She looks absolutely knackered. They should probably head to bed. She’d be comfier in bed...
Alex had thought it silently to herself, but visible concern clouded her features as she glanced down where Manon’s head lay, fever-bright and hot to the touch, in her lap. Fingers ran through sweat-damp tangles of hair, and the recipient nuzzled into the touch with every swipe.
The room was dark but for the soft glow of the TV, and despite Manon being sick, was bathed in a comfortable kind of silence. The type you’d still call ‘silence’, but had space for mundane, atmospheric noises. The rumble of the tumble drier going in the kitchen, cars passing by on the road outside, Manon’s laboured breaths in and out, punctuated by miserable, unhealthy-sounding sniffles.
Normally Alex was so ‘go, go go’ as a person, fiercely independent and individual, and found it hard to just slow down and be. Got bored when she was sitting still for too long, both literally and figuratively. With Manon was different though. She made her want to savour the quiet moments, drink in every minute they had together just existing comfortably in each other’s presence like this. Even when one was laid up with a horrid, lingering flu.
It’s so quiet and she’d floated so far down the path of her own thoughts she’s a little taken aback when Manon pipes up from below her, eyes shining with uncharacteristic self-pity.
“I’b so tired that I want to go to bed, but also too tired to physically get up and go there”
She sounded so weak Alex’s chest ached a little in sympathy. Her hand stilled in the other girl’s hair and Alex displaced Manon’s head from its perch with an apologetic kiss on the forehead, before standing up. She stretched out her muscles and watched with increasing concern as Manon tried to sit up. It was like she’d been sapped of all her strength though, her normally graceful movements sluggish and heavy, even just pulling herself upright looked like a bit of an ordeal.
Alex tutted gently and reached out to put a hand on Manon’s shoulder, stopping her from getting up any further.
“Oh, darlin’. C’,mere...“
She secured her arms around Manon’s torso and under her legs, then scooped her up, blanket and all, and carried her to bed. Manon’s arms slipped easily around Alex’s neck, and she felt the other girl heave a tired sigh against her chest. With it, she felt Manon’s body relax against her own, as if her body didn’t have the energy to hold onto any tension.
origamiaround
stormborns
dailybridgerton
areudirty
