Sleeping in His Embrace, but . . .

[General Chiaki Spring to surrender her manor and leave the premise immediately.]

Chiaki was only half-awake. She blinked her eyes a few times to chase away the sleepiness. The blurriness went away. She pushed the holodev back to her palm. Peeling herself out from the arms around her waist, she turned halfway to face the ceiling.

Her cheek was too close to Lance's nose. Even when he was asleep, his natural woody scent was still faintly exposed.

Chiaki's sluggish brain had two choices. It was either she completed her turn to face his face and let her body be wrapped in his embrace or to slip away and get on with her day.

She chose the lat— she chose the former.

It was a rare occasion to sleep like that, and she woke up feeling refreshed. If she could prolong the contact, she'd be happy to boot. 

Her nose nuzzled on the span of his shoulder, grazing the soft bandage that tightly sealed the wounds.