eloped.

Day Two *

♡

"You're moving around a lot, Tom, what's going on?"

"Can't sleep," Tom croaks, taking a deep inhale and letting it out into the silent room.

It's been at least an hour since he woke up, startled by something he couldn't quite place, but he knows what this is about. He's used to getting up really early every morning to go to work, and since technically he didn't go to bed late last night, his body did the thing and woke up on its own. And now he can't go back to sleep, no matter how warm you're making the bed.

"Have been awake for a long time now," he adds, turning around to face the middle of the bed again. Slowly because there's a faint trace of pain up his leg. "Stupid body. Used to getting up so early every day."

"Anything I can do to help?" you ask, snuggling up to him.

"Probably not, but the cuddling's nice."

"Well, then you're going to love this."

You slide down the bed and shove and pull until his right arm is under your head, your face is nuzzled into the center of his chest, heartbeat strong against it, and then you pull his other arm and one of his legs over you.

"Missed my koala bear," you mumble, voice cracking with sleep or laziness. Tom can rarely tell the difference when you're in this mood. It's also incredibly early, not a single ray of light outside yet, so he doesn't think it through.

He lets out a laugh and holds you really tight, kissing the top of your head a few times. With another squeeze, he feels you chuckling and trying to shift away from his hold, until he playfully says, "My tree." And when you turn your head so that your cheek presses against his naked skin, he adds, "I'm a koala bear and you're my tree," until you full-on laugh and the sound flutters inside him, from his stomach right up to his brain.

After a while in the same position, the pain in his leg returns, focused on one spot in particular this time. The same leg that was bothering him yesterday. And the day before, and the day before. The same one he almost dislocated by forcing his body into a difficult stunt at work. His ankle ended up paying the price, and this is him reaping the sows of his recklessness.

"I'm sorry, I'm going to have to move my leg."

"Hm?"

"My ankle's kinda," Tom sighs. He hates hearing the worry in your voice. "Making itself known? Not very peacefully, I must say."

"You all right?"

"I think so, yeah. I just... I put a lot of stress on it yesterday, I guess."

"With that walk," you say at the same time as him, humming into his chest. Your breath feels incredibly warm, and Tom wants nothing but to feel it on his face, yet he's content with this position. It's warm, extra close, and he really does enjoy being your personal koala bear.

He pulls the covers over both of your heads as you continue to laugh lightly, and nuzzles his nose against the top of your head. Your smell has a subtle layer of sandalwood and coconut, something from the street market you visited yesterday, too, with that underlying fragrance of you, that deep essence of fondness you always exude when you're around him.

For some reason, Tom can't find a position for his leg that will soothe the slight panging of his ankle, so he keeps moving it about and about until you say, "Is it still your ankle?" Tom mhmm's in agreement. Pressing a kiss to his chest, then another next to his right nipple, you say, "Let me try something."

You break the koala hug and arch your back with your arms extended to grab your pillow, diving further into the covers. Tom then feels your hand down his leg until you reach his ankle, which you lift gently and when you put it back down, it's on top of the pillow. It doesn't do anything just yet, but he does realize this should ease the pain after a little while.