Watching Him Sleep
Summary: Ranfan likes to watch as Ling sleeps. Oneshot, Lingfan.
A/N: This story is beta-ed by Shimmering Glowing Star. A huge thanks!
This pairing doesn't get nearly enough … anything. I love Lingfan. Oh, and review if you have a spare moment.
Warnings: Minor spoilers for end of the manga/Brotherhood.
Disclaimer: I am only playing with Hiromu Arakawa's characters and do not own them.
The first time it happened, they were still in Xing.
Vividly, she remembered the day she first noticed how he slept. It was just after she had become Ling's bodyguard full-time, before she realized she loved him. There had been threats of an assassination attempt on the prince if certain demands (they had no intention of meeting those demands whatsoever) were not met, so she and her grandfather were doing long shifts watching over the young master.
He had fallen asleep, even though he wanted to stay awake. He wanted to be able to defend himself if the threat had some truth in it.
He slept peacefully, tired from staying awake for almost two days straight. He had been sitting in his chair by his table before he fell asleep. Now, he was slumped over head on the desk with his sword out, dangling by his side, chest rising and falling with the steady rhythm of his breathing.
She watched over him, almost like a guardian angel.
That night, she kept being distracted from her duties by the prince. He was calm, human; unlike the 'god' she had been taught that he was. At that moment, he was just a tired teenager, sleeping. And she didn't have to be disciplined and respectful; she could relax and not worry about being told off by her grandfather for 'acting inappropriately in front of the prince' as he had done so many times before.
In the morning, after he woke, he stumbled around, still groggy from his sleep. Ranfan was glad she had a mask to hide the smile on her face.
After that night, she realized that she liked to watch him sleep.
When they were in Amestris, it was different, the atmosphere so much tenser than in Xing. That country itself was unfamiliar. The energy flow that ran beneath their feet was different here, too.
Here, Ranfan and her grandfather went all out protecting the prince. Every second night, it was her turn to watch over young master.
Since the first night, she'd often, when she had the chance, volunteer to night shifts in between her other shifts. The other guards often agreed to this plan, happy to have more time to sleep.
She'd developed her feelings watching over him in the large, dark room that was the Young Master's.
She still thought of him that way, never as Ling.
Yet, in Amestris, she had no time to watch him. When it was her turn, she was too tired from the few hours that she had been given the night before to watch him and carry out her duties at the same time. She only hoped that when they got back to Xing she'd have more time to watch him.
When Ranfan finally watched him again, it was rather refreshing.
He hasn't changed that style, she thought, of sleeping so lightly, yet he looks like his mind is so far away.
They were on the way back to Xing, almost there after the long journey to Amestris. At that moment she thought of her late grandfather, causing a pang of sadness within her. She wondered what Fuu would have thought as she gazed at the prince who would become the king. The young charge and her master.
The one she finally admitted she loved.
She liked to watch him sleep. At any opportunity she had.
After their triumphant return to Xing, she had even less chance to watch him sleep. With the young prince having a large number of guards now that he was the crown prince, there was a smaller chance of being put on a night shift. And even then, there was always at least someone else on the shift, so it was hard to sneak a glance.
When she returned, she had found out that her grandfather had stood for her becoming a guard, and that it was his skill that was keeping her from those that did not think a woman was fit to be a guard. But Ling had insisted that she stay on. So she stayed on, wanting to make her grandfather proud. Not to mention making the prince happy.
It was hard to gain access to the king's chambers, but when Ling fell ill, she had been able to. It seemed that the fever had broken the walls that had long been erected between Ling and Ranfan, resulting in the prince quietly whispering her name.
So she had been let in to calm the prince down.
And when the prince slept, she stayed a little longer than necessary, watching the now king and wondering how long it had been since she had last done this.
Then, suddenly, he announced to Xing that he wanted to take Ranfan as a wife. His council went crazy. (Except Mei Chang, but she knew all along that those two were going to get together.)
But he went ahead anyway, and the people loved Ranfan. No-one really knew why, but she had captivated the people's hearts. Ling never ended up marrying again, anyway.
Even with such an honour, she still remained his best guard, continuing to guard his back. And his sleep.
Most of all though, she still liked to watch him sleep, and she'd do it quite regularly.
Sometimes, when he had been kept out late by an appointment without her, he'd go to the guard's quarters to see if he could get in. More often than not, he couldn't, but the one time he did, he saw her beautiful, peaceful, slumbering form.
Why did he want to see her? It was because of their trip back from Amestris. They didn't take the desert route, opting to go back the long way. It was more comfortable anyway. When she fell asleep, she was, in his opinion, even more beautiful. There wasn't the usual tension present, neither was her resolve not to let her guard down in front of the prince. The peace and beauty made him finally realise that she was his girl. It helped that he had forbidden her to wear the mask on the way home, too.
After becoming his wife, he found more time to watch her sleep. Especially after a long day protecting the prince or teaching new guards, her peaceful, even breathing was hard to miss. He would lay by her side, listening to the rhythm, before being gently lulled to sleep.
And when he'd had a hard day arguing for the betterment of the people of Xing against the greed of the council, just seeing a peaceful face was enough to send him to sleep. But he'd make himself lie awake for a little while longer, taking in the lovely image of his wife.
It was reciprocated, though neither knew.
He liked to watch her sleep.
END.