the gym to pick Bucky up for a rare lunch outside the tower and mentioned Pepper worried about her new Senior Labs Manager calling in sick after just a few weeks on the job, that maybe it was more a desperate need for a mental health day away from Tony, rather than a cold.
But Steve could smell the faint scent of the infection in the halls and common room. It’d been going around for a few days at that point. No wonder the single omega caught the bug. Unbonded individuals were always more susceptible to illness—one of the driving forces behind the human desire to form pack bonds young and for life.
Steve and Bucky never got sick, but their other denmates, Natasha and Clint, benefited enormously from their large pack and many mated bonds. An ill omega like Darcy would weaken without their thirst for touch sated frequently during their usual daily routine and scent-swaps with coworkers and friends.
If only Steve had gotten off his ass sooner, started courting the smart-mouthed omega with legs for days and that pretty, gap-toothed smile…
Darcy blew gently, cooling the toddy enough to sip and sigh with pleasure. “Mmm… I waz jus gon’ ztart watchi’g Da Cwown on Netfwix. Come on, Steeb. It’z mot wike you’be neber been in an omega’s den befo’. You help’d For mobe me into diz pwace.”
“I… Darcy, wait,” Steve begged, reaching for her free hand and sliding his fingers up her forearm to rub their wrists together.
“Steeb?” Darcy tipped her chin up, momentarily befuddled.
“Nat reminded me you don’t have a—you live alone.” He winced. Mentioning she was a lone omega might not go over so great. Some adult omegas were sensitive about not having a pack yet. “You’ll get better faster with scent-swaps from friends, right?” he tried, hoping he hadn’t fumbled this whole thing too badly.
Chewing on her bottom lip, she stared down at their wrists, pressed together from Steve’s grip on her forearm.
“I could call Nat to come back,” he offered, eager and willing to do whatever it took to help her recover, “if you’d prefer—”
“What?” Darcy shook herself. “No,” she said in no uncertain terms. She blinked a few times, as if realigning her thoughts, then wrapped her fingers around his forearm in return. “Diz iz goob. We’re goob, wight?”
“Yeah.” Steve had to blink a few times himself as the atavistic part of his hindbrain hummed with the simple pleasure of sharing pack touch to heal an omega and strengthen the herd.
Darcy’s pupils dilated in response to some unintentional stimulus on his part.
“If you’re up to it,” he said as she turned and led him down the hall to her den, “you could come up to our place later. Bucky was making noise about picking up the ingredients while he’s out to make his ma’s matzo ball soup later. And Barton’s planning to make a big batch of garlic bread, which means most of the pack is planning to come home for dinner tonight. He said garlic’s supposed to help ailing omegas, too. If you wanted…” he trailed off, unsure how to extend an invitation to platonically cuddle one’s pack. She wasn’t in any condition to be making decisions about letting an Alpha court her right now, at any rate; Steve’s mind whirled with the proprieties.
“Puppy piwe, dinna I don’ hab to make, and a fasta recobewy?” She rolled her eyes. “Twis’ my arm, Steeb,” she sneered as best one could with a head cold and stuffy nose. She tugged him into her den, shutting the door, and manhandling him into her nest to fluff and fold the covers and pillows until she had everything just how she wanted it before climbing in after him. She turned on Netflix, but only made it as far as the opening credits before he felt the deep, even breathing signaling she’d fallen asleep. He pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped out a quick text without disturbing Darcy’s unconscious kneading of his belly with her fingertips while she dozed.
“Bringing one more for dinner. If she’s awake then.”
Three dots appeared on the screen, but no message came through, so Steve sent another.
“Tell Bucky ma’s hot toddy did the trick.”
Then he settled in to let Darcy have her way, rearranging their limbs in her sleep until she sprawled across his belly and he finally had to wrap an arm around her and roll, tucking her securely underneath him and pressing her flat until she went limp under the caretaking Alpha.
And, finally, she slept.