Fall Into Me

.V.

Minerva woke with the worst headache she'd had in years. Groaning softly, she struggled to get up, unsure why she felt pinned down. As she slowly came to, she realised it was only half of her body that felt heavy.

The left half, to be precise. Thinking only made her head throb and she winced, raising her right hand to rub at her forehead. There were a few reasons as to why she'd woken with such a headache.

Usually before she went to sleep, Minerva would open at least one of the windows in her room. No matter the weather, one window was always open throughout the night. It didn't have to be wide open, as long as a gentle breeze could filter in. At home she had a set routine, but here she did not and must have forgotten to open a window before going to bed.

Another reason was water. Minerva would often wake for water during the night, and had done ever since she was little. From what she remembered, she'd had a solid nights sleep, which was rare. She woke frequently during the night, but never struggled to get back to sleep, so didn't think to mention it to any doctor. She was so used to it now that it didn't bother her.

Last night she hadn't woken once and was almost certain she was in the same position she'd gone to sleep in.

Gentle movement to her left sent a mild spurt of adrenaline through her. Oddly, the movement made her move, and she became increasingly aware of another body touching hers.

Thankfully her brain kicked in before her limbs did, halting her desire to leap out of the bed and demand a reason for someone being in her bed.

Mona.

Adjusting herself slightly and moving her hand from her forehead, Minerva turned her head to look. Apparently, she'd also neglected to shut the curtains, and a stream of bright sunshine assaulted the room.

Once she was accustomed to the light, Minerva could see that Mona was nothing more than a lump beneath the duvet. A warm lump that was glued to her side. Lifting the duvet a fraction, she peered under to find that Mona had attached herself to Minerva's left leg. One of Mona's legs was thrown over it, curling down under her calve, and her body was pressed tightly into Minerva's, head snuggled into her arm, which she was also wrapped around.

Minerva wasn't complaining. Naturally she was very affectionate and cuddling with her partner was one of her favourite things to do. Neither Avery or Elodie had been as affectionate as she was, but it appeared Mona might be.

Even if she denied it and claimed she hated affection of any kind, Minerva could see Mona was touch starved enough to cuddle up to her in her sleep. As much as she would've liked to stay there, warm and snuggled, a sharp spike of pain hit her skull, quickly developing into something borderline unbearable.

Hissing through her teeth, Minerva forced her way out of Mona's clutches, her small whine piercing Minerva's aching head. Stumbling through to the bathroom, she hunted in the cabinet for some pain killers, finding none. In her search, she'd knocked a few things to the floor, making an awful racket. Clamping her hands to her head, she tried to breathe through the nausea that came with the pain.

"Minerva?" Mona was calling for her, and she could only make a pathetic noise in response, leaning heavily against the wall beside the shower. "What's wrong?"

Mona was being too loud, but Minerva couldn't communicate that, struggling to speak.

"I'll be right back, don't move, okay?"

Minerva couldn't even if she wanted to.

Mona fled the room, hoping she still remembered how to get to her sister's bedroom. As long as they hadn't changed rooms. Mona knew that Esmé had called upon Magdalena, one of their sisters, to redesign the master suite once her husband had died.