He slowly walked through his dark apartment, finding his way by
the weak light from outside and by routine. Moving up the stairs
he began to loosen his tie and to unbutton his shirt. A shower and
his bed was all he wanted now.
The week had been long and exhausting. In some ways he was glad
that tomorrow would be Saturday and that he didn't have to go to
the office unless there was an emergency demanding his attention.
All he wanted to do was sleep and forget the bureau and everything
about it for the next two days.
He walked into his bedroom, dropped his jacket and tie on the
chair and stopped surprised when he saw the dark lump in his bed.
Reaching for his gun he moved closer until he recognised the
sleeper and a smile crossed his face. The man in his bed turned
and opened his eyes slightly.
"Walter?" a sleepy question.
"Yes, go back to sleep. I'll be there soon."
An even sleepier murmur was the answer. "'kay."
Skinner moved into the bathroom and grabbed a quick shower,
feeling himself relax as the warm water pounded over his
shoulders. Naked, he padded back into the bedroom and pulled on a
clean pair of shorts before he moved back to the bed where he
stood for a moment and watched the man entangled in his sheets.
In the diffuse half-light of the bedroom the younger man was a
pale shadow sprawled across the surface of the bed. He had the
covers pulled all the way up over his shoulders, only his head
sticking out and one foot, tempting Walter to tickle it. It took
some will-power on his side but in the end he won the war with his
own little devil.
Instead Skinner settled on the side of the bed and watched the
other man for a moment. Asleep he looked younger than usual, less
guarded. The lines that stress, pain, and loss had etched on his
face were smoothed out. A fine-boned face with pale skin and dark
hair, beautiful even with those intense eyes closed. Just
breathtaking.
Sometimes Skinner wondered what the younger man saw in an old man
like him, why he came back. There were prettier men outside,
younger men and many better suited for this than him. Could it be
the lure of danger? The constant threat of discovery?
Skinner marvelled at the trust the man in his bed displayed,
sleeping as if nothing could harm him. Maybe he felt safe here and
maybe that was the reason why he always came back, even if he
couldn't stay for longer than a weekend.
"Walt?" the low voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Hm?"
"Come to bed?"
He laughed softly and moved under the sheets. The younger man
cuddled closer, burrowing into Walter's warmth and he wrapped his
arms around the naked body.
"I'm glad that you're here," Skinner whispered into the soft dark
hair.
"Me too."
His hands stroked slowly over the smooth, muscular back, enjoying
the feeling of the warm body pressed against his own. The younger
man shifted slightly and sighed, rubbing himself against Skinner.
"Tired?" Walter asked, lazily kneading the muscles under his hand,
noting how the tension slowly drained away and the muscles became
smooth.
"Yeah," a soft exhalation. "Long day, hard week."
"Me too."
Walter settled deeper into bed, tugging the covers around himself
and his young lover, enjoying the warmth and closeness. It had
been too long since the other man had stayed here for the night.
Most of the time their meetings were brief and passionate. There
was rarely time in their life for this simple loving.
"Sorry, but I'm too tired for anything." The words were mumbled
into his shoulder and barely audible.
Walter dropped a kiss on the dark head resting on his shoulder.
"That's okay, we have all weekend." A brief flare of worry touched
him and he had to reassure himself. "You are able to stay, aren't
you?"
"Yeah."
"Good." Satisfied with the answer Skinner closed his eyes,
listening to the even breathing of the other man, revelling in the
closeness.
He felt sleep drawing closer when the other man suddenly laughed
softly.
"What?" he wanted to know.
"You know, this really beats spending the night on your balcony."
Walter grinned, amusement colouring his voice. "I can imagine."
With these words he pulled Alex Krycek closer, again marvelling at
the changes in their lives that had brought them together.
end
November 1998
Sleeping Beauty
by Gwendolen
With a soft snick the door closed behind him and Walter S. Skinner
finally allowed himself to relax. Home sweet home, he thought and
couldn't help but shake his head ruefully at the thought. His
apartment still didn't feel like home, not when he spent the
majority of his days and hours in his office.
