This is my last hurrah before my parents put me in lock-down for being a very bad girl. Kyan-kyan got kicked out of school again for being a lazy blah. Be good, boys and girls, and don't grow up to be like me.
Ya'll know the disclaimer by now, right?
Sleep
- -
The moon's pale light lanced down the window of the study, its radiance brighter than the lone candle. The quietly seated figure was thankful for it, though the falling snow made its laced shadows known in the clear light. The occasional crackle of the fire and the steady scritch of a pen on parchment were the only noises in the room. It was quiet. Too quiet.
It was broken by the opening creak of the door. The drowsy questioning mumble could barely be heard across the silence of the room.
"Come inside. You're letting the heat out."
There was a shuffle of padded slippers before the slowly moving silhouette stepped into the firelight. He looked like the child he never had the chance to become; soft, sleepy and uncertain in his dark blue, red spiral-patterned pajamas. His unbound hair was mussed and it still hung to his waist though it was pulled over one shoulder. In the light, his skin looked like molten gold, and it picked out the darker flecks of blue in his eyes.
"What's the matter?" he asked, tapping his chin with his pen as he stared at his blurred writing.
"I can't get to sleep." Naruto mumbled again, rubbing his eyes. "Why aren't you in bed?"
"I'm still busy."
The blond shuffled behind his chair and put his cotton-clothed arms around his lover's neck. "Too busy to come to bed?"
"Yes."
You could hear the pout in his voice as he gently stroked his lover's chest. "Too busy to sleep?"
"Yes."
"Too busy to play with me?" came the low whisper. The blond buried his nose behind the seated one's ear with a half-smile, deeply breathing in his scent.
The brunette could feel himself smile at the strangely innocent-sounding question. He curled his fingers around a lock of golden hair and brought it to his lips, glorying in the comfort it brought him. "Yes, too busy to play, my fox."
"You're always so busy, Sasuke." grumbled the demon. "Busy, busy, busy. I'm surprised you don't take your paperwork to bed with us."
"I don't imagine you'd be very happy if I did that. As I recall, you always need my undivided attention." He answered with a smirk, still rubbing the silky strands against his lips as he wrote.
"I'm not very right now." The blond stated, nipping at his skin in a bid for some 'undivided attention'.
"Just go to bed."
The delicately rounded chin came to rest on his shoulder. "I can't sleep." Naruto smiled ruefully into his neck. "Not without you."
"Well I can't get it done any faster if you cling to me like that."
The pajama'd blond frowned and stepped away, shuffling around to the side of his desk where a small stool was placed. It was just the right size for him to slump in and still peer over the desk at his partner's steadily moving hand.
"Stop moping."
"I'm not moping." Again, the small hand reached out for him, twisting in the fabric of his ANBU uniform. The blond didn't even realize he'd done it. "I'm waiting for you to finish."
Out of the corner of his eye, he scanned his lover; the slightly flushed face from the nearby warmth of the fire, the drooping eyes and the incessantly worried lip. He was serious. He would wait up for how ever long it took for him to finish. And he could never finish now, knowing that Naruto was here, patiently waiting.
The brunette pushed the chair away from the desk with a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He'd been doing that more often. He'd just slowly wear his nose away until he was left with a stump, all because of Naruto.
His lover looked at him inquiringly, still nibbling away on his lower lip. He opened his arms in invitation. "Come here already."
The blond snickered and went to him, settling himself on his lap. The arm closed around the small, lithe frame, one hand burying itself in the golden hair and the other moving to stroke his stomach. Naruto's arms slid happily around his neck and he brushed a kiss against the dark-haired temple. The hand in his blond hair pushed his head to rest on the broad shoulder and he obeyed, simply delighted to savor the security of his lover's touch.
"Go to sleep." The velvet-dark voice murmured against his hair. One could almost call his tone loving, but then, love wasn't part of the equation, was it? "You're with me now, my fox."
The blond understood completely and, with a smile, pressed a gentle kiss to his throat while snuggling deeper into the welcoming warmth. Finally, eyelids slid closed over tired eyes as the softly whispered his goodnight.
- - - -
Whack!
"Oww!" The rudely-awoken shinobi wailed. Rubbing his abused head, he focused on his lover's face, noting the eyes closed in frustration and the rapidly pulsing vein on his temple. "What'd you do that for?"
"I couldn't finish my report because of you."
"What? But I stayed here all night."
"Exactly. I feel asleep!"
The blond shot him an incredulous look, still not moving from his position. He liked cuddling in the morning, however whacked his partner's mood was. "How is that my fault?"
The icy glare would have made the most courageous of men flinch. "You felt too good." He growled menacingly, his expression totally at odds with what he was saying. "You looked too cute. You smelled too you."
"Since when is that a crime?"
"Since it's you! You know I like touching you! You know how relaxed I get whenever you're in my arms, especially at night! You did this on purpose!"
"'On purpose' nothing, you lazy pervert-bastard! I came here because you were too inconsiderate to come to bed and hold me! You know I can't sleep without you!"
They were nose to nose now, electricity sparking between their eyes. The heat could have fried an ox.
"This is your fault! Tsunade-sama will have my head if I don't have this report on her desk by today!"
"I hope the hag takes your balls with it too!" The jounin stood up in a huff and stormed towards the door. "I an going to take a damn shower and then, I'm going to make breakfast, and if you don't come down in exactly thirty minutes, I'll damn well eat it all, you asshole!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
The door slammed closed.
The door slammed again, flying open with such force that the knob took a sizable chunk out of the wall and imbedded itself there. The incandescent blond strode furiously to the still seated, still furious ANBU captain and then he brought their lips together in a bone-melting, open-mouthed kiss. Sasuke's fingers dug into his neck as he kissed back with equal fervor, his other hand fisting a handful of pajamas. Their tongues twisted together in a fiery dance, making the burning passion escalate even further. Naruto tore away just as it was reaching its peak and with one last glare, stomped back to the door.
"Good morning!" he yelled, yanking the door, and half of the wall that came with it, closed.
"Good morning!" the brunette shouted back, his pen digging grooves into the ancient wood of the desk. It was louder than roosters and more precise than clockwork. In another hour, a similar house-wracking fight would erupt from the apartment next door, and then the day would truly start for Konoha Village.
For a start, they would have to call the fire department.
- - - - Author's Notes - - - -
Is a freak on a deep level (grins at her private joke)
That hair of the shoulder thing is ala Konzen from Gensomaden Saiyuki. I luff teh Kenren…
I don't know if pajama'd is a word. You know, I could swear the spelling was pajyama, or something like that. I used to watch a really old cartoon where the magic word was pajyama. Maybe it's European?
If you guys haven't noticed, the apartment thing is still the same as in Cookies. They live right next door to Gaara and Neji. Can you imagine that morning conversation?
"Hyuuga, get that ass out of bed! We're going to be late again!"
"You shut up. It's your fault for pouncing me the minute I got through the door, you horny raccoon! I can't feel my ass!"