Bob Reynolds x Fem!Reader
Bob hadnât gotten out of bed in two days.
The apartment was dim, quiet. Your soft footsteps echoed against the hardwood as you moved through the rooms, arms crossed against the heavy silence. No news reports blared. No glowing golden aura pulsed under the bedroom door. He hadnât even turned on the shower.
The only sign he was still thereâstill breathingâwas the quiet creak of the mattress when you gently opened the door.
He lay curled toward the window. Bare-chested. His hair tangled. Eyes sunken. The soft, broken golden glow in his chest barely flickered beneath his skin.
You didnât say anything at first.
You just sat down beside him and laid your hand on his back.
âI canât move,â he whispered, voice hoarse. âI know I should. But I canât.â
âI know,â you said softly. âYou donât have to move. Iâll help you.â
He didnât answer. But he didnât pull away.
You brushed his hair back. âYou donât have to fly. Or fight. Or save the world today. Just let me take you somewhere quiet. Somewhere soft.â
He blinked. His jaw tensed. âIâll ruin it.â
âIâm not good to be around when Iâm like this.â
You slid your hand down to his. Interlaced your fingers.
âThen Iâll be around you like this.â
It took an hour to coax him up. Another to help him into the shower. You combed his hair with gentle fingers, buttoned up the navy sweater youâd set out for him. It hung loose on his frame. His eyes never quite met yours. But he let you hold his hand the whole way there.
The cat café smelled like cinnamon and coffee and vanilla beans.
Bob froze in the doorway at first. There were four other people seated around small cafĂ© tables, warm drinks in handâand a sleepy gray tabby sprawled across one customerâs lap. Two black kittens wrestled near a scratch post. And one curious orange cat immediately padded over to sniff Bobâs boot.
âLetâs get you something sweet.â
You sat him down near the window, the softest corner of the cafĂ©. Ordered him a honey latte and a slice of banana bread. And when the orange cat climbed up onto his lapâBob didnât move.
Didnât breathe for a second.
Just stared down at the tiny creature now purring against his thigh.
âI think they like you,â you said gently.
He blinked. Lifted one shaking hand. Let the cat press its head into his palm.
âWhy does it feel like this?â he whispered. âLike⊠I can breathe again.â
âBecause itâs not asking you to be anything but here.â
You wrapped your hands around his coffee and guided it to him.
The first sip made him exhale. The cat curled tighter against his body. And you watched Bob Reynoldsâglowing god, weapon of mass destruction, too much and too emptyâstart to soften.
He didnât want to leave.
Not because he was scared anymoreâbut because he was peaceful.
âCan we come back?â he asked quietly.
You smiled. âActuallyâŠâ
You opened your bag. Reached in. And pulled out a small purple carrier.
Inside was a kitten. Pure black. Tiny. Sleepy.
âHer nameâs Nova,â you said softly. âSheâs yours.â
Then his lips trembled. âYouâyou got me aâ?â
âFor the days you canât move,â you said. âSheâll lay with you. Purr with you. Just like I will.â
He looked down at the sleeping kitten. Then at you.
âI donât deserve this,â he whispered.
You reached up. Touched his cheek. âYou deserve softness, Bob.â
His arms wrapped around youâtight, trembling.
And in the safety of your arms, with Nova asleep in his lap and coffee still warm in his hands, Bob Reynolds let himself cry.
Not because he was broken.
But because he wasnât alone.