AN: Not a spoiler, since this scene was in volume 1 of the manga, but omitted from the anime; Shuurei, for modesty's sake, sneaks off to sleep in the far corner of her room. Ryuuki wakes alone in the dark and has a complete panic attack. Shuurei wakes to the sound of him screaming and, thinking somebody attacked him, races to help. Unwittingly he grabs her, locking her in a crushing embrace. Quite literally, she says "It hurts like I'm gonna die." She finally wakes him up, he tells her the reason behind his phobia, and she cries for him.
In The Morning
In the morning, Shuurei was sore. Her eyes were swollen from tears, her middle was bruised from being held too tight, her lungs ached in memory of being crushed against her ribs. She would never have thought that the son of a palace could posses such strength… but then, there was a lot that she wouldn't have thought. Nonetheless, here he was, dozing beside her, cradling her in his arms. His hold was tender, not fierce and crushing like the night before, nor winding and inescapable like almost every night for days before that. For the first time, she knew that she didn't have to pry his arms from around her waist; the slightest recoil, and he would grant her freedom. But it wouldn't be absolute—his arms would still be opened, still reaching for her even if she left him behind.
But she didn't leave. She was too sore, she told herself; he had been too excited the night before. Something like that, anyway. So there she remained, encircled by his arms while she cuddled closer. She told herself unnecessary excuses while she secretly enjoyed his warmth, his handsome features, the gentle rhythm of his breath, the soft way his lips brushed her forehead as he moved in sleep.
I could be happy like this, she admitted to herself. And maybe, soreness aside, she was too perfectly comfortable, because a moment later she had been reclaimed by a gentle slumber.
In the morning, Ryuuki was happy.