Hello there! I've decided my first oneshot here shall be a cute one for Temari and Gaara because they're amazing characters that's why! I've never written them before, so tell me what you think!
Temari wasn't certain what had awoken her in the middle of the night. It could have been that sensation of falling whilst dreaming, but she couldn't remember. All that she knew was that once she was awake, her attention was drawn by the sound of movement.
It came from the kitchen.
Her eyes, though still half lidded, narrowed as her training kicked in and she roused herself to be fully alert. Slipping out of her warm bed caused goosebumps to appear along her bare arms as the black tank top and pyjama pants did little to preserve her body heat in the chilly desert nights. She crept down the stairs silently, wishing she had a weapon, but realised she would just have to rely on her fists if this came to a fight.
Padding her way through the hall noiselessly, she saw a small flood of light shining through the kitchen door, which was opened a miniscule crack. An aqua eye peeked through and she released a sigh of relief and exasperation.
Gaara was up again.
His slender frame was hunched over the kitchen table as he sipped a mug of camomile tea, his eyes shut and his breathing slow and steady. Temari slipped in and made her way quietly over to him.
"Gaara, you should be sleeping," she scolded softly, "The doctors said you need to sleep. You don't have Shukaku to make up for the strain on your body anymore."
Gaara cracked his soft aquamarine eyes open to stare up at his older sister. Shifting a little, he released a tiny sigh.
"I can't," he murmured, his voice raspy and fatigued, "I have…bad dreams."
Temari bit her lip, her maternal and sisterly nature kicking in. Gaara, her baby brother, couldn't sleep because he was plagued with nightmares. What was she going to do about it? Would he accept comfort, or shun it? Was he still against physical contact, even though she was his sister?
She guessed there was only one way to find out. Trial and error had worked wonders in the past, so why not now?
"What have you tried?" she asked quietly, "Did you use the tea?"
Gaara held up his now empty mug with a bland look on his face, as if to say, 'are you stupid?' Temari sweatdropped a little, offering an apologetic smile.
"Well, what did the doctors suggest?" she asked.
"I…never told them," Gaara replied softly, refusing to look her in the eye. Temari blinked in surprise. Gaara was embarrassed, she realised. Of course he was, he was the Kazekage and he was scared of nightmares…well maybe not scared, surely Gaara wasn't afraid of anything.
"What…do you do…when you…can't sleep?" the redhead asked, almost timidly, again stunning Temari into a quiet stupor for a few seconds before her brain kick started again. She thought for a moment, wondering what she did that Gaara could try.
"I like a warm glass of milk!" she said enthusiastically, "It usually knocks me right out!"
Gaara stared at her blankly before offering a curt nod to which Temari grinned, glad that she could at least try to help. Humming softly, she grabbed a glass and the carton of milk, heating it up quickly in the microwave. For added effect, she grabbed two chocolate chip cookies from their secret stash (which remained only a secret to Kankuro) and slipped over to the table.
"Here!" she offered the glass and cookie to her brother. Gaara took them wordlessly but with a tiny tilt of his head, showing his thanks. Temari grinned and sat down opposite him, pulling her knees up to her chin on the kitchen chair before starting to nibble on her cookie.
Gaara silently sipped the warm milk, wrinkling his nose a little at the taste it left in his mouth. It wasn't so bad after washing it down with the cookie though. Temari began to giggle, her hand covering her mouth only half-heartedly.
"What are you laughing at?" Gaara queried, eyes narrowed as she tried to stifle the laughs. Temari shook her head and grabbed a dishcloth from behind her on the counter.
"You've got a milk moustache," she explained, "Just wipe it away."
Gaara cocked his head to the side, again startling Temari with his youth; she often forgot he was just fifteen. Accepting the dishcloth uncertainly, he wiped the thin layer of milk away from his upper lip. Sitting still for a moment, he crossed his arms again.
"I still don't feel tired," he announced. Temari frowned again, the previous issue arising again. What else could they do?
"Um, you could read a book," she suggested, "That might make you more tired."
"I've read every book in the house," Gaara stated, "Including the cookbooks and the dictionary."
Temari didn't need to ask when he felt the need to read those, realising that fourteen years without slumber required a lot to fill up the time. Her mind whirred for a new idea, stopping at another one.
"How about a jigsaw puzzle!" she exclaimed.
"Jigsaw puzzle," Gaara repeated hesitantly. His sister nodded eagerly.
"Yeah, a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle!" she stated, "It will keep us busy for a while and tire you out."
Gaara looked to be mulling the idea over. Temari hoped he said yes, having remembered that she had a lovely jigsaw that was given to her as a gift. She was also hoping that Gaara's sleep issue would be resolved soon; she was ready to nod off where she sat.
"Okay."
And so Temari found herself sitting on the floor of her bedroom, opposite Gaara, with one thousand tiny pieces of jigsaw between them, ready to be fitted together. The picture was supposed to be of a lush, exotic rainforest, as a break from 'all those sand dunes', as her friend had said.
"We need to find the straight edges first," Temari stated absently, scanning the pile with tired eyes.
Safe to say, Gaara did find most of them in the tranquil silence that fell between them. One thing Temari appreciated about Gaara was the lack of need for words. He was perfectly content with a person's presence, rather than their conversation. Temari only wished Kankuro had the same quality sometimes, given that he never shut up; though she would never truly wish that her brothers were different, she loved them both equally.
"You're tired," Gaara said, pulling her from her drowsy thoughts. Snapping her attention to the redhead's face, she could have sworn she saw a flash of concern. A smile etched on her face.
"No, no, I'm alright," she said cheerfully, "What matters is when you get tired."
Gaara glanced down at the puzzle, the border of which was finished, mostly due to his efforts in an attempt to tire his mind. He was tired now, but the nightmares…they weren't really worth it.
"I am…tired," he said slowly. The blonde opposite him sighed a little, deciding that she could try one last thing. She bit the bullet.
"Would you like to stay with me?" she asked as casually as she could, "Just for tonight?"
Gaara's eyes widened a fraction. He wasn't sure what to do. He had always been alone at night. He had never needed the company. The truth was that the prospect of sleep now that Shukaku was gone had made him feel…happier, much more relaxed. But the bad dreams were a plague, exhausting him more than staying awake ever could. He realised that he felt that same happiness now, spending these small hours with his sister, whose tiny inviting smile just tempted him to seek refuge.
"You don't have to," Temari said softly, "But it could help with the nightmares."
The young Kazekage climbed to his feet, his eyes downcast. Temari's face fell, believing that he was going to leave. She had overstepped the mark that kept her brother screened off from her. With a defeated sigh, she nodded and climbed into her bed.
"Good night Gaara," she called quietly. Her brother turned the light of her room out and walked towards the door.
"Good night Temari," he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear. He closed the door behind him, but he did see the little smile on his sister's face. It made him give his own tiny smile to no one in particular.
Temari awoke the next morning to the first morning rays shining through her window. She groaned, realising that she had only been sleeping for a few hours. She wondered meekly if Gaara had managed to fall asleep. Rolling over, she ended up with a nose full of red locks. Her eyes opened wider when she realised why she felt so warm and snug.
Gaara was lying next to her, fast asleep, cuddled into her side, with his head on her shoulder. He had trusted her to keep the nightmares away. Temari smiled brightly, resting a hand in his unruly hair and closing her eyes, drifting back into sleep. They did deserve to sleep in after all.
Kankuro meandered downstairs and into the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast before heading out on a mission. After making himself some toast, he left the house with its two remaining occupants snoozing away and two innocent empty glasses of milk resting on the table top.
Well, was it good? Cute? Terrible? I would like feedback if you can give me some :3 R&R folks!