Pairings: one-sided Jiraiya/Orochimaru, implied Orochimaru/Tsunade

Rating/Warning: PG-13 / some tongue action

A Moment Worth a Thousand Words

by: Ryoko (Lewd Concubine)

The room was so dark he could barely discern the vague outline of Orochimaru's bed, could barely see his teammate under the sheets.

Jiraiya took a step towards the bed and Orochimaru grunted in his sleep, causing him to freeze in place. He really didn't want to wake his comrade up. He was only here to check on him. It had been several days since he'd seen Orochimaru and he had been starting to worry. Their last mission had been particularly difficult, a routine assassination gone horribly wrong. Somehow the enemy had found out about their mission---he suspected there was a mole in the ranks--and had almost prevented them from taking out their target. There had been a fierce battle in which he and his teammates had almost been killed, far out numbered as they were, followed by several tense days of hiding in the jungle with barely any supplies. Before then, he had never seen Orochimaru receive so much as a scratch on a mission; his pale companion seemed impervious to injury. He himself had been pretty bad off, but not as bad as Orochimaru, which was why he was worried now.

Across the room, Orochimaru shuddered and rolled onto his side, his breath leaving him in a harsh gasp that rattled Jiraiya's nerves. He approached the sleeping ninja apprehensively, his steps slow and silent. One could never be sure exactly what to expect when it came to the snake-like man. Jiraiya stopped at the edge of the bed and stared down at his teammate. Living alone, Orochimaru didn't need a full bed, but for some reason he had one anyway. He leaned over to get a closer look, his long hair accidentally falling over his shoulder and brushing the sleeping man.

In a flash, Orochimaru rolled over, eyes wide. Before he could move, Jiraiya felt a hand grab his hair and a kunai press against his throat, the sharp metal digging in enough to break his skin. For a moment, there was only wildness about his friend, then recognition seemed to fill his eyes. Orochimaru let go of his hair, sinking back down onto the mattress and heaving a most uncharacteristic sigh as he flicked the light on.

Jiraiya, for his part, was too shocked to move. Orochimaru's pale skin was flawless, not one bandage or cut marring his face, arms, or the exposed line of his chest. There was no way he had healed that quickly. Jiraiya still had at least two more days of medically required downtime before he could go on another mission. Mind reeling, he almost missed the smile creeping across Orochimaru's features.

"Don't look so surprised, Ji--ra--i--ya," he said, sneering, drawing out his name as if to taunt him, a strange gleam in his unnatural eyes. "Tsunade loves working on me. You should know that by now," he continued, his features relaxing as he laughed.

Jiraiya wasn't sure whether he wanted to punch him or sigh in relief that he was okay. He settled for bringing his hand across Orochimaru's face in a swift slap, the sound echoing through the mostly barren room as his teammate's head snapped to the side. Before he could draw his hand back from the motion, Orochimaru grabbed it, swinging his head back to look at Jiraiya as he did so. He yanked Jiraiya's arm until their faces were only inches apart, Jiraiya having to use his other arm to keep from completely falling on top of the snake-like man. Orochimaru's breath was hot on his face, but Jiraiya didn't move, not even when the other man's tongue came out to trace his cheek, sticky tendrils of saliva clinging to his skin it its wake. Orochimaru stared at him, their eyes locked as his tongue dipped lower to trail down Jiraiya's neck. He was left speechless and aroused as Orochimaru continued to play with him. Although he didn't want to admit it, he had always had a crush on the older man. He still considered himself straight. He just had a thing for Orochimaru, whatever that meant.

Almost as if sensing his thoughts, the snake-like man drew his appendages back and smiled. It did not quite reach his eyes, but this was par for the course with his teammate. "Your little crush is unrequited, I'm afraid."

The words caught Jiraiya by surprise and he pulled back. He was unsure exactly who Orochimaru was referring to, himself or Tsunade, but from the look in his eyes as he sat back, Jiraiya thought he could hazard a guess. Lips pursed, he stood and headed for the door. "I was just coming by to check on you, but you seem fine…" Jiraiya left the sentence unfinished as he fled the way he had come.

.

Most of this was written two years ago. Just had the inspiration to finish this and knew it'd probably never come around again. It's supposed to be longer and end differently, but better something than nothing. Love Orochimaru then, now, and forever. Hope you like!