Title – Let a sleeping Iolaus lie

Fandom: Hercules: The legendary journeys
Author: Ceindreadh
Genre: Humor, smut
Characters/Pairing: Hercules/Iolaus
Rating: M, NC-15
Summary: Sometimes Hercules wished he wasn't half-god
Notes: Set post season 6 HTLJ, but ignoring anything that may have happened in subsequent Xena episodes.

Word count: ~ 2,500

Content: smut
Disclaimer. I don't own the characters, I'm only borrowing them, no copyright infringement is intended.

Thanks to Tina for suggestions and feedback.

There were a lot of good things about being half-god thought Hercules. There was his great strength of course, that went without saying. There was his ability to recover quickly from injuries and illness. There was the way he could get by on very little sleep if he had to.

Of course there were also the bad points, like being the target of so many full gods with time on their hands and grudges to bear. And super-strength was all well and good when you could control it, but could be a danger otherwise. But the absolutely worst thing about it, thought Hercules as he looked down at his sleeping partner, was the way he needed less sleep than a full mortal.

It wasn't fair, thought Hercules. He and Iolaus had walked the same distance the day before, been involved in the same fights, had eaten the same meals, had shared in all the same physical exertions that night, and fallen asleep at much the same time. But now it was just after dawn and Hercules had been awake for ages, fully refreshed, while Iolaus was still snug in the arms of Morpheus.

Hercules propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at Iolaus. It was rare that he had the opportunity to see his partner so still. Normally, Iolaus seemed to be in a constant state of motion. Even lying in wait for prey while hunting, or waiting for a fight to begin, while his body might appear motionless, there was always an aura about him suggesting correctly that at any moment he would spring into action. But here, sprawled out on the mattress beside him, Iolaus was as still as Hercules had ever seen him.

Or rather, and Hercules had to amend the thought, Iolaus was as still as Hercules had ever seen him while uninjured. There had been plenty of times when Iolaus had been injured or ill and unable to move and even that one time in Sumeria which Hercules did his best to put from his mind. Iolaus was safe, he was healthy, and Hercules realized that for a wonder his friend wasn't carrying a single scrape or bruise from any recent fights.

Which wasn't to say that Iolaus was unmarked. There was a small scrape on his left shin from when he'd slipped on rocks while fishing earlier that week. His right hand had a scratch on it from gathering berries from a particularly thorny bush. Iolaus had been most indignant about that scratch, complaining that berries were not a suitable meal and that going hunting for his dinner would have been much safer. And then of course there were the bruises on Iolaus's waist which corresponded exactly to the size of Hercules's fingers. A flush of embarrassment swept over Hercules's face as he remembered exactly how they'd occurred. However it wasn't as if he'd escaped unscathed himself that night, thought Hercules, absently rubbing one of many scratches on his body. He was going to have to have words with Iolaus about cutting his nails, and not just the ones on his fingers!

The previous night.

They staggered into the room together. That is, Iolaus staggered with Hercules half holding him up. It wasn't the drink which was affecting him, so much as the exhilaration of the fight earlier that day. "And then I swung my sword like this," said Iolaus, waving his arm to demonstrate, "And swoosh, took out three of them all at once. Bam! They hit the ground harder than Atlas!"

"I *was* there when it happened, Iolaus," said Hercules, as he had on every occasion when hearing the tale. Meanwhile he expertly steered his friend through the doorway.

"I know, I know," said Iolaus, "But it was just such a perfect move. I couldn't have done it better if I'd practiced for days!"

"So you've been saying all day." Hercules was doing his best to guide Iolaus to the bed so he could lie down before he fell down.

Iolaus turned around and poked Hercules indignantly. "Are you saying that I talk too much?" he growled.

"No," said Hercules, a smile on his face. "It's just that I can think of a much better use for that mouth of yours right now." He put a finger under Iolaus's chin to tilt his partner's head up and was about to lean in to kiss him when he felt Iolaus pull away before grabbing his arms. The next thing Hercules knew, he was flat on his back on the bed. "I let you do that," said Hercules, seconds before Iolaus jumped on top of him.

"And I suppose that now you're going to 'let' me do this?" Iolaus pulled Hercules's vest open a little wider and lowered his head.

Hercules gasped as he felt Iolaus's tongue flick over his nipple, "Any time you want!"

Iolaus soon moved his attentions up Hercules's body, kissing and caressing his way up Hercules's chest, along his collar bones, up his neck before finally arriving at his lips. One hand cupping Hercules's cheek, Iolaus pressed his lips against his partner's, blending them so seamlessly together that for an instant it felt like they were a single entity.

The kiss, not to mention the deliberate movement of Iolaus's hips as he straddled Hercules's groin had the desired effect on both men. Hercules almost growled in frustration as Iolaus suddenly pulled away to sit upright. Hercules grabbed Iolaus's waist with both hands to stop him moving further away. Sliding his hands down to cup Iolaus's ass, he squeezed gently, eliciting a groan of delight from his friend. "I think that you're a bit overdressed," said Hercules, voice heavy with desire.

"Look who's talking!" said Iolaus, as he shrugged off his vest, throwing it carelessly to the floor. He wrestled with his belt buckles for a few seconds before rolling off of Hercules to land briefly beside him on the mattress then continuing off the bed, landing with a crash on the floor.

"Iolaus!" said Hercules, sitting upright quickly.

"I'm good, I'm good," came the muffled response from beside the bed. "Be right back!"

Reassured, Hercules lay back and concentrated on quickly disrobing. Boots and clothes soon landed in a heap on the floor, narrowly missing Iolaus as he struggled with his own buckles and lacings. "I'll tidy up later," Hercules told himself.

"Little help here?" Hercules rolled over on the bed saw Iolaus, feet still in his boots, amongst a pile of discarded clothing. Hercules pulled the boots off, taking Iolaus's stockings with them, and then promptly tickled the exposed feet, drawing an indignant yelp from his friend.

Rolling back onto the mattress, Hercules looked up at the ceiling and counted under his breath, knowing that he'd pay for that...if he was lucky.

He'd barely reached a count of three before he found himself with an armful of naked Iolaus who seemed determined to try and kiss or caress every part of Hercules at once. Not that Hercules was complaining as his hands too were tracing their way around Iolaus's body.

A swipe of Iolaus's tongue across Hercules's collarbone was replied to with the graceful dance of Hercules's fingers down Iolaus's spine. Hercules's teeth nipped at the side of Iolaus's neck and were countered with Iolaus's nails tracing a path down his thigh.

Two bodies in initial counterpoint to each other gradually established a shared rhythm, a co-ordination borne out of long experience. Their bodies rubbed against each other in familiar ways, familiar but never boring. Hercules's hand on Iolaus's cock, Iolaus's mouth on Hercules's neck, Iolaus's hand on Hercules's hip, as his groin arched up against Iolaus's leg. Movements that started out as random then settled into recognizable patterns. Faster and faster they thrust against each other, their hands and mouths and cocks moving together, each movement contributing to the overall harmony.

Hercules briefly wondered if their long standing partnership in the field, the instinctive awareness of the other's location during fights, if that was part of the reason they were so in tune with each other's needs in bed. And then Iolaus moved his hands just a little, and Hercules instinctively tightened his grip on his partner's waist and then the time for coherent thought was past and all of Hercules's senses were focused on Iolaus and the moment at hand.

"By the Gods!" gasped Iolaus, as he collapsed limply on top of Hercules.

"No Gods allowed," said Hercules, "Just me." He pulled the blanket around Iolaus, conscious that the air was considerably chillier than it had been and the sweat on their bodies was cooling rapidly.

"Just a half god," said Iolaus, sweat dampened head pillowed on Hercules's chest.

"And a beloved mortal," said Hercules, cupping Iolaus's cheek in his hand and tracing lazy circles with his thumb.

Iolaus raised his head and leaned forward until he could brush his lips against Hercules's. The kiss was nowhere near as energetic as the one he had started with, but was just as intimate. "Love you too," whispered Iolaus, before resettling himself against Hercules's chest.

Hercules wrapped his arms automatically around Iolaus as he snuggled against him. He listened as his partner's breathing settled into a more regular pattern. "I should tidy up," thought Hercules. But Iolaus was warm and comforting beside him and really, it would be a shame to wake him. "I'll do in the morning," was Hercules's last thought before he too fell asleep.

True to his word, as soon as he had woken, Hercules had set to restoring a semblance of order to the room. He'd had to carefully disentangle himself from Iolaus, who even in sleep could be very protective of his 'Herc-pillow'. But he'd managed to free himself without waking his sleeping partner and had set to work, picking up the discarded clothing and folding it ready for when Iolaus would wake.

At first he'd been careful not to make too much noise, wanting Iolaus to have a well deserved rest. With hindsight though, thought Hercules after he'd returned to the bed, he could have probably thrown a chair through the wall and Iolaus wouldn't have been disturbed.

It was occasionally a source of great amusement to Hercules that his friend could sleep through any and all disturbances until he was ready to waken. "I don't know how you do it," Hercules had challenged Iolaus one day as they were breaking camp. "Or more to the point, why? What happens if there's danger about, you're sound asleep and next thing you know you wake up in the belly of a Hydra!"

"If there's trouble, then I'll wake up," Iolaus had said with a shrug as he shoved his spare knife into his belt.

"Oh really?"

Iolaus had sighed, "You know why you always see me sleeping soundly?" he'd said. "Because you're there to see it and I know you're there. I always sleep better when you're with me, because even when I'm asleep, I know that you're there to watch my back. When I'm alone…I don't sleep as well."

The speech had earned him a hug from Hercules, followed by a kiss and then one thing had led to another and the packing had had to wait.

But that was all well and good, and Hercules was happy that his presence was such a comfort to his friend. But it didn't exactly help matters in *this* situation.

Hercules idly wondered about 'accidentally' waking Iolaus. If they'd been sleeping outside, then by now the risen sun on his face would have surely done the trick. But they were in what the innkeeper had promised was the 'best room in the inn', and with the angle of the window, it would be several hours before the sun hit the right corner of the room.

"Never mind the 'best room'," Iolaus had told the innkeeper. "So long as we have the best bed." He'd winked broadly at Hercules as he'd indicated his friend with a wave of his hand. "See somebody as strong as Hercules; he needs a strong bed if you know what I mean."

Hercules had been completely embarrassed, and said as much to Iolaus as they'd been eating. Iolaus had brushed it off. "Would you rather come down in the morning and explain to the innkeeper just how his bed got broken? Trust me, that would be embarrassing for both of you. This way you're the only one blushing."

"One time that happened, *one* time!" Hercules had protested. "And it wasn't my fault. I just tried to move it to make a bit more space in the room and it came apart in my hands."

But the bed they'd been given had been strong enough to take the exertions of the previous night and had had ample room for both of them. Hercules really had no complaint to make about the accommodations, except maybe to begrudge their comfort as he was sure that Iolaus would have been much faster to wake had they been in less cozy surroundings.

There were of course other methods that Hercules could think of to wake Iolaus. Aside from the obvious one of just simply shaking him awake and telling him it was time to get up. He could 'accidentally' kick the bed frame as he walked past. He could pull the bedclothes away and let the cool air do its work. He could even simply tickle Iolaus's bare foot which was poking out from under the blanket. Or if he didn't want to live quite so dangerously, he could simply lean in and kiss his partner.

But looking down at his friend, so relaxed and content, Hercules really didn't have the heart to disturb him. "If you can't beat them," Hercules said to himself as he settled back down beside Iolaus. He reached out to pull Iolaus close to him and closed his eyes as he breathed in his lover's familiar scent.

Hercules opened his eyes to see a fully dressed Iolaus perched on the bed and smiling down at him. "Finally! I was beginning to think you were going to sleep all day."

"You should have woken me," said Hercules.

Iolaus shrugged, "Knew you'd wake up when you were ready. But do you have any idea how boring it is just sitting here watching somebody sleep when you're wide awake?"

Hercules reached out and pulled Iolaus close enough to kiss. "I haven't the slightest idea!"

The end

Disclaimer: no sleeping patterns were disturbed during the writing of this fic (except for those of the author who really needs to stop staying up late writing on work nights!)