Lights Out
Author: lillypuff
LiveJournal: http://lillypuff.livejournal.com
Characters From: Saiyuki Gaiden
Pairing(s): Kenren x Tenpou
Rating: PG-13
Written For: lyradaemon
Prompt: Tenpou has insomnia
Warnings: not much - the obligatory cursing and of
course some implied yaoi situations
Summary: When their slow
progress finally brought them to Tenpou's bed, Kenren gave the marshal a soft look, then grinned, "Strip
please"…
Disclaimer: Sadly, Saiyuki does not belong to me.
Random Notes: Ah, not being able to sleep…something I know
a lot about. The muse really really liked this
prompt. Enjoy =)
Sleep
well tonight,
I'll wake you at the first sign of light,
If you make sure you sleep well tonight.
- Fightstar, "Sleep
Well Tonight"
Kenren thumbed through
the well worn book that rested on his knee. He wasn't sure exactly what he was looking
for, or if he'd know it when he saw it, but he had to do something; Tenpou would be no good to anyone if this kept up any
longer.
When his eyelids
began to flutter Kenren shook his head vigorously and
thumped it gently against the bookcase behind him. He was starting to think that maybe he should
have Tenpou read the medical book he was skimming through;
it sure as hell was putting him to sleep.
Kenren sighed,
frustrated. He could really use a drink…
"Hey,"
he called out as he looked over to where Tenpou sat
crumpled in his favorite chair, "Did you try a night cap?"
Tenpou stared back at Kenren for a moment before nodding his head slightly,
pointing in the direction of his desk with an arm that seemed very heavy. When Kenren noticed
the now half empty bottle of whiskey on the marshal's desk he whistled, then
smiled, "Mind if I have one then?"
Tenpou shook his head
slowly, "Go ahead."
Still smiling, Kenren rose from the floor as he tossed his reading material
aside and headed for the messy desk of his field marshal.
"What about
a warm glass of milk?" he asked as he glanced around for a glass of his
own.
"After whiskey?" Tenpou asked, eyebrows raised;
his voice sounding slightly amused even though it also sounded far away and
alien.
"Oh right,"
Kenren replied having given up on his search for a
glass, "Bad idea. Curdling…yuck."
He grimaced, then took a swig from the bottle
as if it would wash away the thought. He
pondered other options as he relished the burn that crept down his throat; he
was starting to feel out of his league.
He'd never had any problems sleeping before and all he could think of
were stupid home remedies that probably didn't work anyway.
"Did you try
countin' soldiers?" Kenren
asked as he set aside the bottle and walked over to where Tenpou
sat.
"Soldiers?" Tenpou replied through a half laugh, half groan.
"I have a
hard time picturin' you countin'
sheep."
"Hnn. I
tried counting lotus petals and they fell into a pond."
Kenren raised an
eyebrow at the remark as he squatted down before Tenpou,
resting his chin on the man's knee, "Aw, now that's fuckin'
poetic."
"Mmm. I
thought so."
For a moment Kenren just stared up at Tenpou's
slumped form, his eyelids barely open slits on his face, the lower lids
slightly baggy and bruised looking. It
bothered Kenren to see his marshal look so tired and
weary.
"Tenpou, what do you normally do when you can't sleep?"
"Nothing,"
Tenpou replied, his voice slightly slurred, almost as
if he were drunk. Kenren
thought he might be a bit tipsy judging from the amount of liquid left in the
bottle, but he couldn't imagine the marshal being drunk enough to slur.
"Nothing?"
"I just go
on until I can't anymore."
That right there
explained a lot, especially from days passed when they hadn't been so close and
he'd walked into Tenpou's quarters to find the man
asleep and almost falling out of his chair.
"Well,"
Kenren began as he rose to his feet and extended a
hand, "you can't do that anymore, the army needs you. You gotta get some
rest."
For a moment, Tenpou only stared back at the general, looking over his
glasses with eyes that said so much but still managed to give away so little, then he was reaching out and taking Kenren's
hand in a grip that was incredibly fierce despite his exhausted state.
Supporting some
of Tenpou's weight, Kenren
began to lead the man to his quarters, careful to warn him of assorted
obstacles along the way. The last thing
he needed was Tenpou being injured by his own fucked
up version of organization.
When their slow
progress finally brought them to Tenpou's bed, Kenren gave the marshal a soft look, then
grinned, "Strip please."
Tenpou groaned, "I
don't think this is a very good…"
Kenren snorted, "With
the condition you're in I don't think I'd have to tell ya
to strip if I wanted to fuck you. Now, down to your boxers please."
Eyebrows raised, Tenpou did as he was asked
as Kenren undid the one fastened button on his
uniform coat; he shrugged it off his shoulders and let it fall to the ground in
a heap.
When Tenpou had removed all of his clothing except the boxers, Kenren couldn't help but take in an eyeful before
addressing his companion again, "Turn around." Hearing that, Tenpou
fixed him with one of those looks
that said the fuck? and Kenren had to hold back a
laugh, "Just turn around, Tenpou."
Tenpou complied once
more, taking a few lazy steps to turn his back to Kenren. Slowly, for
he was tired himself, Kenren removed his gloves and
tossed them behind him then placed his hands on the marshal's shoulders.
Carefully he
began to knead the twitchy, tense muscles that lay below Tenpou's
skin as the marshal himself made little mewling noises mixed with the
occasional mumble. Kenren
smiled and breathed in deep the smell of the man who stood before him as he
began to wonder how in the hell this he'd ever survived as long as he did with
out anyone keeping a constant eye on
him.
He hated to think
ill of the dead, and that included those who were half dead on their feet from
exhaustion, but Kenren couldn't help but wonder how Tenpou had made it as far as he did without someone
hovering behind him reminding him to ash, or to empty the damned ashtray, or to
eat or sleep; basically anything that wasn't strictly military.
Kenren slid his hands
further down Tenpou's back, kneading and rubbing
where he felt taught muscles, petting and soothing along the way and when Tenpou leaned back against him he stopped his massage and
wrapped supporting arms around the marshal's midsection.
"Kenren?" Tenpou mumbled,
barely above a whisper.
"Yeah?"
he replied as he pressed his face into the spot where Tenpou's
neck and shoulder met, that perfect place he loved to kiss and caress.
"I'm tired,"
Tenpou added, as if it wasn't completely obvious and Kenren began to think that that just might be it; that Tenpou really was tired, and not just because sleep had
been fleeting as of late. Maybe the job
really was getting to him, being a field marshal wasn't easy, even if Tenpou often made it look like it was. He'd know too, rarely were they out of each
other's sight these days.
"I know you
are," Kenren replied with a gentle kiss to Tenpou's shoulder, "think you might be able to fall
asleep?"
Tenpou's
only response was a nod.
"Ok, lie
down and get comfortable then."
Without another
word Tenpou almost flopped gracelessly onto the bed
before them and Kenren had to keep him from taking a
nose dive into the mattress. Kenren watched for a moment as Tenpou
slowly shifted and turned under the covers, then he began to remove his boots
before peeling off his tight uniform pants.
Carefully and
quietly Kenren slid into the bed once he thought Tenpou has settled into whatever position he would feel
comfortable in for the night. At first
he lay a few inches from his lover and friend, afraid that the slightest thing
-- his breathing, his body heat, hell
his heartbeat -- might disturb Tenpou and ruin
whatever progress they had made as far as sleeping was concerned; but after a
minute or two he gave into his own desire to hold Tenpou
close to him.
Taking in his marshal scent once more, Kenren allowed his body to line up perfectly with Tenpou as he slid one hand under their pillows and another
over Tenpou's waist.
Closing his eyes, Kenren began to trace gentle
circles over Tenpou's firm abdominal muscles and as
he drifted off into sleep he smiled and buried his face between Tenpou's shoulder blades.
After that, both
soldiers slept like the dead.
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