Kitten

Chapter Three: Self-Care Special

Mox's favorite mornings were the ones where she didn't have work. Where he could wake up ridiculously early and just watch the sun come up over her.

Slowly, carefully, she'd be bathed in golden light. It would scoot up her legs, across her stomach and torso. She always threw the blankets off her side of the bed. Hot sleeper. Mox didn't mind though. More blankets for him to wrap up in while he waited for the sun to gently wake her up.

More often than not she'd be naked, either through Mox's doing or the aforementioned hot sleeping. There was something incredibly soothing about seeing her all laid out and relaxed. It should have put him into a froth. He knew himself. Pretty, naked girl, same bed as him?

But he usually just felt kind of...at peace. Like maybe, just maybe, he might deserve this. Dangerous thinking. He couldn't help it sometimes, though. She'd be smiling or laughing at something and he'd realize that he was staring, or that he had a big stupid grin on his face.

This morning was cloudy. The first nip of fall was in the air and Mox, all bundled up in the blankets as usual, rolled over to see her. He kissed her nose, barely having to fight down the urge to bite anymore. She had changed him so much in such a short time.

She stretched, smiling sleepily up at him. Mox felt his heart pound almost painfully in his chest, reaching out a hand to cup her face. She murmured something, pressing a kiss to his fingertips and then snuggling into her pillow. Jon bit back a moan, knowing that getting aroused over basic human decency was probably not an attractive trait. At least not this early in the morning.

She rolled against his side, flinging an arm and leg over him. Mox chewed on his knuckles, slightly confused. Normally if she didn't have to be up, she wasn't waking up until at least nine.

She tugged at the corner of the blanket, and he obligingly untucked it from underneath him to share. Mox flinched at how cold her legs were, and when he wrapped his arms around her the rest of her was just as cold. That's what they got for sleeping with the window open, he supposed.

"Ya' alrigh' Kitten?" He mumbled, tucking her in closer to him. "Ya' chilly."

"M' okay," Was her soft reply, muffled against his chest. Mox touched her forehead with the back of his hand. She didn't feel any different, but then again he was pretty sure he wasn't a mom and didn't have that...built-in fever sensing power.

"Y' sick Kitten?"

"Mm, no. Jus' cold."

"Starve, righ'? It's...starve a fever?"

"Jon." Her using his real name still gave him pause. "Shh. I don't hav'ta be conscious f' like...hours. Lemme' sleep."

"M' sorry, Kitten. Don't wan' anythin' t' happen." Mox replied softly, petting her hair and kissing the top of her head. "Mox'll keep ya' warm. Don't you worry."

...

She worked very hard. Long hours, always picking up extra time whenever she could. Mox knew he shouldn't have been surprised that she would work until she dropped.

She'd been sluggish and exhausted the night before, going to bed very early. Mox had been prepared for her to call out sick and was horrified to wake up alone, way later than normal.

He scrambled out of bed, giving the apartment a quick search. Shit. She did go in. Mox ran a hand through his hair, muttering a swear under his breath. "Kitten, come the fuck on." He grumbled.

The apartment phone rang and he jumped about a foot. The phone never rang, not in the two months he'd lived there. Mox's heart sank and he cautiously picked it up like it was going to bite him. He fumbled a second with the buttons, finally hitting the right one to answer.