Title: Lovers
Fandom: Lost
Characters: Sayid Jarrah
Prompt: #13 Lovers
Word Count: 281
Rating: PG-13

In many ways it's a game they play.

By day sharp tongued enemies.

By night? Soft tongued lovers.

It's a double edged sword but Sayid knows there's no other chance for them to be together. Their relationship can't stand up to the bright light of day. It's better suited for island nights when the ocean cools the air and the jungle drifts to sleep.

It's always a bit of a surprise to find Sawyer waiting for him at their secluded spot, free from the ever present prying eyes of the rest of the survivors. Sayid knows that the others talk in whispers about what they do in the jungle. Some think Sayid is building a radio tower and Sawyer is furnishing supplies. Not only are 'they' wrong, but Sayid considers them hopelessly unimaginative.

There are far more interesting things for he and Sawyer to do with one another than build something that ultimately will be of no use. Instead, they build something that is of great use and meaning to Sayid.

He doesn't mistake their frantic midnight fumblings for true love. He's lost too much to believe in happily ever after. He believes in the here and now. And in the here and now Sawyer had become his solace. There's forgetfulness in the calloused touch of his hand and the burn his his stubble against the back of Sayid's neck. There's a night of dreamless sleep after exhausting athletic sex that makes Sayid ache with the sublime savagery of it.

And while 'lovers' isn't the perfect word for what they are, it's the only word that will do.