"Bambina, You're Home," F/F Marina, Station 19

[Mems]

GUYS. 

I have not written anything other than academic research in... over a decade I'm pretty sure. I used to be a fanfic writing machine when I was younger but then after a few billion academic papers, I have been slam out of writing juice. But it seems like maybe it's baaaack??? This is my first true sneeze-fic ever and I'm posting it un-edited, un-proofread, honestly not even sure how long it is. But it's here, it's for you, and if you likeeee it, maybe there's more where it came from?? A girl just can't help but be inspired by Maya and Carina, you know?? 

Hope you enjoy and if you've got any constructive feedback, esp regarding formatting, please let a girl know!!

_____________________________________________________________

Maya was tired. It had been a long shift, made longer by a fire that refused to burn out, leaving her dragging herself home, exhausted, sore, and smelling of smoke at 10 am, when she was supposed to have been home two hours ago. She pulled her phone from her pocket, checking one more time for a text from Carina. She wasn't expecting her wife home until that evening, but she hadn’t heard from her yet this morning, which was highly unlike Carina, even during shifts involving multiple surgeries and deliveries.

She slipped her phone back into her pocket, seeing no such text, and resolved to give Carina a call if she still hadn’t heard from her after she’d showered and eaten. Maya quickly unlocked the door and let out a sigh of relief as she stepped into the apartment. Her shoulders relaxed as she dropped her bag by the door and took in a deep breath of the smell of the home she and her wife had created. She slipped off her shoes and made her way into the kitchen, looking for food, pausing when she heard a soft sound coming from the living room. Maya followed the sound, finding her wife, still dressed in her pink scrubs and tennis shoes, face down on the couch, snoring gently.

Maya smiled, glad to see her wife was home safe, though it was quickly replaced with a frown as she leaned over to give Carina a soft kiss on her forehead and noticed the congested sound of Carina’s snores; her mouth slightly agape and a sluggish trail of snot slipping down her upper lip. 

 

“Aw, Car,” Maya whispered sadly to herself, stroking back a stray piece of hair from Carina’s forehead, noting unhappily that it was just a touch too warm. 

 

Carina stirred slightly at the touch, and sluggishly opened her tired eyes to look up at Maya. 

 

“Bambina, you’re home,” Carina said happily, despite the exhaustion and congestion evident in her voice. Her breath quickly hitched and she let out a harsh sneeze, “Heeeii- CHGHH,” sending more snot dripping down her face and a spray across the couch cushions she was laying on. She attempts a sniffle, but the wetness beneath her nose doesn’t budge until she reaches up a hand to rub it away, only succeeding at gently smearing it across her upper lip. 

 

“Hi baby,” Maya grins, placing her hand to the back of Carina’s head, leaning in for a kiss on the lips this time, paying no mind to the wet slickness transferring from her wife’s face to her own. 

 

“I missed you,” Carina says with a smile, looking up at her wife as if the sun rose and set over Maya Bishop.

 

“I missed you too, baby. I’m glad you’re home,” Maya says gently, tucking back a lock of Carina’s hair that had broken free from her braid and was now threatening to get stuck in the collection of fluids on her face.

 

“I wasn’t feeling very well,” Carina pouted, furrowing her brows and looking like the cutest, grumpiest puppy Maya had ever seen. 

 

“I can tell,” Maya says back, sitting down next to her wife on the couch as Carina pushes herself up just enough to settle down on Maya’s shoulder. 

 

“I sneezed inside a woman’s vagina today,” Carina says sadly, but not sadly enough to keep Maya from letting out a small snort of laughter. 

 

“You did what??” Maya asks, looking down at her wife, who was now rubbing her itchy runny face against Maya’s sleeve. 

 

“I sneezed inside a woman’s vagina. Just in there, checking for a little bambina head, and then I sneeze. In her vagina,” Carina explains, attempting again to snuffle back her running nose, but having no success, coughing lightly as she lets out a heavy sigh and wraps her now slightly damp hand around her wife’s waist. 

 

“I hope you were wearing a mask,” Maya giggles, affectionately scratching her wife’s scalp while Carina attempts her best glare up at Maya, but failing to look too threatening with her braid coming undone and her sleepy eyes and the sheen of snot still shining under her nose. 

 

“I was. But still. Così imbarazzante” Carina admits as she gives up her glare and settles back down against Maya’s chest. Her breath begins to hitch again, “HEH-chieuw,” she sneezes against Maya’s chest, splattering Maya’s Station 19 tee shirt, her face now fully covered in her own slippery snot. 

 

“Aww babe, I’m sure it wasn’t a big deal,” Maya soothes, untucking her shirt so she can use the hem to begin to wipe up Carina’s face. 

Carina shrugs, not fully believing Maya, but happy enough to let it go now that she was home with her wife and no longer fighting with her cold under the fluorescent lights of the freezing cold hospital.

 

“Have you had a shower, baby?” Maya asks gently, knowing from Carina’s scrubs that the answer was no, but desperate for a shower herself, and hoping to guide Carina towards one as well. Maya had no desire for any more hospital germs to get to her wife than already had. 

 

“I fell asleep as soon as I made it home,” Carina shook her head, her whole face now feeling as if it was stuffed with cement.

 

“All right my love,” Maya says, as she begins to gently shift both herself and her wife into a more upright position. “Let’s go wash the hospital germs off of you and the smoke off of me and then in the bed for cuddles, okay?”

 

Carina sits up slightly, nodding, but her eyes are unfocused, “Heeeeiii-KSHEW!” she lets out, catching this one in a bare hand. 

 

Maya sits up beside her, gently pulling down Carina’s now splattered hand, wiping away the mess that had splattered down Carina’s face and arm on the hem of her shirt again. 

 

“And maybe some clean clothes and tissues too, huh?”

 

Carina nods, leaning back into Maya for one more quick hug before Maya pulls them both up and gently leads Carina towards the shower. 

Edited February 4, 2023 by Mems
formatting and punctuation

[ID2006]

Super sweet. Love caretaking fics

[Littlegaymess]

This is amazing, I love it so much! Not enough sick Carina in this world.

[MIN]

Ooh love it so far!!

[Mems]

Thank you all and mega agree about the lack of sick Carina in this world! I think my own selfish desire for a cuddly sick Carina is what's driving this fic to be completely honest! 

Part 2!!

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Once in the shower and under the warm stream, Maya began to feel rejuvenated, the grime and smoke of the day finally washing away. She dropped a shower steamer onto the floor of the shower and took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh scent. 

Carina was wrapped around Maya, her heavy head resting on Maya’s shoulder as Maya did her best to get her wife clean without disturbing her too much. 

“Car, can you look up at me babe?” Maya requested, struggling to keep them both upright and apply shampoo to Carina’s hair at the same time. 

 

“Sorry, Bambina,” Carina replied, looking up at Maya with a slight smile, lightly biting her bottom lip while trying to breathe through her stuffy nose. 

 

“No sorries,” Maya smiled back, using both hands now to massage shampoo into Carina’s scalp, taking the opportunity to lean forward and place a kiss on her wife’s red and running nose. Taking a good look at Carina’s face, she noticed her usual olive toned skin was looking pale, dark circles under her eyes, redness coloring her cheeks, and a raw, chapped quality already taking on Carina’s nose and lips. 

 

“You’re really not feeling good, huh?” Maya asked, gently shifting their bodies to rinse the shampoo out of Carina’s thick hair.

 

Carina didn’t answer, the combination of the mentholated steam and Maya’s gentle kiss having irritated her sensitive, sick sinuses. “Heeeeeeeh… heh-TCHEW.. Heeeh- hehthcchhn” she sneezed, groaning and swaying a bit, her grip tightening on Maya to hold herself upright.

 

“Okay, it’s okay, I’ve got you,” Maya soothed, gently threading her fingers through Carina’s hair, applying conditioner and taking time to just play with her wife’s hair, soothing both herself and Carina in the process. 

 

“Let’s get you rinsed off and ready to climb into bed, okay?”

 

Carina nodded, sniffling a bit and rubbing her hand under her now pouring nose. Maya quickly got Carina’s hair rinsed and body gently washed with Maya’s own eucalyptus-mint body wash. Maya liked the freshness of the scent after hours of smelling smoke, while Carina usually went for a lavender scent. Today though, Maya was hoping the wash would help ease Carina’s congestion a bit. Carina coughed softly, happy to let her wife take care of her for a bit. She couldn’t ever remember feeling so awful. 

 

“Car, babe?” Maya said, and Carina startled a bit, not realizing how deeply she’d been lost in her own misery. 

 

“Shh, it’s okay, let’s get you out and dry okay?” 

 

Carina nodded, still not having the energy for a verbal answer. Maya pulled a warm towel out of the warmer by the shower, grateful that she’d had the forethought to flip it on before they’d gotten in. 

 

“Car, I’ve got to wash my hair too, okay? I got stuck in a horrific fire today and I’ve got to get the smoke out before any more gets inhaled to your poor sick lungs.” 

 

“Oh, okay,” Carina responded, still not quite with it, but trusting her wife to take care of her. 

 

“You wait right here, okay?” Maya instructed as she wrapped a second warmed towel around Carina’s shoulders as she sat her down on the closed toilet. 

 

Carina, feeling warm and cozy, tipped her head to the side, resting it against the bathroom wall, patiently waiting for her wife to take her to bed. 

 

Maya climbed back into the shower and quickly washed and conditioned her own hair, scrubbing the smoke off her skin with the same eucalyptus-mint wash she’d gently washed Carina with earlier. By the time she was finished and wrapped in a warm towel herself, Carina was almost asleep waiting for her, eyes closed and mouth slightly agape, nose yet again threatening to drip down her lips. 

 

Maya smiled, using the edge of her towel to wipe Carina’s dripping nose, causing Carina’s eyes to open and lock with hers. 

 

“Bedtime?” Carina asked, her voice so laden with congestion Maya could barely understand her. 

 

“Bedtime,” Maya agreed, kneeling down for a kiss on Carina’s chapped lips, then pulling both herself and her wife up, warm, clean, and ready for bed.

 

________________________________

Maya worked quickly, throwing clean sweats on her own body, not taking her eyes off Carina who was sitting patiently on the bed, her teeth beginning to chatter once they’d left the warmth of the bathroom. 

 

“Okay baby, I’ve got you,” Maya said, grabbing warm socks and pajamas for Carina with a speed she likely hadn’t used since the Olympics. 

 

“I am okay, Bambina, do not hurt yourself,” Carina said, chuckling a bit through her shivers. 

 

“I don’t want you to get cold,” Maya defended, sitting next to Carina on the bed and pulling her warmest wool socks over Carina’s freezing feet. 

 

“You are the sweetest Bambina in the whole world,” Carina smiled before breaking into a quickly worsening cough. 

 

Maya frowned a bit at the sound of the cough, pulling a warm sweatshirt over Carina’s head. 

 

“No more frowns,” Carina told her, using her cozy sleeve covered hands to grab Maya’s face and bring her in for a quick kiss. 

 

Maya couldn’t help but smile a bit, leaning in and deepening the kiss, taking a moment to breathe in her wife’s scent and feeling her nervous system slowly decompressing from the day. Carina pulled back just long enough to take in a breath, unable to breathe through her nose, then going back in for more. 

 

Maya, lost in the sweet warmth of the kiss, visibly startled when a few moments into the kiss, her wife pulled back and shot into her neck with a raspy, congested sneeze. “HEeeeh-gheuw,” Carina sneezed, her warm forehead pressing into Maya’s collarbone, suddenly overtaken with a deep cough. 

 

“Aww Car,” Maya said softly, one hand running through Carina’s hair and the other rubbing soothing circles on her wife’s shuddering back. 

 

“I’mb okay,” Carina said, her congested voice muffled against her wife’s warm skin. 

 

Maya pulled back the covers of the bed, Carina shifting to get under the blankets and pulling Maya down next to her. 

 

Carina curled up on top of Maya, her head resting on her wife’s chest, already softly snoring through her congestion, snot gently bubbling with each breath. Maya pulled down her shirt sleeve, wiping away the thick mucus, allowing Carina to take a deep breath in her sleep, though the congested snores quickly came back. Maya settled into the soft mattress, her hand going back to Carina’s slightly damp hair, gently holding her wife’s head to her heart, and slipping into sleep herself. 

 

Edited February 5, 2023 by Mems

[ID2006]

Awww, super sweet

[Littlegaymess]

I seriously love this

23 hours ago, Mems said:

Bedtime?” Carina asked, her voice so laden with congestion Maya could barely understand her. 

 

“Bedtime,” Maya agreed, kneeling down for a kiss on Carina’s chapped lips, then pulling both herself and her wife up, warm, clean, and ready for bed.

My freaking heart, this is so cute!

[Spacesneezeman]

On 2/4/2023 at 2:48 AM, Mems said:

GUYS. 

I have not written anything other than academic research in... over a decade I'm pretty sure. I used to be a fanfic writing machine when I was younger but then after a few billion academic papers, I have been slam out of writing juice. But it seems like maybe it's baaaack??? This is my first true sneeze-fic ever and I'm posting it un-edited, un-proofread, honestly not even sure how long it is. But it's here, it's for you, and if you likeeee it, maybe there's more where it came from?? A girl just can't help but be inspired by Maya and Carina, you know?? 

Hope you enjoy and if you've got any constructive feedback, esp regarding formatting, please let a girl know!!

_____________________________________________________________

Maya was tired. It had been a long shift, made longer by a fire that refused to burn out, leaving her dragging herself home, exhausted, sore, and smelling of smoke at 10 am, when she was supposed to have been home two hours ago. She pulled her phone from her pocket, checking one more time for a text from Carina. She wasn't expecting her wife home until that evening, but she hadn’t heard from her yet this morning, which was highly unlike Carina, even during shifts involving multiple surgeries and deliveries.

She slipped her phone back into her pocket, seeing no such text, and resolved to give Carina a call if she still hadn’t heard from her after she’d showered and eaten. Maya quickly unlocked the door and let out a sigh of relief as she stepped into the apartment. Her shoulders relaxed as she dropped her bag by the door and took in a deep breath of the smell of the home she and her wife had created. She slipped off her shoes and made her way into the kitchen, looking for food, pausing when she heard a soft sound coming from the living room. Maya followed the sound, finding her wife, still dressed in her pink scrubs and tennis shoes, face down on the couch, snoring gently.

Maya smiled, glad to see her wife was home safe, though it was quickly replaced with a frown as she leaned over to give Carina a soft kiss on her forehead and noticed the congested sound of Carina’s snores; her mouth slightly agape and a sluggish trail of snot slipping down her upper lip. 

 

“Aw, Car,” Maya whispered sadly to herself, stroking back a stray piece of hair from Carina’s forehead, noting unhappily that it was just a touch too warm. 

 

Carina stirred slightly at the touch, and sluggishly opened her tired eyes to look up at Maya. 

 

“Bambina, you’re home,” Carina said happily, despite the exhaustion and congestion evident in her voice. Her breath quickly hitched and she let out a harsh sneeze, “Heeeii- CHGHH,” sending more snot dripping down her face and a spray across the couch cushions she was laying on. She attempts a sniffle, but the wetness beneath her nose doesn’t budge until she reaches up a hand to rub it away, only succeeding at gently smearing it across her upper lip. 

 

“Hi baby,” Maya grins, placing her hand to the back of Carina’s head, leaning in for a kiss on the lips this time, paying no mind to the wet slickness transferring from her wife’s face to her own. 

 

“I missed you,” Carina says with a smile, looking up at her wife as if the sun rose and set over Maya Bishop.

 

“I missed you too, baby. I’m glad you’re home,” Maya says gently, tucking back a lock of Carina’s hair that had broken free from her braid and was now threatening to get stuck in the collection of fluids on her face.

 

“I wasn’t feeling very well,” Carina pouted, furrowing her brows and looking like the cutest, grumpiest puppy Maya had ever seen. 

 

“I can tell,” Maya says back, sitting down next to her wife on the couch as Carina pushes herself up just enough to settle down on Maya’s shoulder. 

 

“I sneezed inside a woman’s vagina today,” Carina says sadly, but not sadly enough to keep Maya from letting out a small snort of laughter. 

 

“You did what??” Maya asks, looking down at her wife, who was now rubbing her itchy runny face against Maya’s sleeve. 

 

“I sneezed inside a woman’s vagina. Just in there, checking for a little bambina head, and then I sneeze. In her vagina,” Carina explains, attempting again to snuffle back her running nose, but having no success, coughing lightly as she lets out a heavy sigh and wraps her now slightly damp hand around her wife’s waist. 

 

“I hope you were wearing a mask,” Maya giggles, affectionately scratching her wife’s scalp while Carina attempts her best glare up at Maya, but failing to look too threatening with her braid coming undone and her sleepy eyes and the sheen of snot still shining under her nose. 

 

“I was. But still. Così imbarazzante” Carina admits as she gives up her glare and settles back down against Maya’s chest. Her breath begins to hitch again, “HEH-chieuw,” she sneezes against Maya’s chest, splattering Maya’s Station 19 tee shirt, her face now fully covered in her own slippery snot. 

 

“Aww babe, I’m sure it wasn’t a big deal,” Maya soothes, untucking her shirt so she can use the hem to begin to wipe up Carina’s face. 

Carina shrugs, not fully believing Maya, but happy enough to let it go now that she was home with her wife and no longer fighting with her cold under the fluorescent lights of the freezing cold hospital.

 

“Have you had a shower, baby?” Maya asks gently, knowing from Carina’s scrubs that the answer was no, but desperate for a shower herself, and hoping to guide Carina towards one as well. Maya had no desire for any more hospital germs to get to her wife than already had. 

 

“I fell asleep as soon as I made it home,” Carina shook her head, her whole face now feeling as if it was stuffed with cement.

 

“All right my love,” Maya says, as she begins to gently shift both herself and her wife into a more upright position. “Let’s go wash the hospital germs off of you and the smoke off of me and then in the bed for cuddles, okay?”

 

Carina sits up slightly, nodding, but her eyes are unfocused, “Heeeeiii-KSHEW!” she lets out, catching this one in a bare hand. 

 

Maya sits up beside her, gently pulling down Carina’s now splattered hand, wiping away the mess that had splattered down Carina’s face and arm on the hem of her shirt again. 

 

“And maybe some clean clothes and tissues too, huh?”

 

Carina nods, leaning back into Maya for one more quick hug before Maya pulls them both up and gently leads Carina towards the shower. 

Awesome!

[AutumnSneezes]

Oh my god, this is caretaking central and I am SO here for it! The tenderness and care and love is just beautiful, and the adoration these two have for each other is making my gay heart sooo happy right now! Such a precious story, thanks so much for writing and sharing!

[Mems]

Thank you for all the replies! I wasn't sure if I was going to add more to this story, but your comments encouraged me to keep going and this nice long chapter came out! I thought about breaking it down into a couple of chapters, but it wanted to stay together, so I let it. I think this is the end of this one, but I just might have some more Marina up my sleeve soon!

Hope you enjoy!

___________________________________________________________________

 

Maya woke up a few hours later, Carina still heavily draped on top of her, coughing lightly in her sleep. She groaned slightly as her stomach rumbled, remembering it had been at least 12 hours since her last meal. 

Carina coughed in her sleep again and Maya rubbed her back, looking down at her wife’s face. Carina was sleeping deeply, but clearly not comfortably, her nose stuffy and runny at the same time. Maya leaned down to kiss the top of Carina’s head, sighing softly as she took in her wife’s sick appearance. 

Maya slowly slid out from under Carina, knowing she desperately needed food and her wife desperately needed a tissue. Carina shifted in her sleep, but Maya was grateful when she settled back down into her pillow to sleep. She didn’t want to wake up her sick wife until she had to. 

Maya padded into the kitchen to throw a frozen dinner in the microwave, not ideal but would do under the circumstances, then began going through their cabinets for supplies for Carina. It took some digging, but she was able to find a box of tissues in the guest bathroom, Maya grateful to have something decent to keep Carina from literally drowning in her own snot. She snuck back into the bedroom, dropping off the tissue box into bed next to Carina. She slid open the drawer to her bedside table open, finding the collection of essential oils Carina kept there to soothe them both after long days at work. Maya found a Breathe Easy blend and added a few drops into the device and got it running at high speed, hoping to help open up Carina’s airways. She pulled the weighted blanket out from the basket in the corner and gently covered Carina with it, noticing her wife starting to shift around under the sheets. 

Content that she had done all she could for her wife for the time being, Maya went back into the kitchen to grab her lunch? Dinner? She wasn’t really sure what to call it at this time of day. She unplugged her phone from where it was charging in the kitchen and sat down on the couch with her food and phone, checking messages and emails as she ate. 

Just as she was finishing her food, Maya heard Carina begin to stir in the bedroom, shifting and sneezing and groaning. She quickly dropped her bowl and fork off in the kitchen sink and almost ran down the hallway to Carina. 

“Bambina?” Carina asked, pushing herself us slightly on her elbow, looking up to Maya as she came into the room. Maya’s heart broke upon the sight of Carina’s face. Her poor nose had continued to stream in her sleep, turning red from the irritation, and her eyes were slightly swollen from congestion and exhaustion. 

“Hi sweetie,” Maya forced herself to smile, walking across the room and sitting down on the bed next to her wife, her hand immediately going to Carina’s hair in an attempt to soothe her. Carina groaned in response, shifting closer to Maya and rubbing her sore nose against Maya’s sweat pants, leaving a smear of wetness behind. 

“How are you feeling?” Maya asked, fingers gently scratching Carina’s scalp.

“Not good,” Carina answered, sucking in a quick breath and sneezing congestedly, face still pressed against Maya’s leg, “HNG-SHEW!”

Maya quickly reached over and grabbed the box of tissues she’d found, pulling out a few. Carina slowly sat up, rubbing the back of her hand against her wet face. 

“Come here, babe,” Maya said gently, pulling Carina’s hand down from her face and carefully wiping her face clean with the tissues. “Eeeiih… EIH-KCHEW,” Carina sneezed into her wife’s palm, Maya gently pinching her nose in the tissues before grabbing a few more to finish wiping up Carina’s still pouring nose. 

“Sorry,” Carina murmured, rubbing her swollen eyes, letting out a soft cough as she did so.”

“That’s okay baby,” Maya said gently, resting her hand against Carina’s cheek and leaning in to place a light kiss on her wife’s parted lips. Carina smiled into the kiss before pulling back slightly to take in a breath and let out another cough. 

“What do you need, my love?” Maya asks, pulling her hand down from Carina’s face and smiling sweetly at her poor wife.

“Hmm, cuddles?” Carina said cheekily, a smirk playing across her face.’

“How about some food first, huh, babe? And maybe some medicine and tea?”

“Hmm… no,” Carina teased, climbing into her wife’s lap, “just cuddles.” 

Maya couldn’t help but smile, wrapping her arms around Carina and rocking them a bit back and forth. Carina snuggled deeper into Maya, her head tucked into Maya’s neck and chest, making a little happy noise as she nuzzled into Maya like a puppy.

Maya took a moment to just hold her wife, rubbing her back and resting her cheek against the top of Carina’s head. She felt Carina’s breath swell just seconds before another sneeze worked its way out of her sinuses, “HeeethCHiew,” Carina sneezed, breathless against Maya’s chest. 

Maya knew Carina needed a tissue, feeling the wetness against her own chest, but hesitant to pull Carina out of the cuddle she clearly wanted and needed. Carina snuffled again though, barely able to get any air in before releasing another wet sneeze against her wife’s chest, “HETX-chew!” 

Maya could no longer ignore the collection of fluids pooling between her chest and her wife’s nose, feeling Carina’s constant sniffles as she tried to get in a breath. She pulled a few more tissues out of the box and gently pulled back from Carina’s arms, earning herself a sad, wet pout from her wife.

“Come here, baby,” Maya soothed, pinching and wiping the wetness away from Carina’s nose and lips once again. 

Carina’s stomach loudly growled as Maya finished wiping her nose, earning a chuckle from her wife and an embarrassed smile danced across her own face as well. 

“Hungry?” Maya laughed, happy to see even the littlest smile on her wife’s face. 

“Mmm, I guess so,” Carina shrugged, “I don’t feel like I want to eat, but my body seems to disagree.”

“What can I make you? Do you think you could eat some oatmeal or scrambled eggs?” Maya offered, trying to think of something easy to eat to make for her wife. 

“Hmm, no… pizza please,” Carina requested. 

Maya’s head fell back as she laughed, “Okay babe, pizza it is. Where do you want me to order from?” she asked, pulling her phone out of her pocket to place an order.

“No, real pizza, Italiana pizza,” Carina clarified, sniffling deeply and rubbing her arm against her once again running nose. 

“Umm, okay…” Maya started, handing Carina a fresh tissue. 

“Come, come,” Carina said, wiping her nose on the tissue then grabbing Maya’s hand, leading her out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. 

Maya smiled, following her wife to the fridge where Carina stopped, taking in a deep breath and sneezing harshly into the air, “HEGTCHEW!”

Maya reached up and wiped the dripping snot from Carina’s upper lip on the sleeve of her shirt, the tissue box being forgotten in the bedroom. 

“There is pizza dough in the bottom drawer,” Carina instructed, her breath beginning to hitch again as she built up for another sneeze, “HETCH-CHEEW!” she sneezed, this time into her bare arm, only serving to smear the wetness across her face and down her arm. 

“Okay babe, you go to the bedroom and get some tissues, I will make you pizza,” Maya said, bending down to pull the dough out of the drawer. 

Carina shuffled down the hallway and back, coming back with the tissue box and settling down at the counter to watch (and instruct) Maya cooking.

“What are you doing?” Carina asked suspiciously, as Maya filled up the kettle and set it boil.

“Don’t worry, I’m not boiling your pizza,” Maya chuckled a bit, “I’m making you tea. Tea and then pizza.” 

Carina accepted this answer, pulling out a couple more tissues and blowing her congested nose deeply as Maya finished getting out the mugs and tea bags before pulling the dough out of the bag and pressing it against the pizza stone.

“No no, Bambina, stop, not like that,” Carina instructed, running her hand under her nose one more time before coming over and gently shoving Maya aside to show her how to properly stretch the dough. Maya rolled her eyes, going to the fridge to pull out a jar of Carina’s homemade sauce and fresh mozzarella while her wife worked. 

The kettle began to whistle, and Maya slid in next to Carina next to the stove to fill up the tea cups and squeeze in some extra honey. Carina’s head quickly dropped to Maya’s shoulder, coughing and clearly tired, but not stopping her work on the pizza dough. 

“Okay baby, that’s good, come sit,” Maya said, taking Carina’s hands, trying not to beg, but knowing Carina really didn’t need to be kneading dough in a warm kitchen at the moment. 

“But, my pizza,” Carina started to argue, before her cough came back, the fit ending in another wet sneeze, spraying the space between herself and Maya, another dribble of thick, greenish snot slipping out of one nostril. 

“I will make your pizza, I can handle the sauce and cheese part, please come sit,” Maya said, leading Carina back to the chair and passing her a clean tissue from the box. Carina grumbled a bit, but allowed Maya to sit her down and grouchily wiped her nose. 

Maya brought Carina her tea, the warm peppermint and licorice immediately soothing her sore throat and loosening the cement-like congestion lodged in her head. 

“Mmm, Bambina, that’s soooo good,” Carina sighed, taking another sip as her nose began to trickle down her nose and into her cup. 

Maya, pleased with her one small success in helping her wife feel better, began her work finishing the pizza, Carina continuing to sip her tea and instruct Maya on her pizza making. 

By the time the pizza was in the oven, Carina’s tea was gone and she was half asleep at the kitchen counter, her chin resting in her palm and her eyes halfway closed. 

Maya left her to rest, cleaning the kitchen and going through the medicine cabinet, searching for some meds to alleviate her wife’s symptoms. She pulled out a box of Nyquil, some organic eucalyptus rub, and a thermometer before closing the cabinet and turning back to her wife, who was now fully asleep at the table, her head resting on her arms, gently snoring. 

“Car, babe, let’s go to the couch, okay?” Maya walked over, rubbing her hand against Carina’s back. 

“Mmm” Carina murmured, her eyes not opening but her arms reaching up to her wife. 

Maya smiled, wrapping her arms around Carina’s waist as Carina clung to her neck, her stuffy breaths warm against Maya’s throat. Maya easily lifted her wife and Carina wrapped her legs around Maya’s waist, submissively letting Maya carry her to the couch. 

“You stay here, just a minute, okay?” Maya requested, tucking some pillows under Carina’s head and pulling the blanket off the back of the couch and over Carina’s slumped body. 

Carina responded by curling up further into the pillows, her nose running thickly again. 

Maya once again gently wiped her wife’s nose with her cuff then went quickly to the kitchen to retrieve the tissue box and the supplies she’d dug out of the medicine cabinet, along with a bottle of juice. 

Just as she was about to head back to the living room, the oven dinged, so Maya pulled the pizza out of the oven to cool a bit while she attempted to medicate her wife. 

Carina was curled up on the couch coughing harshly, Maya’s heart breaking at the rough sound.

Maya sat down next to her, rubbing her back and opening the bottle of juice, encouraging her wife to take a sip. Carina got control of her cough and took a few sips of juice, Maya taking the opportunity to place the thermometer against Carina’s temple. 

“100.2,” Maya murmured, not happy with the reading but grateful it wasn’t higher. She popped two pills out of the Nyquil pack and placed them in Carina’s hands.

“Take these for me, baby,” Maya said softly, stroking Carina’s hair as she continued to sip her juice. “Then I will bring you pizza and we will cuddle, okay?”

Carina nodded, taking the pills without complaint while Maya went back to the kitchen to slice the pizza. It didn’t look quite the same as when Carina made it herself, but Maya was hoping she’d be too woozy to notice. She plated up a piece and brought it out to the catch, laughing as Carina grinned and made grabby hands towards the plate.

“Pizza, pizza,” she said with a little happy dance, taking the plate and snuggling into Maya’s side, who had just sat down next to her. 

Maya grabbed the remote and found a rom-com playing on TV, not her first choice, but tolerable for a sick day. 

Carina was happily consuming her pizza by Maya’s side, licking her fingers and munching the crust. 

“Is that good baby?” Maya asked with a laugh.

“Si,” Carina answered, “Not quite as good as Italiana and I cannot taste much but still very good.” 

Maya, happy to see that Carina had eaten the whole piece, took the plate from her wife’s lap and placed it on the coffee table. Carina pulled the blanket up over her shoulders, shivering a little, and curled up against Maya’s side. Maya leaned back into the cushions and wrapped her arms around her warm wife, feeling like she could finally relax now that Carina had been fed and medicated. She took a small scoop of the menthol rub she’d brought from the kitchen, and slid her hands down Carina’s warm back to rub the cream into her skin. Carina took in a deep breath, the essential oils in the rub loosening her congestion. She let out one more sneeze against her wife’s cozy sweatshirt, then drifted into a deep sleep, leaving Maya to hold her, and wipe her nose, and watch truly terrible TV while she slept. 

 

[ID2006]

I cam never have enough caretaking 

[AutumnSneezes]

Ahhhhh! I'm so happy the comments inspired you to write more, this is GORGEOUS! So loving and tender and sweet 🥺🥺🥺 I agree with ID2006, I can never get enough caretaking. What a chapter! Thanks soooo much for writing

[arambolia]

This is amazing 

[dan]

On 2/4/2023 at 10:42 PM, Littlegaymess said:

This is amazing, I love it so much! Not enough sick Carina in this world.

oh i AGREE, i need a good 500 more of carina sneezefics :')