The BLTS Archive - Rest
first in the The Four Rs series
by ShoSen (shosen@totallykawaii.com)

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Disclaimer: All stories not found in the Originals section are works
of fanfiction. The characters are not the property of the fanfiction
author, and belong to their respective copyright holders. No money is
being made from the production of these stories.

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"You haven't been sleeping, have you?" Malcolm asked.

"No," Trip snapped. "I know I should be nice, but these guys are still
keeping me up all night."

"My section's farther up the Catwalk. We can't hear them from there."

"How nice for you."

Malcolm sighed. "If you'd like to switch for a night, I'm sure the
Captain would be able to find you if something else goes wrong."

"Seriously?" Trip finally looked up from the report he was reading and
found Malcolm watching him with bemused exasperation.

"You're cranky," the Armoury officer explained, "which you have told
me in no uncertain terms means that you need sleep."

Trip laughed, "Yeah, well, I don't tend to hide that."

"Go ahead, get some rest," Malcolm took the report away from Trip,
"before you take someone's head off."

Feeling every missing second of sleep crash down under him suddenly,
he staggered to his feet and patted Malcolm's shoulder as he went by.
"Thank you." He barely heard the British officer's reply as he focused
entirely on marching his feet towards the sleeping area that had been
assigned to Malcolm.

Reaching it, he pulled the curtains closed to allow some darkness, and
then collapsed into the blankets, pulling them tight around him.
Blissful silence. There was the slight murmur of conversation, but it
was nothing compared to what he'd put up with over the past few days.
He was asleep within seconds.

He woke later, going about it slowly and reluctantly. He was
comfortable, wrapped in the warm embrace of the blankets. Malcolm's
blankets. He was burrowed deeper under the fabric, breathing in the
Armoury officer's scent. The blankets, to his half-asleep mind, like
arms around him, a warm chest against him back, and with the
connection of the scent it was Malcolm holding him so warm and tight.
The vision was so real that he expected to feel soft breath against
his neck and the skin tingled with anticipation. He stirred, trying to
dispel the image, and the blankets tightened, Malcolm holding him
closer, and it was more than just his neck reacting with expectation
now.

He gasped lightly, licking his lips as his mind held the image and his
body tightened in anticipation of a touch that would never come.
Couldn't come, because Malcolm wasn't here. He was in a different
section of the Catwalk, lying under Trip's blankets, wrapped in them
as tightly as the engineer was in his. Were his thoughts the same as
well? Was his body hard and expectant at the thought of Trip's touch?

This line of speculation was not helping his current problem. He
shifted again, this time letting the embrace of the blankets loosen.
The mental image didn't vanish, but instead whispered Malcolm's
earlier words.

"You need sleep."

Trip nodded, relaxing back against the pillows, his tired body holding
Malcolm's arms loosely around his waist.

"Go ahead, get some rest." With the soothing murmur in his ear he
slipped back to sleep, held securely by his fantasy and the warmth of
the blankets.

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continued in the second story in the the Four Rs series 'Relaxation'