The sudden movement and lack of cover made Gabriel jerk awake, though it completely left his brain behind. He was upright before he could think. The utter stiffness and aching pain in his body made him groan a moment later. He lifted a hand to press the cloth to his eyes, then take it away slowly.

At least the headache had dulled significantly. But his body? Shit. Even the slightest movement sent sparks of pain down his limbs and back. Not that it was terribly different to the previous mornings, except he'd never climbed down a fucking cliff then.

The clatter of the rock made him look up slowly, still a bit groggy, mostly just trying not to move. "I'm not that bad a face to wake up to, am I?" he said, managing a would-be winsome smile that slid off his face almost as quickly as he summoned it.