This one was for ijustreallylovescarvesokay on tumblr, who requested Heather/Nephenee-breakfast in bed.
Heather wakes up to the scents of bacon and coffee. Lulled into a sense of security, she buries her head in the pillow and revels in the numbness of half-sleep. It's a rare treat for her; being ready to help her ma at a moment's notice has made her a light sleeper, not to mention her paranoia of the shadows that creep through alleyways. The nights she tosses and turns most are the ones where she sees herself in those shadows, but lately those nights are few and far between.
A hand peels back the covers tentatively. Heather's own hand brushes calloused skin as she swats it away. Covering her eyes, she peers up through her fingers at Nephenee and smiles. A cute face is a perfect start to the day.
"Morning, sunshine," Heather says, tucking her knees back and patting the bed. Nephenee sits on the edge, scooting inward only at Heather's beckoning. It's really not big enough, but Heather likes having an excuse to cuddle.
"Mornin'. I've got yer breakfast," Nephenee says.
Heather sits up and looks at the tray of cheese, meat, and tomatoes. Dating a farm girl has its perks, she thinks.
"Thanks, sugar," she says, taking the tray onto her lap. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
"You looked mighty comfortable," Nephenee answers, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and making Heather dream of doing it for her. "An' I thought you deserved a little pamperin'."
Heather beams and picks up the mug. The steam warms her chin. "That's sweet of you."
She's about to dive into breakfast when guilt stops her. More and more recently, she's been spending the night away from home, leaving her worried about ma. Is she well enough to make her own breakfast? Was she comfortable last night? Did the neighbor come around this morning to harass her?
"The breakfast not right?" Nephenee asks.
Startled out of her thoughts, Heather forces a smile and tweaks Nephenee's ear. "It looks great, don't you worry." She picks a slice of tomato up and eats it quickly with her head down, a habit developed from stealing fruits at the market. One slice in, she remembers there's no need. She teasingly asks Nephenee to feed her instead.
Once Heather's licked tomato juice off of both their fingers, a red-faced Nephenee speaks up. "Oh, ah almost forgot. We had extra, so ma took it over to your ma's house."
Heather frowns. "Really?" She almost never lets people into ma's house. Mentally, she goes over their stock so she can make sure it's all there when she gets back.
"Yeah. I told ma she was under the weather, and she got real worried and whipped up some tea."
Heather tries to relax. The woman raised Nephenee, after all, so she'll trust her generosity for now. She returns to teasing Nephenee, marveling at her luck and wondering if a trip to the market to repay her is in order. Then again, she thinks as Nephenee eats a strip of bacon out of her hand, staying in for the day sounds nice, too.