A/N: I have returned! This was not what I had planned originally for the first one, but *shrugs*

These will NOT be posted in chronological order, but rather as inspiration strikes. I have a whole host of ideas, so stay tuned!

***This is the only one about coronavirus that I plan to write, therefore this is...somewhere in the 'verse but very much at an unspecified time.***

1. Quarantine

"Be right there."

Alex looked up from his laptop as Steve came out of the kitchen. "Work?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately for me, criminals aren't deterred by 'stay at home' orders." He picked up his badge and keys from the table beside the door. "Hopefully this won't take long."

"Do you have to go?" The words had left without Alex meaning them to, and he snapped his mouth shut before anything else stupid could fall out.

Steve paused, hand on the doorknob, before turning slowly to face Alex. "Yeah, I do. I mean, it's my job," he spoke slowly. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Sorry. I shouldn't have said that," Alex rambled.

Sighing, Steve stepped closer and perched on the edge of the coffee table in front of Alex. "Right. Let's try that again."

Alex stared resolutely down at the keyboard in front of him, purposely avoiding looking at Steve. "Really, it's nothing."

Steve glanced up and noticed the reflection of the top of Alex's laptop screen on the window behind him: Hawaii Reports 12 New COVID-19 Cases. Oh. That made sense, actually. He sighed again, reaching forward and gently closing the computer. "You need to not fixate on the news so much, buddy. I know it's kind of scary and everything is kind of uncertain right now, but this isn't helping any, either."

"I can't help it."

Steve moved to the couch and pulled Alex into a side-hug. "I know. But I promise I'm going to do everything I can to stay safe, okay? I have a mask in the truck, and – hey – I wear gloves half the time already anyway, right? I'll be fine."

Alex sighed and, after a moment, said, "You'd better go."

"Alright." Steve stood up. "Stay off the news. Work on school stuff instead."

Alex cracked a smile. "Yeah, nothing says 'distraction' quite like algebraic equations."