Chapter Text
Jade always wakes up before Dave.
She's sure that there are a number of reasons for it. Dave is much more likely to stay up late working on some project or another, and she has more early morning commitments that have conditioned her to waking up with the sun more often than not. But even on lazy weekends where Jade hasn't made any plans, she still finds her eyes opening as soon as sunlight starts to stream in through their window.
It's where she finds herself now, stifling a yawn as she rolls over in bed to check the time. It's not even seven o' clock yet; she can stay in bed for a little bit longer. With that decided, she rolls back over and she looks at Dave, still fast asleep.
She likes looking at him while he's asleep. She likes looking at him in most situations, granted; she likes seeing him awake and focused with that half-grin on his face when he's feeling especially proud of himself, she likes seeing him run his mouth about the latest goofy idea he has, and she especially likes seeing the way he looks at her in those moments just between the two of them, when he feels comfortable enough to take his shades off for a little while.
But looking at him while he's asleep is something special. Even at his most unguarded, Jade knows that Dave is constantly thinking of how he's being perceived; whether he's cool enough, or hot enough, or unbothered enough. It's rare that she catches him making no active effort to control his facial expressions at all; sleep is just about the only time that it happens. If he's dreaming, she can see every little twitch of his mouth, every small furrow of his brow. Sometimes if she listens closely enough, she can hear him mumble something that she can tease him about later.
His shades are also off to the side, and even if his eyes are closed, there's still something so novel about seeing him without them. She sometimes just spends time admiring the way his eyelashes brush his upper cheeks, or noticing the little smattering of freckles there that she usually doesn't get close enough to see.
This morning, the light is filtering through in a way that illuminates him in a way that makes it feel like he's glowing, and Jade finds herself just lying there and admiring him. Dave gets so self-conscious about his physical appearance sometimes: his scars, his freckles, his eyes, his height. Jade tries to be understanding; she has things she's self-conscious about too. But Dave is so plainly the most beautiful person she's ever seen, and its hard for her to understand how he can be so blind to it.
She reaches out to trace a bit of sunlight that's sliding down his cheek, and it causes him to stir a little bit, though he doesn't fully wake up. He tugs the blanket a little closer around him like a kid; he does look so much younger when he's sleeping. It makes her wonder how much his experiences have aged him, and then she wonders if he ever thinks the same when he looks at her.
She pulls her hand back to give Dave some peace, but she sees him frowning a little, brow knit tight. Jade recognizes that face. This isn't the first time she's watched him while he's slept, and she knows that an expression like that is usually the precursor to a nightmare. That's no good!
Jade leans in to drop a soft kiss right to Dave's lips, and she reaches up again to brush some hair back from his forehead. "Shhh," she mumbles softly, not wanting to speak so loud she spooks him awake, but wanting to be sure he can hear her in his dream. "You're going to be okay. I've got you. Just relax."
And then, as though she's cast some kind of spell, Dave's face goes slack again, and he mumbles something indistinguishable under his breath. Jade doesn't know exactly what he was trying to say, but she decides that she's got the gist well enough.
"I love you too."