A Truelove of Turtle Doves

Chpt 27 - Stay Here

The only reason I woke up so early was because I had tried to twist around in bed, forgetting that my shoulder was not to be leaned on in any way, shape, or form.

So you can imagine my reaction when, halfway through turning over, I lean on it and am suddenly hit with an incredible pain in my left shoulder.

A slightly muffled yell.

Muffled because one, I was half asleep at the time, and two, my face was pressed into Francis' shoulder.

Meaning, of course, I was yelling into his shoulder.

Which understandably woke him up.

"Mon trésor?" he mumbled groggily.

His arms tightened around me, and I leaned closer to him, pressing my forehead against his collarbone.

"Sorry, amoureux, I didn't mean to wake you," I whispered, "I hurt my shoulder, that's all."

Francis nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck and covered the area in butterfly kisses. I laughed softly, running a hand through his hair. He trailed the kisses up and all over my face - my exposed cheek, my nose, my eyelids, my forehead and my lips.

"How is it?" he asked, his mouth hovering next to mine.

The deep blue of his eyes were clouded with a sleepy haze, but I could still pick out the mild worry he held.

I smiled gently, twirling a piece of his hair through my fingers. Pressing my forehead against his, my eyes closed and I let out a soft breath.

My smile widened ever so slightly when I felt his own breathing stutter at the action.

"S'okay," I muttered quietly.

"Are you sure?"

I hummed in response, shifting closer to him, our legs tangled together.

"If it hurts badly, mon amour, I can check it for you, or we could get Jeanne-"

He had started to move in order to sit up, but I tugged him back down, admittedly with more force than I had intended.

"No, no," I whined, "It's fine, I'm fine, let's just.." I re-positioned myself against him, "Let's just stay like this."

My voice had gotten fainter as I'd spoken. Francis seemed to pause for a moment before chuckling and wrapping his arms around me again.

He kissed the top of my head.

"Okay, mon trésor. We'll stay like this," he murmured.

Warmth radiated between us, a comforting blanket of pleasant heat that made me even more unwilling to move. I sighed contentedly.

I want to stay like this forever.

With his arms around me, the sound of his heart beat and breathing matching mine.

Unlike me, he was still wearing a loose cotton shirt. It made my mind wander and consider what he would look like without it. I was mildly surprised to recall that I had never actually seen him without a shirt, despite the fact he was always eager to make... inappropriate jokes and jabs.

Without thinking, one of my hands made their way to the hem of his shirt, sneaking under it. My fingers ran gently over his chest in varying patterns, from up and down to circles.

His grip on my tightened, which was what I had expected to happen.

I was shocked, however, when he shuddered.

"Mon amour, while I would be more than happy to get frisky with you, I don't think it would do your shoulder any good," he remarked quietly.

I could hear the amusement in his voice.