Try A Little Tenderness
(or A Little Tenderness Can Be Trying)

by Holly Lyn

// indicates thoughts


Detective Jim Ellison grimaced sympathetically as he heard yet another 
exasperated half sigh/half snarl emanating from his partner's study. It was 
nearly midnight and the sounds were coming closer and closer together, not 
unlike labor pains. In addition to his duties as observer/Guide/Shaman to 
Ellison's detective/Sentinel/Protector, Blair Sandburg was a full time grad 
student and teaching fellow at Rainier University while working on his Doctoral 
thesis in anthropology. 

The past three weeks had been unusually brutal on the younger man. The 
criminal element in Cascade had gone nuts nearly doubling the case load in the 
Major Crime department at exactly the same time as Sandburg wound up not only 
taking his own final exams of the year, but also proctoring exams for his own 
students. Sandburg had - quite vocally - refused to cut back on his time spent 
with Ellison at the precinct during all of this, spending his off duty hours 
studying, writing exams, and now grading the tests he had administered. A week 
of late night stakeouts had virtually eliminated any spare time Blair had set 
aside to do his grading in a leisurely manner and now he was facing a noon 
deadline to get his grades posted to the University registrar's office.

Blair was not the only one feeling the effects of his overloaded schedule. 
Every single moment of his time at the loft during the past three weeks had been 
spent alone in his study, leaving Jim to his own devices more. Jim, used to 
having his own personal Blair-sized shadow when they were home, was feeling a 
tad put upon. They did everything together from cooking dinner to cleaning the 
loft, watching television to ... to ... other more 'pleasurable' pursuits. All 
of this had ground to a halt as Blair got progressively further behind, 
including the pleasurable pursuits. Each night Jim slouched up the stairs to 
their loft bedroom and climbed into their huge bed alone while his young lover 
struggled through his workload and slept in his old, lumpy futon bed in the 
study when he was too exhausted to go on. Blair was not the only frustrated one 
in the loft; the only difference was that Jim's frustration was of a completely 
different nature.

"No. No. No!" Blair's voice muttered from behind the half-closed French 
doors and Jim could hear him furiously scribbling something into one of the blue 
books he was grading. "Am I _that_ bad a teacher that you couldn't grasp this 
simple concept?" Blair continued on haranguing himself.

"Aw, Chief," Jim said softly, feeling an ache in his chest at the edge of 
despair he could hear in his lover's voice. Enough was enough, he decided 
abruptly. Blair had been giving his all for long enough without any sort of 
reciprocation and it looked like it was up to him to change that. When he'd gone 
in to refresh Blair's caffeine supply two and a half hours before, there had 
only been about a dozen of the blue exam books left on the to-do pile. At about 
fifteen minutes per exam to grade them, he figured that Blair had to be down to 
his last few; close enough that he could take a little time out, maybe get in a 
good night's sleep, and still have time to finish up in the morning and e-mail 
the grades to the University on time. Jim had spoken to Simon earlier in the 
evening and been granted a few days leave to allow Blair some down time once his 
school commitments had been taken care of so they had no place they had to be in 
the morning.

With a plan of action starting to form in his mind, Jim lowered the lights 
in the living room and started up the stairs with a devilish grin on his face. 
There was something hidden away in the back of his wardrobe from his days in 
Vice that should do the trick for both of them.

%%%%%

Blair tossed the last blue book on the stack of finished exams and rubbed 
tiredly at his eyes. //Sometimes//, he thought, //it would be less painful to 
bang my head repeatedly against a brick wall.// God he was exhausted. He thought 
he remembered, somewhere in the fog of his sleep-depraved (er, should that be 
deprived?) brain, Jim telling him that he'd gotten a couple of days off. If 
Blair had his way he was going to spend the better part of those days in the 
arms of Morpheus.

Too tired to move just yet, Blair pillowed his head on his crossed arms. 
He'd give it a couple of minutes and then make the move to his old futon. He 
hadn't heard any noise from the front room for a while so Jim had either fallen 
asleep on the couch or had already made his way upstairs to bed. No sense in 
disturbing him; besides, Blair had serious doubts as to whether or not he'd be 
able to make it up the stairs under his own steam.

It took a few moments before Blair realized that the slight pulsing rhythm 
he'd been feeling under his stockinged toes was being accompanied by a low thrum 
of sound coming from the living room. He thought he recognized the song even 
though the levels on the vocals had been muted so that they were barely heard 
over the heavy bass beat of the guitars. "Sheila (Likes Tequila)" by Steelheart 
had been one of his favorite songs for getting in the mood for some hot and 
heavy, down and dirty sex before he and Jim had gotten together. Since then, 
music had often played a part in their love making but Blair hadn't thought that 
this song was appropriate for any of their encounters. While they had had some 
pretty mind boggling romps between them, (he remembered quite fondly one night 
when Alice Cooper's "Poison" had led to some of the wildest, most passionate sex 
the two men had had up to that point), this song belonged to 'before' in his 
mind.

Time to investigate. He half turned in his chair to get up and head to the 
living room and stopped. Stopped moving. Stopped thinking. Stopped breathing. 
Just plain stopped. Standing in the doorway to the study was a vision straight 
out of one of his most secret wet dreams. Jim was posed against the doorjamb one 
bare foot flat against the floor, the other propped against the wood frame 
canting his hips in a seductive pose. Long, muscular legs were encased in tight 
black low-slung leather that hugged in all the right places, laced up the sides 
and at the crotch, and ended at Jim's ankles. A matching black leather vest, 
with silver chain accents, completed the ensemble leaving the naked flesh of 
Jim's well- defined chest and arms gleaming faintly in the soft lighting. 
"Hello, lover," the vision said softly.

Oh. My. God. "Jesus, James," Blair gasped, licking suddenly dry lips. He 
rose slowly to his feet, holding on to the chair back to make sure he stayed up 
once he got there.

Jim smiled as Blair's heart rate went into overdrive. The scent of his 
excitement was heavy in the air. The kid may have had dark shadows under his 
eyes but his pupils were dilated with arousal, only a thin sapphire line left 
around the edges. "Like what you see, kiddo?"

"Uh huh," the response was barely a whisper but the Sentinel heard it 
clearly over the low sound of the music as the song he had chosen clicked over 
and started again on its repeat cycle.

Jim stepped across the floor in time with the music until he was chest to 
chest with the younger man. "You look tired, love. Did you finish?"

"Uh huh."

Okay, Blair was stuck at non-verbal. But was the meltdown a result of 
exhaustion or impending orgasm. As if in answer, Blair leaned up and latched on 
to Jim's mouth with determination and strength that neither man would have 
thought he was capable of. His fingers tightened like steel bands around Jim's 
biceps as the younger man did everything he could to try to become one with his 
lover.

Gently disengaging Blair, Jim raised his face up. "Are you too tired for 
this? Would you rather sleep?"

"Jim. <bite, lick> Oh, man. <kiss, nibble> Jim." Blair's hands were 
everywhere, mapping out familiar territory that he'd been absent from for far 
too long.

Blair was still not totally coherent but it seemed his primal inner lizard 
was being held at bay with a little more force. Jim allowed the restrained 
exploration to continue, chuckling inwardly at the reaction his surprise had 
provoked. The only question left now was how was he going to calm the younger 
man down enough to let Jim finish what he wanted to do.

"You <pant> Want <huff> Need <gasp> Now!" Blair rambled while trying to 
figure out how to unwrap his present from its tight leather bindings.

Jim could feel the hard length of his lover's erection burning him through 
layers of leather and denim and had a feeling that if he could not slow the 
proceedings down, it would be over before it started. A drastic course of action 
was needed. Grasping his Guide's roaming fingers in one hand, he cupped Blair's 
chin with the other, gently forcing eye contact. He shook his head slightly and 
softly said, "No."

"No?!" 

//My god, could a frustrated whimper sound anymore pathetic?// Jim thought 
with amusement as he stared into indigo pools of lust and repeated, "No."

<Whimper!>

Maintaining eye to eye contact, Jim used his hands to steer Blair 
backwards until his knees hit the edge of the futon. He then directed the 
younger man to sit and stepped back, breaking all contact. Blair moaned at the 
loss and nibbled dejectedly at his lips. "Oh, Chief, just hear me out, okay?" 
Jim soothed. Blair nodded and continued to gaze up at him, eyes wide and 
shining. "Blair, you've been running yourself ragged for three weeks solid. 
Giving your all to me, the station, the University, your students. I - I want to 
do something for you now. Something nice. You deserve something nice, don't 
you?"

"Uh huh."

Oops. Back to non-verbal. //Was that drool on his chin?// "Good. Now, all 
you have to do, Chief, is relax and let me do all the work. You think you can do 
that?"

"Uh huh."

//Oooookay.// Jim sat on the bed next to his befuddled mate. Blair made a 
slight move towards him but backed off at a tiny shake of Jim's head. 
//Better.// "That's good, Chief. I'll do all the hard stuff for a change." Blair 
giggled. "What?"

"I'm afraid you aren't going to be doing _all_ the *hard* stuff, tough 
guy," he snickered and gazed pointedly down at his groin where precum was 
already staining his threadbare jeans.

Jim rolled his eyes. "Give me strength," he muttered good-naturedly and 
removed Blair's flannel shirt. //Kid dressed light today. Only two more layers 
to go.// The fact that Blair had refrained from helping earned the younger man a 
deep, lush kiss. "There's more where that came from, love. Ready?"

A solemn nod was the only response he got. He pulled Blair's sweatshirt 
and undershirt over his arms in one smooth motion and placed his hand in the 
center of the curl-covered chest. The kid's heart was going like a jackhammer in 
there. "Blair." Sandburg's eyes were closed, lashes fluttering against pale 
cheeks. "Chief, you awake in there?" The eyes opened, clearly showing the hard 
fought battle for restraint that was going on inside. "You're doing good. But I 
need you to calm down a little for me here. Do one of your breathing exercises 
while I go out and make sure the loft is secure for the night."

Blair nodded and closed his eyes again. Jim could hear him struggling to 
slow his breathing and pulse as he made a circuit of the windows and doors and 
turned off the all but one downstairs light. He clicked off the stereo and lit 
up one of Blair's juniper scented meditation candles, carrying it with him as he 
re-entered the study. 

Either the meditation techniques had worked or the kid had fallen asleep. 
Either option would be okay for the time being. If Blair needed to sleep first, 
Jim was not going to be put out even if it did ruin one of his best seduction 
scenes to date. This was for Blair and nothing else mattered.

Placing the candle in the middle of the work desk, Jim switched the 
reading lamp to its lowest setting and turned to find Blair watching him with 
just a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "You back with me now?"

A deep breath. A bigger smile. "Yeah. I think so. Man, what did you have 
to fry my circuits like that for?"

"I didn't mean to send you into orbit so quickly."

"You didn't mean ..." Blair sputtered indignantly. "You come walking in 
here wearing that ... that ... that absolutely trashy and shameless get up. Pose 
in the door like something out of one of my hottest fucking wet dreams and you 
didn't think I'd go a little nuclear?" Blair laughed. "And here I thought I was 
the one with mush for brains after toasting them 24/7 for three weeks straight. 
You are some piece of work, man."

Jim pounced, landing on the bed and taking Blair down with him in one 
fluid motion. "But I'm your piece of work, Sandburg," he growled, "and you loved 
every single minute of it. Now are you gonna shut up and let me finish what I 
set out to do?"

"Oh, you sweet talker, you," Blair huffed and curled up fighting another 
round of giggles.

One hand clamped over Blair's mouth as Jim pressed him firmly into the 
mattress. "No more talking, Chief. This is my game and we play by my rules. Got 
it?" Jim's voice was a silken purr. Blair nodded, his eyes dilating widely 
again. "I want to show you just how special you are and how much all your hard 
work means to me." 

Another nod. Jim moved his hand away and brought his mouth down to 
thoroughly ravish Blair's inviting mouth. His hands were busy at the waistband 
of the younger man's jeans and he could feel him squirming as his erection came 
back to full attention. Breaking off the kiss, Jim slid down the lightly furred 
body and took jeans, boxers, and socks off in one fell swoop, laying his lover 
bare to his eyes.

Blair was magnificent in the flickering candle light. Tawny, gilded 
shadows of skin covered with a masculine sprinkling of hair and the beginning 
sheen of perspiration. "You are so beautiful," he breathed quietly.

A whimper from the head of the bed caught his attention and the pleading 
he saw in the passion flushed face galvanized him into action. He tore the vest 
off and shucked out of the leather pants quicker than he ever had before. 
Blair's gasp as he realized that Jim had gone commando under the sexy leathers 
was loud in the otherwise quiet room.

Jim covered the smaller man like a living blanket. He pressed Blair's 
hands into the comforter, reinforcing his desire for Blair to stay passive for 
now. Blair swallowed, nodded and relaxed letting his larger lover take the lead.

Nosing through the luxuriant curls and behind the grad student's ears, Jim 
rediscovered all of the Blair scents he loved best and had missed during the 
past three weeks. The natural herbal smell of his shampoo, the unique fragrance 
of Blair's own scent, and his spicy body wash and deodorant combined to create a 
heady symphony that only a Sentinel could fully appreciate.

A kiss to each eyelid, one to the tip of a perfect nose, another to 
already kiss-swollen lips before Jim slid lower to take in the delight of 
textures that awaited him on his Guide's chest. The pebbly feel of each nipple 
as they hardened under multiple swipes of his tongue, exploding Blair taste into 
his mouth. The cool, smooth nipple ring. Silken skin overlaid by just the right 
amount of crisp curling hair arrowing down and leading to a darker, denser bush 
of hair.

Jim ignored the center of Blair's need for the time being and turned his 
boneless lover onto his stomach so he could map out the muscled contours of his 
back. He made sweeping passes up and down the quivering body. Scenting. Brushing 
sensitive fingertips along a surface damp with perspiration. Tasting. A shoulder 
blade here, a buttock there, just behind the left knee. 

A small sound interrupted the sensual feast and Jim cocked his head. Blair 
hadn't moved, hadn't uttered a word, but there was a tenseness present that 
hadn't been there just a moment ago and a tang of salt. "Chief?" Jim turned his 
mate back over and was shocked at the trickle of tears leaking from closed eyes. 
"Blair, what's wrong?"

"Too much," the words were almost inaudible even to Sentinel ears but the 
sob that accompanied them was not. Blair's body was wracked with tremors that he 
could do nothing to control.

"Sorry. So sorry," Jim murmured and gathered the quaking man into his 
arms. "Should have realized you weren't up for this."

"No. Not your fault," Blair countered. "Just too good. I'm so fried that 
I've got no control." He tucked his face into the juncture between Jim's neck 
and shoulder.

"Shhhhh. Hush now," Jim soothed. "Your game now. What do you need, love?"

"Want to finish. Please don't leave me hanging."

"Never in a million years, sweetheart. Can you hold on for just a bit 
longer?" 

Blair bit his lip and nodded. "Think so." A slight pause. "Jim? Inside 
me?"

"Your wish ..." Jim left the end of the statement dangling as he reached 
into the bedside table for the lube they kept stashed there for emergencies such 
at this.

No matter how desperate they both were, Jim always took the time to fully 
preparing his lover for their lovemaking. His larger size and more dominant 
strength was never far from his mind and he refused to hurt Blair for the sake 
of a few extra minutes of preparation.

Blair slid a pillow under his hips and smiled shyly. "Need to see you, 
lover. Want to be able to hold you and kiss you. Love you so much." The last was 
a Sentinel-soft whisper and Jim's heart melted.

"Love you too, mine." Jim positioned himself and pressed gently inside the 
tight, hot channel that was waiting for him.

A sigh escaped Blair's lips as Jim slid home. A couple of residual tears 
streaked back into his hair but his eyes shone with love and pleasure. "No place 
else I'd rather be," he whispered as Jim thrust just a little; enough to 
stimulate his prostate and send a frisson of energy sparking along his spine. 
Blair planted his feet firmly on the futon and gave a little push of his own.

Jim leaned down for a kiss and began moving in a slow, easy glide. Nothing 
strenuous, nothing athletic, just pure, sinuous motion. One of his hands was 
caught in a strong, sure grasp and Blair kissed each individual knuckle before 
lowering their joined hands to his own cock for some additional stimulation.

There were no fireworks. The earth didn't spin off its axis. Stars didn't 
fall from the sky. But it was beautiful none the less. Blair stiffened first; 
his eyes widened a fraction further, almost in surprise, and with a quiet gasp, 
he spilled his completion over their hands. The powerful contractions of Blair's 
internal muscles were all Jim needed to finish. He thrust powerfully, leaned in 
for another kiss and moaned into Blair's mouth as the waves of his climax 
rippled through him and ebbed into contentment. 

Jim's softened penis slid out of it's comfortable sheath with no effort on 
his part whatsoever. His head drooped and he let his forehead touch down on his 
partner's breastbone listening to the sound of a heartbeat he knew better than 
anyone else's. 

A hand feathered through his hair and Jim raised his head to see two 
drowsy blue eyes blearily trying to focus on him. Blair's hand cupped his face, 
the thumb rubbing tiny circles on his cheekbone. "Love you so musssssh," the 
endearment drifted out slowly as Blair gave up the fight and let sleep take him 
down.

On shaky legs Jim tottered across the hall and grabbed a warm, wet 
washcloth to clean both of them up. On his way back from the second trip to 
deposit the used linen in the tub, he gazed wistfully at the large comfortable 
bed up on the second level. His eyes tracked back to the snuffling, exhausted 
bundle in the lumpy futon. There was no decision to be made. He blew out the 
candle and wrapped himself carefully around his sleeping Guide.

//There truly was no place like home.//

The End.