Ficlet #27: Long Nights
Prompt #20: Broken Dreams

A/N: This may need a little explanation--the prompt made me think, not of broken hopes or aspirations, but of the literal inability to dream, or to even sleep. Oh, and yes--everything I describe here is physically possible. :)

"Why do we always wind up here?" Hiei wondered aloud.

Kurama shrugged. "There's really not anywhere else to go."

Those were the first words that had been spoken since Kurama had felt Hiei's energy hovering at the edge of his perception, more than an hour ago. There had been no need to speak when Kurama had left his house shortly thereafter; no need to speak when Hiei had materialized next to him and fallen into step without glancing at him. They knew each other better than that.

They had, as ever, wound up at the park. They had taken their time getting there, but eventually this was where their feet always took them if not given other directions. Kurama seemed to enjoy it there--for obvious reasons, the trees were so loud and chatty even Hiei could hear them--and Hiei didn't really have any alternate suggestions.

So here they were. Silence, comfortable and lazy, quickly recaptured them after the brief exchange. They walked slowly through the park, so slowly their pace could barely be dignified with the title of walking. They didn't have any goal in mind, after all--nothing but the passage of time. Kurama's presence was not even necessary--but it was appreciated.

Appreciated to the extent that when Kurama directed Hiei--not with words, but a hand on his arm--towards the things ningen children played on, Hiei allowed it. Kurama guided him onto one of the moving seats hanging from poles, and began gently pushing him back and forth on it. Hiei considered jumping off, as he had a vague suspicion this was undignified, but he couldn't find the energy. He let it go on for a long moment before he spoke. "What is the purpose of this?"

He sensed Kurama's shrug, even if he couldn't see it. "I'm not really sure. Some people enjoy it."

"It's boring."

"I know." A moment longer, and then Kurama moved to the seat next to Hiei's and sat down, moving it gently back and forth. Hiei's interest was immediately piqued. He waited, for the sake of entertainment value, for Kurama to get a good momentum going before launching an attack on his seat.

Kurama managed to avoid being toppled to the ground, and laughed as he launched a vicious counter-assault. The battle was brief (due partly to limited space, and partly to Hiei's exhaustion), but it was spirited. When they came to a pause, they found themselves facing each other, each of their feet having scant purpose on the still-moving seat, and neither quite willing to continue the skirmish although the enemy was in reach. "Want to sit down?" Kurama queried.

"How?"

"You sit on my lap, facing me. It's called spider swinging."

"I'll take a pass."

"Tough." Kurama abruptly took his feet away from the seat; Hiei was forced to react quickly, or fall. And the next thing he knew, they were sitting exactly as Kurama had described. He wondered how the fox had managed to manipulate that one.

He gave Kurama a stern look, eyebrows raised. "This is rather sexual." Between the way they were sitting, and the movements Kurama made to keep the seat in motion--

"So it is." Kurama did not look even remotely apologetic--in fact, he was dangerously close to smirking.

"You did that on purpose."

"Did I?"

"Stupid fox."

"You do realize I consider that statement a gesture of affection."

"You're impossible."

"That one, too."

Hiei glared, and stopped talking. Kurama only smiled again. Hiei glanced down, checking the distance from the ground; finding it sufficient, he locked his ankles behind Kurama, gave him an impertinent grin, and fell over backwards.

It was much more comfortable than he had expected--quite comfortable, in fact. Kurama's legs solidly supported his torso, and the wind ruffling through his hair felt nice. So when Kurama offered no objection, merely shifted his motion to avoid kicking Hiei in the head, Hiei crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, relaxing.

It was nearly a half-hour later before Hiei opened his eyes and suddenly disentangled himself, jumping to the ground in an acrobatic maneuver that would have astonished any ningen present. Kurama followed him a heartbeat later, and looked at him inquiringly. Hiei flickered away, some fifteen feet, and then looked back over his shoulder, cocking an eyebrow.

Kurama did not move; a smile was forming. "Are you trying to get me to chase you?"

Hiei did not smile, but there was something in his expression that suggested he might have done so if he hadn't been Hiei. "Hn."

Kurama walked toward him, making no effort at speed or stealth. "I can't imagine it will be very entertaining for you. The only way I could catch you is if you let me."

Hiei did not attempt further escape. "Better than playing with ningen children's toys."

"But they are soothing. Did you actually fall asleep, or were you just resting?"

"I slept. Only ten minutes or so, but it's the first sleep I've had in a week."

Kurama sighed and smiled, shaking his head. "Some people need the gentle motion of a cradle or rocking chair to lull them to sleep. Hiei needs to hang upside down by his ankles while his head swings in a wide arc inches from the ground."

"It's so obvious I don't know why we didn't think of it earlier."

Kurama laughed--which was the effect most of Hiei's deadpan was intended to produce--and wrapped one arm around Hiei's shoulders, the closet thing to a hug that Hiei generally tolerated. But tonight, still exhausted, Hiei turned and settled into a genuine hug, looping his arms around Kurama's waist and leaning against him. Kurama responded in kind with his arms around Hiei's shoulders, amused at how the smaller demon's body weight was gradually transferring to him. "Well, if you'd like to try for some deeper sleep, I think I have a bungee chord we could suspend you upside down from a bridge with."

No answer. Kurama looked down; he blinked twice, and then he sighed. Hiei was asleep again, his head heavy against Kurama's chest. "Or, apparently, I could stay in physical contact with you until you've caught up on your sleep, because that seems to be the only thread tying together the sleep you've had since this started. If I'd known this was the cure I would have tackled you a week ago."

Hiei's answer was a light snore. Kurama sighed again, wondering if there was any way he could shift into a sitting position without waking Hiei from his hard-won sleep.

If not, it was going to be a very, very, very long night.