I Don't Need New Friends

16. Human Ice Pack

"Hey James? You good down here if I head upstairs for a while and try to kick this headache?" Zoe asked while she was pulling ice packs out of the freezer. Her head was on fire and she needed relief.

"Of course. Are you okay?" He was trying to assess the situation while not hovering. "Can I help you with anything?"

"No thanks. I get migraines all the time and fortunately, I'm not on duty, so I can treat it with the good stuff." She wrapped the ice packs in dish towels. "Meds, ice, darkness, and a nap should fix this enough so that I'm good company again. Sorry for ditching you. Help yourself to anything, feel free to watch whatever, and I'll see you in a bit."

While she was upstairs, Bucky watched some tv and took a closer look at the bookshelves and the art all over the walls. He was still trying to figure her out, looking for clues in anything he could find without snooping. So far, he had gathered that she liked something called British New Wave music, had a thing for marine biology, and was interested in something called Mid-Century Modern. He was trying to distract himself, as he felt awful about causing her migraine. Though he still got them once in a while, they were nothing like how they were before Shuri worked her magic. Perfect time to call Sam...

"Hey Tinman, you calling to ask for her hand already?" Sam joked. "What's up?"

"She's upstairs with a migraine...that started when she hit her head on me." Bucky sighed. "What should I do so I don't make it worse?"

"Hmm...don't hit her in the head again?" Sam chuckled. He was going to enjoy this.

"I'm serious, Sam! You're her best friend, what does she need?" Bucky was trying to be patient, knowing Sam was basking in his discomfort. "Are there, I don't know, certain foods or anything she's gonna want?"

"Mint chip ice cream, if she's not too nauseous to eat it." Sam instantly replied. "No strong smells, easy on the noise, keep the lights off. Make sure she drinks enough water."

"Should I wake her up to take more medicine?" Bucky asked. "Should I check on her?"

"Do you have a death wish?" Sam questioned, laughing. "She's almost as bad as you are in the morning, and that's without a killer headache. Leave her the hell alone unless she needs something. See, this is why you're single, man!"

"What are you talking about?" Bucky was out of patience. "I'm just trying to help and you're being an ass!"

"Whoa, easy Terminator!" Sam teased. "All I'm saying is you've gotta be out of your damn mind to wake a woman up if you don't have to. Didn't you have a sister or something? Use your brain, that's all...but if you do wake her up, get it on film for me so I can laugh at your demise, okay?"

"Thanks for the help, jackass." Bucky huffed.

"Hate you, too, man!" Sam laughed as he hung up.

It was after dark when Bucky made himself a sandwich, not wanting to make noise or cook anything that might smell and bother her. After he finished eating, he was sitting down on the couch, when he heard her come downstairs. Her eyes were half closed, her hair was messy, and she was wearing old scrubs and a big black t-shirt that had the word "Bowie" on it, with a picture of some strangely dressed person. He made a mental note to google this later.

"Did you eat?" She asked, reaching the kitchen to put the ice packs back. "Sorry I was up there so long. This one's a fucking doozy."

"Yeah, I ate already, sorry I didn't wait for you. Can I make you anything? Sam said something about mint chip ice cream?" Bucky asked.

"If I'm up for solid food, maybe later." Zoe looked at Bucky's metal arm. "Is that thing cold?"

"My arm?" Bucky looked confused.

"Yeah, I was wondering, if it wouldn't be too weird to ask, could you maybe put your cold hand on my head for a few minutes?" Zoe immediately backtracked. "Sorry, that's way too fucking weird, forget it..."

"No, if it helps, absolutely." Bucky offered his hand. "Happy to help, in fact."

Zoe took his cold vibranium hand and put it on her head and sighed. "Okay, we are never telling Sam that I am using you as a human ice pack..."

"Nope. This never happened." He grinned. Definitely better than trying to cook her dinner.

"Thank you James, this is fucking perfect." Zoe pulled him over to the couch and sat down. She curled up next to his left side and repositioned his hand on her head. "You are officially hired as the best ice pack ever."

"Glad to be of service." He sighed, trying not to fall for the woman curled up under his arm. Fuck fuck fuck.