Hearts of Palm.

Mercy was in what the doctors had called 'an exhaustion-induced coma.' And she had been since the bust incident yesterday afternoon.

Warren had been in ICU all night with her- mostly because he couldn't stay last night because of work, and now, had nowhere better to be... and because nobody else came. Not even her parents.

Eventually, around three or four in the morning, he had fallen asleep to the sound of her EKG... his head resting on her abdomen. And that's how she found him when she woke up at five. Just him, not even her parents. And now, she figured, it was her turn to watch him sleep- not that she had the strength to even sit up, much less leave- but for some odd reason, she wasn't in much of a hurry to. The fact that he had stayed up half the night by the hospital cot of a girl he'd known for only two days was sort of endearing... especially since the first time they'd laid eyes on each other she'd tried to kill him. She lifted her hand with what little energy she had left, slid her palm up against his cheek so her thumb rested against his temple, her fingers upon the side of his throat just below his ear. She tilted her head against the pillow and listened to him breathing, studied his face. Without even teally thinking about it, Mercy moved her thumb back and forth, back and forth over the side of his face, and in his slumber he nestled deeper against her stomach, causing her to smile briefly.

"You're such a dick." She muttered- almost affectionately. "I'll never forgive you for being so fucking likeable... Or for being completely gorgeous, either." Warren woke to this- and to her hand, a warm weight against his cheek. "...It's really too bad that I have to hate you." Instinctively he clapped his over it without moving from where he lay, his eyes fluttering open; hopeful."Ouch, Peace!" She yelped, startled by the sudden sting of his palm against the back of her hand. "Godammit, like a bull in a China shop, aren't you!?"

"Mercy?" His voice no more than a whisper, Warren held onto her hand and rose, "Mercy, can you move?" He swallowed thickly, now, afraid of what she might say, but she just looked at him like he was crazy, touched slightly by the tears she saw wetting his eyes.

"Are you going to cry or something?" She asked outright, almost laughing. "Oooh, Peace." She covered her mouth with her free hand and giggled, and he rolled his eyes, trying to keep from doing so, himself.

"All right, all right, really funny." He waited for her chuckling to ebb. "Are you done now?" She nodded. And then he did smile, leaning in to push his cheek against hers in a sort of display of affection, closing his eyes briefly.

"Okay Peace, I think you've forgotten that I hate you." She said a little too quickly, a slight quaver in her voice. Warren was suddenly giddy with the knowledge of her certainty of recovering, and Mercy noticed that he still held her hand in his, mostly because he led it behind his shoulder and around his neck, draping it like some kind of scarf. "What in the hell are you doing?" But he didn't answer her, just wrapped his hands around the wires connected to her chest and melted them. "All right, You're insane, Warren. I'm going to scream for a nurse if you don't-"

"You think that you acting like a bitch really fools me anymore?" He interrupted, smiling. She set her jaw, drawing his attention back to her lip. He took her chin in his hand, then, brushing the pad of his thumb over the wound.

"Stop." She lifted her eyebrows and said this firmly. He lifted his, too, smiled even wider.

"What?"

"No, don't play cute." He moved his thumb over her mouth again.

"That? Is that what?"

"You know what! I'm serious! Stop!" She fought the smile that threatened to mirror his.

"What are you going to do if I don't?"

"Kill you."

"Uh huh."

"No, I really am."

"I believe you, really."

"Peace, I mean it, you need to stop acting like some lovestruck teenager in a Disney mov-" He cut her off with a kiss- gentle and sublime and careful of her wounded mouth. He took her other arm and wrapped it around his neck, too, lifting her from the hospital bed and towards himself, noting with a bit of pride how her arms tightened around him- and not from fear of being dropped. But then he pulled back.

"Were you going to say Disney movie?" He chuckled, and then started spinning around in circles, still holding her. "How about this? Is this too much like a Disney movie?"

"Warren." She said his name softly, sincere, cupped his face in one hand. He stopped, soft smile still gracing his mouth, his gaze meeting hers in a tender sort of kiss of it's own.

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me again?"

He did.

Mercy lay on her side in the hospital bed, Warren just behind her, his face against the back of her shoulder, their hands side by side on the blanket, fingers splayed. Sleep grappled with the both of them, their eyes heavy, speech slurred.

"Okay." She murmured. "Your turn." He growled into her skin and she laughed gently. "Stop being such a bastard!"

"All right, All right." He sat up on his elbow. "I have never ever... Worn panties."

"Cheater! They're not allowed to be gender-biased!"

"How is that gender-biased? I know a few guys who wear panties." She giggled at the absurdness of it.

"Who?"

"Well, don't tell anyone, but that guy who caught the bus..." Mercy jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, trying not to laugh.

"You're a jerk!"

"Owwww!"

"Stop being such a baby and go."

"Okay... I have never ever played this game before today." He watched her tuck her thumb into her palm and gave her a winning smile.

"I have never ever... had a job." He rolled his eyes, tucked his thumb in.

"I have never ever been to a dinner party." She tucked in her forefinger.

"I have never ever..." Mercy lifted her head to look at him, and he took the opportunity to lean foreward and drop a kiss onto her temple. She smiled. "I have never ever slept with anyone." And she waited. But Warren didn't do anything... and a tiny smile broke out on her face, one which he had to kiss, also.

"Loser." Was all he said into her mouth. She bit his lip. "Ow!"

"S'what you get for calling me a loser, you dick."

"I've never ever thrown a table at someone's head just for trying to get my attention." He blurted, playing mean. She tucked in her middle finger, scowling.

"I've never ever put a pansy red streak in my hair!" She retorted, and he pouted, curling in his forefinger.

"I've never ever spent the night in the hospital."

"I've never ever... lost someone else's Cell Phone." He gave her a sneaky smile, reaching into his back pocket and then laying her cell phone on the bed in front of her. "Dammit!"

"I have never ever... been to the ocean."

"Really?"

"Really." He smiled victoriously as she at last curled in her pinkie, making a fist which she shook at him mock-angrily. "I win!"

"That just means I've done more stuff than you..." Mercy yawned, he pulled her tighter against himself and kissed the curve of her jaw.

"Uh huh... so what do I win?" Warren breathed into her ear.

"Mmmmh... me. Not kicking your ass." She snuggled back against him and he nuzzled into her shouler, lifting a possesive arm to drape over her waist. "Warren... Ow." She shifted under the weight and he moved his arm lower, realizing that he had just placed it over the burn she'd recieved when they'd first fought.

"Sorry." And he meant it more about giving her the injury in the first place. She just smiled faintly, twined her fingers through his. "Mercy?"

"Mmh?" He just looked at her, her closed eyes, felt her sleep surrounding him, and pressed another kiss against her neck.

"Nothing."

He nodded off slowly, making sure that she was asleep before allowing himself to doze.