Colder Spots

by planless

A man with red eyes and a woman with pink hair, both legends in their own right (though one might be a bit more legendary than the other). When she falls from the sky and right into his lap, Sakura unknowingly kicks off a series of firsts for Tobirama that he truly doesn't appreciate. At first, that is. Pure unadulterated fluff. Timetravel!Sakura. [TobiSaku] Prequel to 'Cold Spots'

14. cleaning up nicely

Colder Spots

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cleaning up nicely

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The tomcat that seems to have taken up permanent residence in his quarters - no matter what Tobirama tries, the bloody thing always finds a way back in and has adopted the annoying habit of hogging his pillow when he's not looking - lies curled up on his chest, eyes closed, when he wakes up at the break of dawn and the soft, contented purring that reverberates through his bones weakens his resolve to get rid of the animal considerably.

You annoying piece of filth, he mutters, even as he slides his fingers through the matted fur. The purring intensifies. Making a split-second decision, Tobirama gets up and dresses, then grabs the nasty animal by the scruff - he ignores the protesting screech and the sharp claws that scratch over his wrist -, steps out onto the porch and one-handedly fills a bucket with water. Without mercy, he plunges the tomcat that is fighting tooth and nail in, and screws up his nose in disgust at the amount of filth that comes off the animal when he scrubs away. Once he deems the cat clean enough and his wrist is reduced to a bleeding clump of flesh he lets go and watches with mild satisfaction as the beast clambers out of the bucket, dripping wet, shoots across the yard and up into the small tree that grows on the other side. Maybe it'll stay away this time.

Tobirama?

He turns around in time to see Hashirama step onto the porch, still in his night robes, rubbing at his eyes and yawning widely. What was that? It sounded like someone was skinning a cat alive.

Looking down at his bloodied wrist, Tobirama shrugs. Not skinning, he replies nonchalantly. Bathing.

Without giving his brother time to reply, he turns and wanders back into his room to grab the things he needs for today's schedule. Needless to say that when he returns that evening, the tomcat is lying on his pillow, curled up into a tight furry white ball. Tobirama ignores the accusing look it shoots him, and when he retires for the night, he merely pushes the cat to the side a bit before sliding under the covers and closing his eyes.

It doesn't take long for the still unfamiliar weight to settle upon his chest, and the deep purring has him fall asleep a bit faster than usual.

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A/N: Because life's just better with a pet to take care of you. Tobirama's bound to realise that at some point. Have a lovely Friday, everyone!

word count: 395