Sloth (def.): Reluctance to work or make an effort; laziness.
Sometimes, all they do is sleep.
Being the captain of the 2nd Ship is far from relaxing. Hirato doesn't mind the exhaustion that seems to have permanently settled at the base of his spine. He has long grown used to the possibility of an emergency arising at any given moment, the certainty that he will have to lie to people to sway them to his side, the fact that his mind and body will be drained from fighting varugas and the occasional human. He knows how to handle being constantly tired and rarely lets it show in his demeanor or his expression.
Although he hides it well, he knows Akari can tell immediately when he's more tired than usual.
It's the first time in awhile that Hirato has had an opportunity to visit the Research Tower. It isn't really an "opportunity," even. It's more of a necessity. A skirmish had gone wrong with a large group of post-humans, and while it didn't cause grave injury to Hirato, it wounded Yogi badly. Hirato was able to retrieve the blonde fighter before he could be killed but was too late to keep him from being knocked unconscious, bloodying the back of his skull on a stone.
Hirato knows he doesn't have to be the one to bring Yogi to the Research Tower for treatment, but he would prefer to be for a multitude of reasons. He's responsible for the young man after all, and seeing his lovely Akari is a nice plus.
He sees Akari almost immediately upon entering the medical bay, but no actual interaction between them is able to take place until that night. Hirato knows not to play with Akari while he's like this, commanding the nurses around him with frightening intensity. Any attempt at teasing while Yogi is being carted off by the doctor to surgery would be counterproductive for all three men.
It's a blur when they finally are together. The moon offers the only light for them, but the intimacy of bodies doesn't need to be seen. Hirato loves it, how Akari caves at his touch, how his lips ghosting across the other man's chest is able to elicit soft gasps. Hirato's fingers stray lower, playing at the buttons on Akari's slacks, when they are firmly stopped by the doctor's hand.
"Stop it," Akari says. Hirato is taken back by the blunt refusal, and his mind rushes through all the things he might have done lately to anger Akari. Coming up with nothing, he tries to start again, kissing Akari and stroking a finger along his jawline. The doctor returns the kiss with far less passion than he's being given, and Hirato has no choice but to pull away. "How long has it been since you last slept?" Akari continues as if he hadn't been interrupted.
Hirato sighs and rolls onto his back, ruefully accepting that Akari is not going to give in any time soon. "Forty hours, give or take. I don't keep track anymore," he admits, and Akari groans quietly. Normally, Hirato is able to snag an hour or two of sleep here and there, and his body, so used to the odd cycle, falls quickly enough into REM that he awakes feeling rested. He knows staying awake for this long is hell on both his body and mind.
"I thought so," Akari replies. "…We're going to sleep."
"I'm not so sure that's your decision," Hirato says, lifting an eyebrow. But when Akari mutely tugs the blankets up over them both and turns onto his side, Hirato knows he's lost.
Akari is no better about sleep than Hirato.
He would like to say that as a doctor, he's intelligent enough to know how much sleep he needs. And he does know how much sleep he needs. Getting that much, however, is a much more difficult task. The shifts in the hospital, especially for the most valuable doctor, start and end at odd hours of the night, and a code is a major concern for nearly all patients sick or injured enough to be treated by him. His pager is next to him even when he sleeps, and he halfway expects to be woken up by its beeping in the middle of the night by now.
When Hirato brings Yogi to him, he has already been awake and on his feet for far too long. If he stays up too much longer, it will begin to affect his performance in surgery, and stupid mistakes are not allowed when someone's life is at stake. He perseveres through Yogi's treatment, grateful that the young man wasn't injured enough to need surgery. The MRI shows no worrisome injury in his brain, a bit of bruising but no blood and little swelling. All Akari has to do is stitch up his wounds and order the medicine to be given.
He's dead on his feet by the time he joins Hirato, and he knows what Hirato will want. Akari wouldn't exactly mind sex either, but he also knows he won't be able to handle it. As they walk to his room, Akari begins to perceive subtle tells in the captain's attitude. His eyes are less mischievous, his steps less sure, his words less clever.
Hirato is far more exhausted than he is.
Once in bed, Akari does consider it for a moment. He can't help but love how Hirato's body reacts to his, how the meeting of their lips makes Akari's breath catch in his throat. But he won't do it. "Stop it," Akari tells him halfheartedly, and Hirato's kiss nearly changes his mind but is still unsuccessful. "How long has it been since you last slept?" Akari prays the answer is what he thinks it is.
"Forty hours, give or take," Hirato mutters in response. "I don't keep track anymore."
"I thought so," Akari says, relieved and wanting to smack himself for being so. "We're going to sleep." He knows Hirato will protest if he doesn't act, so he grabs the blankets and pulls them over him and turns away. He can hear Hirato complain about it not being his decision, but an arm snakes around his waist and pulls him in close. Akari sighs and sinks against him, letting his head rest against Hirato's chest. The other man is warm, far more so than his personality makes him seem.
Both are fine with only sleep that night.
.
.
.
A/N: AAAAAAAAAnd that's the end of this series. Hope you guys liked it! Thanks a ton for all of the reviews~
I'm probably not going to write too many more Hirato/Akari fics. I feel like I'm getting too repetitive. All of them are starting to follow similar patterns... Still, if you have anything you want me to write, hit me up. I'll more than likely write it for you.