Carulia Oneshots

all the cuddles are for you

Note- inspired by me spinning around in my dads desk chair thinking about cuddles...

Words- 1,075

......

Carmen shifted restlessly, blankets tangling in her legs in her efforts to secure a comfortable position. But apparently that wasn't going to happen tonight. Her bones ached where old breaks had been...or maybe she was just getting old. It was hard to tell sometimes. She glanced at her sleeping wife on the opposite side of the bed, trying to judge if Julia would wake if she left the bed. Julia just sighed in her sleep, cuddling her pillow. She wouldn't miss her.

Carmen grabbed a cardigan and her glasses from the nightstand and made her way to the office down the hall, smiling slightly as she put them on.

Julia opened the glasses carefully and set them on her face. "Aww, you look so distinguished now." She grinned. "Maybe you should have been the professor out of the two of us."

Carmen squinted at her. "You had glasses before...! And besides, you're the one who has the degree, not me." She channeled her worst Julia impersonation. "Teaching isn't for everyone. Do you know how long it took to get this degree?"

Julia wrinkled her nose. "Really? I compliment your hot glasses and am mocked as a way of thanks?"

Carmen hooked her thumbs through the belt loops of Julia's jeans, pulling her close, smirking. "You think the glasses make me look hot?"

A vivid blush engulfed Julia's features. "I–no! I mean...well yes, I just–" She huffed in frustration. "Fuck you."

Carmen just laughed and kissed her.

Carmen turned on the computer monitor, bathing the room in blue light. She sat down in the desk chair, staring at the screen, determined that if she couldn't sleep, she would work.

But fifteen minutes later Carmen rubbed her eyes tiredly under her glasses, head propped up on the other hand, eyes blearily staring at the numbers on the screen. Old wounds and breaks ached worse in the night chill outside of warm blankets. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to work in the middle of the night. Carmen stretched her arms above her head, taking little relief when joints popped with the movement. Maybe she should return to Julia in bed, to the pocket of warmth under the blankets before Julia noticed she was missing and came looking for her—

"Carmen?"

Carmen turned toward the voice, smiling tiredly as her gaze landed on her wife who was leaning against the doorway of her office. Julia was clutching one of Carmen's many hoodies around her small frame in an effort to ward off the chill of the night. The harsh blue light from Carmen's computer screen illuminated her in the doorway, tinting her skin and accenting the darkness of her eyes and the shadows on her face, making her look as exhausted as Carmen felt.

"Jules," Carmen said after a moment. "Is something wrong?"

Julia moved toward her then, palms coming to rest on Carmen's shoulders. "It's the middle of the night, love. What are you doing out of bed?"

Carmen sighed. "I couldn't sleep," she said truthfully. "Some old injuries were aching."

"So you decided to ward it off by working at..." Julia squinted at the computer screen. "Three in the morning?"

Carmen brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes and smiled sheepishly, or with a look that would be considered sheepish if she hadn't looked so tired. "I...yes?"

Julia sighed, but her face softened as she took a step nearer to Carmen. "Can I...?" She said, gesturing at Carmen's lap.

Carmen took Julia's outstretched hand in her own, pulling Julia toward her in a wordless affirmation as she untangled her legs and straightened them so Julia could sit. The chair dipped on either side of her hips as Julia straddled her, settling on her lap, Julia's warmth spreading through Carmen's body, soothing her.

Julia gently took Carmen's glasses off of her face and set them on the desk behind her, before wrapping her arms around her wife. Carmen sighed quietly as Julia ran her fingernails along Carmen's scalp to the mess of hair loosely tied in a bun at the base of her neck, pulling the hair tie out and doing her best to comb through the tangles with her fingers, massaging her scalp gently in the process. "You need to take better care of yourself," she whispered, voice quiet with her proximity to Carmen's ear and the absolute silence surrounding them.

Carmen chuckled quietly, eyes fluttering closed as she rested her head on the back of the chair, enjoying the blissful feeling of Julia's fingers combing through her hair. "But I thought that was what you were for?"

Julia just chuckled, not bothering to answer to the quip. Her fingers slipped deeper into Carmen's hair, arms tightening around her, laying more of her body over Carmen's. "You're a dork."

"But I'm your dork."

Julia hummed quietly and they settled into a comfortable silence in each other's arms, the quiet sound of the wall clock ticking the only noise in the dark house. Carmen buried her nose in Julia's neck, reveling in her warmth against the chill of the autumn night. She inhaled the floral scent of Julia's shampoo. It made her sleepy. Julia sitting, cuddling with her, fingers in her hair...it was, god, it was a blissful heaven for her tired body. So much so that she almost fell asleep in that position, holding Julia close, that she practically jumped when Julia shifted on her lap.

Julia's nose brushed Carmen's temple, soft lips following soon after, kissing the spot softly. She leaned back slightly so she could look her in the eye, cradled by Carmen's arms. "Will you come back to bed?"

Carmen sighed, looking up at Julia with a slight pout. "Will I get cuddles?"

"All the cuddles are for you, love," she assured Carmen, smiling softly as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind Carmen's ear. She stood and pulled Carmen up with her. Carmen used the momentum and fell into Julia's arms, engulfing her in a hug.

Feathery soft hair brushed her cheek as Julia sank further into her and Carmen sighed quietly. "I love you, Jules."

She could feel Julia smile against her neck. "Let's get back to bed, alright?"

Carmen released her and let Julia pull her out of the office and back down the hallway to their bedroom. The blankets were still warm.

And Julia kept her promise of cuddles.