(A/N: Hey guys! I'm trying for something actually serious this time. Here goes. Angst. Shipping. Can you guess the pairing? ^^ Oh! And BluePhoenix, I'll get on your prompt asap. Because Caos are awesomeful. Anyone else have any requests?)
It had been dark for at least eight hours already, but Sima Yi was still awake. There was work that had to be done before sunrise, he would say, half hidden behind stacks of scrolls and and empty cups that had once held tea or some bizarre concoction that kept him awake at times when even the heavens slept. No one dared intrude upon his solitude to question it, even in daylight. No one knew the tortured dreams that haunted him when his willpower failed and sleep consumed him.
"Zhongda?" A soft voice emanated from the darkness, breaking his concentration.
"What do you want?" he asked, not looking up. His voice sounded weak, even to himself. Gentle arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him away from his desk.
"Rest some. You are suffering." His body was limp, and he felt too weak to pull free.
"You don't know anything. Leave me."
"Not this time." The grip slackened enough for him to turn. "Talk to me if you need to. I promise I will listen." A hand, scarred from too many battles, brushed his dark hair off of his face.
"I don't need your help." The anger didn't quite make it into that statement, making him sound more desperate than detached. "I can take care of myself."
"Everyone needs someone to take care of them sometimes. No one is made of ice." Allowing himself to slump, relax, release the constant tension that held back the constant pain, he took a deep, shaky breath, leaning against his protector. It was true, and he was not foolish enough to try to deny it.
But he was foolish enough to whisper, to beg the darkness that surrounded them both, "I wish I were."
