Kisame was lying in bed. Well, technically he was on his stomach, propped up on his elbows, watching his partner Itachi sleep.
Itachi was lying on his back, hair down and splayed around him. His breathing was slow and even, his lips slightly parted. Kisame couldn't help smiling. "So cute." He looked so peaceful, so relaxed when he slept, something you never saw when the Uchiha was awake. But, it wasn't so much how Itachi looked when he slept that Kisame liked as it was the fact that Itachi was sleeping period.
The shark knew no one could possibly understand how Itachi's mind worked, but he'd probably come closer than anyone else. Itachi didn't like sleeping because it made you weak and defenseless. Never mind the fact that Itachi was a light sleeper with killer instincts and the reflexes of a cat, oh no. Sleep was the one time Itachi had to drop his guard, and that was something he didn't like.
In hospitals, Itachi wouldn't sleep. On missions, he wouldn't sleep. During storms, he wouldn't sleep (well, that was another issue entirely, but Kisame decided to count it). When he or Kisame were separated for solo assignments he wouldn't sleep. He didn't even fall asleep accidently on the couch. It seemed like there was only one time Itachi would sleep, and that was when he and Kisame were in their own room, and Kisame was sleeping beside him. Like tonight.
Kisame knew how baldy Itachi needed this. It must have been, what, 2 weeks since they'd been in their own room? Itachi had refused sleep for a fortnight, even when he collapsed in the road. Kisame had carried him back to the base, knowing that asking Itachi to doze for a while would be wasted breath. He had set Itachi down in their room, reported to Leader, grabbed some food, and came back to Itachi in about 5 minutes. Itachi ate while Kisame showered, still refusing the rest his body so badly needed. It wasn't until Kisame was tucked in beside him that the Uchiha allowed his eyes to close, and slipped into a deep slumber.
At times like this, Kisame was filled with a kind of happiness and pride. Itachi sleeping next to him meant 2 things. One, he trusted Kisame not to kill him in his sleep. And two, he trusted Kisame to protect him while he slept.
"How long are you going to be watching me?"
Kisame didn't even flinch. He'd guessed that Itachi might have woken up while he daydreamed. "I can't help it," he whispered, extending a hand to Itachi's cheek. "You're so damn cute like this. It's freakin' hard to keep my hands off of you when you're like this, you know."
Itachi hadn't even bothered to open his eyes. He grabbed hold of Kisame's arm and he flipped over onto his side, pulling Kisame close. Kisame, not missing a beat, wrapped his other arm around Itachi, both hands coming to rest over the Uchiha's heart. Nothing brought more comfort to Kisame than the sound and feel of his partner's heartbeat. "Happy now?" asked the sleepy Uchiha.
"Yeah. Love you, Itachi."
"One more word and I'll kill you."
Itachi received a kiss on the cheek for an answer, before allowing sleep to wash over him again.