Just about every part of her ached. Yesterday had been rough—even if it'd ended on a…more positive note. Anyway, between the two of them, she'd have expected him to be awake first. Clearly, he'd lied about how much the battles in the afternoon had taken out of him, and remained much more exhausted than her.
She frowned thoughtfully down at him, hair strewn across his face—obscuring the curse-mark as if obeying a sleeping command of his—and the bed around him. Asleep, when they weren't fighting or dancing to someone's tune, he looked…more like Hinata described him: peaceful, gentle…and so much more fragile than he let on. When he was in motion, taking on what a small army could on his own, protecting another small army alongside himself, snapping orders and witty comebacks…he seemed as physically invincible as he was verbally undefeatable.
Of course, she knew he could be conquered verbally, she'd seen his veneer crack, caught him off-guard and heard his voice crack when he stuttered. Sitting here watching him sleep, studying the curves she'd gotten so familiar with the night before…she could see all of his physical fragility as well.
She would never tell him—wouldn't bother even if she wanted to—but a part of her feared the day she would see him push himself so hard he cracked. That was one moment of weakness she had no interest in drawing out of her enemy.
After a few moments, she reached out and brushed his hair away from his face, frowning down at him more closely, attempting to memorize his uncharacteristically peaceful expression.
She reached out and touched the center of his curse mark with the tip of her finger, and his hand snapped up to snag her wrist—quick enough that she barely saw the movement.
Silver-violet eyes watched her expectantly, an annoying lack of grogginess in them.
She smiled brightly and tilted her head to the side, quickly dispersing all of her previous thoughts before he could try to discern them. "I win." Because obviously the one who woke up first after a night like the one before was the winner.