Pugs and Gloves

Summary: Kakashi closed his eyes and pretended he was asleep, glad for his mask which helped hide the smirk playing on his lips. She hadn't lasted twenty-five minutes with Pakkun's snoring. Kaka/Saku, Oneshot.

A/N: Aah, I've been in love with Kaka/Saku for a while now, and then this really bad plot bunny bit me last night, so here it is! Lol. My first Kaka/Saku! Review, please! :)

She was awake when the small, four legged figure materialized right on top of her back.

"Ooof!"

"Oops." Pakkun said, slowly moving off Sakura's blanket-covered back and settling down on the empty space next to her. "Sorry about that. Not quite at my best at this time of the night..."

"Pakkun," she hissed, turning in bed to glare at the pug, "what are you doing here?"

Pakkun's only reply was to yawn widely, before turning his back towards her and mumbling, "He sent me because he thought you'd get lonely."

Sakura scowled.

"... And no, you will not send me back - it's three in the morning and I'm exhausted and need sleep." He cracked one eye open and looked at her. "You look like you could do with some too."

She said nothing, just settled back into her blanket and glared at her ceiling.

Three nights, now, she hadn't been able to catch a wink of sleep. She knew she looked horrible - purple bags under red eyes, pale skin and shaky movements. Tsunade had caught her napping at the desk and taken her off hospital duty for the entire week, mumbling about irresponsible ninja and telling her to cool it on the wild nights with Ino.

But it wasn't going out and partying with her loud female blonde friend that was causing Sakura's sleepless nights.

It was the man on her couch who refused to admit that there was a remote possibility that he was wrong and thus was subjecting her to insomnia with merely his absence, although it was she who'd kicked him out of their bed.

Pakkun let out a loud snore, and Sakura sighed.

It was ridiculous, she firmly told herself as she looped an arm around a pillow, she'd slept fine without Kakashi next to her before. Why now, then, when he'd only been with her for half a year, was she so bothered by his absence?

Because you don't have his heartbeat to listen to, Inner Sakura snidely remarked.

I have my clock, don't I?

Nobody to cover you up when the blanket slips just a little bit.

Oh, let it go ...

And no warm, muscular, toned arm around your waist holding you close. Inner Sakura continued.

...

And, for three days now, there hasn't been the promise of a kiss to wake you up, followed by his hands sliding up and into your-

Shut up!!!

And surprisingly, Inner Sakura was gone.

The silence lasted for maybe a heartbeat.

Pakkun's snores began again.

Sakura groaned.


When the door at the end of the hallway opened, Kakashi quickly closed his eyes and pretended he was sleeping, glad for his mask which helped hide the smirk playing on his lips.

She hadn't lasted twenty-five minutes with Pakkun's snoring.

Silently, she moved down the wooden hallway on bare feet, his talking pug held in her arms, still asleep and snoring quite loudly. Kakashi pretended he was still asleep when she came to a stop next to the couch and stood there, shuffling her feet, obviously deciding whether to wake him or not.

His smile faded a little as he realized she was backing away.

Instead of continuing to play dead, Kakashi let his eyes flutter open, pretending he'd just woken up, and caught her eyes. Faking surprise, he said, in a voice he hoped would sound rough from sleep, "Sakura?"

She looked like a deer caught in the headlights for maybe just a second. Then Pakkun's snores broke the tension, and she sighed and shook her head, saying, "Get up."

From where he lay on the couch, Kakashi only gazed up at her, innocent and confused-looking. "What...? But, don't you remember that you said..."

"I know what I said, Kakashi," Sakura said, a little testily, "But now I'm saying get up and get into bed, I can not sleep with your dog in my room!"

"Oh." He hoped he sounded disappointed and hurt; on the inside, he was dying of laughter. "So... you just want Pakkun gone." He sighed. "Well, I can always just ask him to go away, I guess. Here, let me have him, I'll just-"

"No!" Sakura cried out, then froze at the vehemency of her own voice.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

Gulping, Sakura forced herself to continue looking at him and said, "I mean... let him sleep on the couch tonight. He said he was tired and didn't want to be woken up. You c-can take the bed."

Kakashi held her gaze. "So. This is for Pakkun's comfort."

Sakura sighed. "Fine, I missed you, as well. Happy?"

Kakashi stood up immediately, picking up his pillow and moving towards the bedroom. On reaching the door, he turned and gave her a trademark eye-crease smile. "Very happy."

She followed him almost immediately, after settling Pakkun on the couch. She fell into bed with a sigh of relief, his warm arms already waiting for her. They interlaced with each other almost instantly, her arms finding their spot around his neck, his resting at the small of her back.

She nestled her face against his chest and mumbled something that he clearly understood.

Chuckling, he said, "It's a first, I think. You admitting I was right."

She whacked his chest gently.

He laughed outright at her then, pulling away his mask to kiss the crown of her head. "You should come up with better excuses. Nobody's going to moan 'I glove you' in the middle of sex, you know."

Sakura looked up, eyes glittering. "Just for that, next time, I will."

Kakashi laughed at her again. "You really can't beat Hatake hearing, Haruno. Just admit you said you love me."

She smiled. Bringing a small hand up to his lips, she whispered, "I glove you, Hatake."

He pulled her against his chest and buried his laughter in her pink hair. Sakura listened to his heartbeat, her smile turning goofy. As the two drifted off to sleep for the first time in three days, he whispered against the shell of her ear, "And I glove you, Haruno."