Title: In His Dreams
Author: Sparkle731

Type: Slash
Summary: Hutch reflects on Starsky's sleeping habits.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Starsky and Hutch. Just borrowing them for awhile.
Format: Story
Category: Committed Relationship
Rating: NC-17

In His Dreams
by Sparkle731

I have known David Micheal Starsky for over twenty years, as a friend, a partner, and a lover. I’ve come to know ever aspect of his unique personality and his sleeping habits.

Have you ever really just sat and watched someone sleep? I have, many times under many different circumstances.

Starsky and I met in the police academy and shared a room together. That was the first opportunity I got to watch Starsky sleep. The amazing thing about Starsky is that he can sleep anywhere at any time. After a long day of class work and physical activity, Starsky would flop onto the bed and be out in seconds. Sprawled across the bed on his stomach with his face buried in his pillow, he wouldn’t move until morning.

After a night of heavy drinking with the guys, he could still fall asleep just as easily but on those nights, he was more apt to snore and to talk in his sleep. Sometimes he would even get into imaginary fights, swinging out with his hands at someone he could only see in his dreams.

After we graduated and became partners on the force, I soon discovered that Starsky’s ability to fall asleep anywhere included in the front seat of the car during a long, boring stakeout late at night. He’d sprawl against the passenger’s side door with his head resting against the glass and doze off. Even though he looked dead to the world, he could be awake and alert in an instant if he needed to be.

I also discovered another aspect of Starsky sleep patterns that I wish I’d never seen. The way he sleeps when he’s hurting and in the hospital. It’s not a restful, natural sleep...it’s a drug induced sleep intended to just keep him still so his body can rest and heal. And it’s easy to tell the difference. He lays there so still and quiet, but you can tell he’s in pain by the tightening of his mouth and the sharp lines around his eyes. And by watching his hands as they clench into fists when the pain becomes too much for him to bear, even in his sleep. He becomes restless and agitated when he’s in a drug-induced sleep and only the sound of my voice and my touch seems to soothe him, assuring him that he’s not alone in his pain.

Then there’s my favorite time to watch Starsky sleep. That peaceful sleep he falls into after we’ve made love for hours. He looks so much like a little boy then, so vulnerable and trusting. And those are the times when he turns into a cuddlier. He curls up against me, usually with his head resting on my shoulder and one arm thrown across my stomach or my chest. I can feel his breath, soft and gentle against my skin, and feel the complete trust he’s placed in my ability to keep him safe when he’s at his most vulnerable. That’s when I can lay and watch him sleep for hours, happy and content that he’s mine and we’re together at last.

I sometimes wonder if he watches me sleep the way I watch him. And if he does, if it means the same things to him that it does to me. Maybe someday I’ll ask him but until then, I’m content to just hold him in my arms and let him rest.

THE END