Author's Note: Uhhhh what can I say, other than I got lost on the road of life, and that Christmas is counter-intuitive to the writing spirit. Thanks for the 100 reviews guys! I am totally stoked!
Melt the Mistletoe
Ten: Sleepover
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Characters: Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura
Categories: Romance
Rating: K
The early morning sun filtered into the vast quietude that made up Sakura's bedroom, casting a soft white hue over the wrinkled sheets of her bed and flickering over the restless plains of her face. A ruffled sigh of discontent left her lips, but her eyes remained closed to the glittering rays of daybreak. Her body, once cold, was filled to the brim with warmth, the source of it shifting behind her, and she smiled subliminally, unaware of the tangibility of that gentle touch of raw heat.
Sasuke leaned into her petite frame with as much care as he could muster, careful not to waken the slumbering princess now wrapped in his steely embrace. He had returned to Konoha from a perilously long ANBU mission in the dead of night, the bitter winter's chill seeping through to his very bones as he made the long trek to her apartment; intent on being the first thing that she saw when she woke in the morning.
He had pried the spare key to her apartment from the necklace strung about his neck, the fingers of his sole hand completely numb as he fumbled with the lock; lacking his usual dexterity as he all but jammed it into the slot and twisted it with a graceless jerk of his heavy wrist. Hot tingles stabbed imperceptibly beneath the taut pull of his skin, out of reach and causing Sasuke a great deal of discomfort as he sidled into the foyer, stealthy as always as he closed the door and reinforced it behind the deadlock once more.
Sighing quietly through lips that had been weathered down to a chapped, bleeding mess courtesy of the raging blizzard outside, the raven haired Uchiha bent down, slipping out of his ninja sandals, designed to be resistent to the frigid winds of winter but doing very little to dissuade the cold from seeping into him regardless. Wordlessly, he placed them against the gentle instep of the landing, paired neatly alongside the pinkette's boots, before he stepped up onto the wooden planks, weightlessly gliding down the darkened hall until he met with the winding staircase that led to the uppermost level of her apartment.
Fatigue washed over his face as he seriously contemplated hijacking the couch for the night, but then a spattering of raised hairs prickled at his senses, and he sighed once more. It was much too cold to try and brave the night away on the death trap that was Sakura's ancient couch, and he really didn't find the idea of sleeping without her there by his side very appealing either.
''Tch. Goddamned stairs.'' Sasuke muttered tersely, running a frazzled hand through his dampened hair (mushy snow tends to do this, unfortunately), before he placed it upon the nearest banister, hefting his tired limbs up the wooden obstacles with a light grimace pulling at his lips.
What spurned him forward was the prospect of sinking into bed-sheets alongside the woman he loved, her warmth all-encompassing and a welcome home that he could not resist, and thus Sasuke climbed, unfastening the clasps that held his thick winter cloak in place around his shoulders as he went.
Rolling his very stiff shoulders, as if to unwind the tension from his every molecule, Sasuke made it to the second floor landing, his feet treading softly against the sturdy oak as he sauntered over to the door that led to Sakura's bedroom. Anticipation filled his gut, sending sparks of warmth to the very tips of his tingling toes as he pried her door open, slipping into the dark vestibule with the soundless grace that he was so prided for. He made sure that he had properly closed the wooden barricade, sooty eyes watchful as they gazed at the stilled form settled beneath heavy sheets.
Sakura's breathing was deep and even, and her peaceful state practically stripped the exhaustion from Sasuke's body. With a gentle twist to his lips, the ANBU Captain sidled over to the bedside, hands prying off his vest with quiet ease before they lifted the hem of his dark shirt in tow, the thick material falling to the floor without a sound. In just his dark sweats, the firm ridges and muscles crisscrossing over his pale chest undulating with his every breath, Sasuke cautiously lifted the first layer of many blankets draped unceremoniously over the shivering pinkette, pulling it away so that he too could settle beneath its precarious warmth.
Discovering another three doonas beneath had Sasuke raising his eyebrows, but then the cold stabbed at his naked flesh, and he realised what the problem was.
So her heating system is down, huh, Sasuke mused with a furrow etched into his brow, handsome face unreadable as he noted that her cheeks were flushed even with all of the thick material shielding her from the unpleasant chill in her room. He would have to rectify this situation immediately, and he knew the remedy to it without having to think about it at all.
Curling the blankets over one another, Sasuke sunk indulgently into the first real bed he had slept on in four months, his bones almost groaning as they melted into the plush mattress without even a creak from the normally protesting springs. Sasuke exhaled, lifting the blankets over his body without further ado and shifting onto his side, his large frame folding around Sakura's until his chest was pressed firmly against her lithe back.
It was at times like this that firmly reminded him just how vulnerable she really was. Regardless of her supposed inhuman strength, she was still a woman, his woman, and she felt so fragile in his arms at that very moment that he was afraid for a moment that he would break her if he held onto her too tightly. Never the less he wrapped her up in his warmth, dark eyes contented at the sight of her transient expression.
He smiled then, the gesture fleeting at most, and he bent down slightly, pressing a gentle kiss to the corner of her parted lips. Settling himself into the comfort of her body, Sasuke fell into a deep sleep, inertia quick to claim him now that he had finally found his share of blissful peace.
As it was, the fickle light of daybreak had sharpened Sasuke's already heightened senses to the point of it being intolerable, and he had woken alongside the rising sun. He had always been like that, since he had been a small child. Sakura, he knew, was his exact opposite, and could very easily succumb to the comforts of her bed for an entire day if her status as a kunoichi and medic weren't impeding her from the notion.
Sasuke smirked a little, amusement turning into a swell of unadulterated affection as Sakura moaned her discontent into her pillow.
''Silly girl...'' He murmured softly, right hand coming up to brush away the tangled strands of pink that had fallen over her forehead, tucking them behind her ear with a whispering tickle to her flushed cheek along the way.
He ghosted those very fingers along the soft curve of her jaw, tilting her head a little more his way as the light furthered its assault against her shuttered eyelids. She shifted against him, clearly unhappy with the brightening of her bedroom, and Sasuke had to fight the urge to chuckle at the childish pout that had pulled unwittingly across the stubborn set of her mouth.
Nearly rolling his eyes, the raven haired Uchiha slipped his left arm beneath her head, his remaining arm sliding over the deliciously bared skin of her shoulder before he rolled her gently in his direction, her covered breasts brushing suggestively against his bared front as her arms naturally folded around him.
Resting his chin atop her head, Sasuke smiled, relishing in the deep-seated heat that sunk into his pores like a man starved. He inhaled her, then, reacquainting himself with her scent as the essence of her being became apart of him once more―an entangled mess of limbs and a quiet sigh of contentment lulling him off to sleep once more.
Another hour of sleep couldn't hurt, after all.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Ending Remarks: Short and sweet, just the way I like it. :3
I love the idea of Sasuke-kun doing this. Just ugh. Roll me into your arms please. *^*
Please leave a review! Lots more fluff and potential smutty goodness where that came from!
Until tomorrow!
-x-R i n-x-