Requests are still open if anyone wants, just drop by a review asking nicely.

Requested by a guest and umi ryuzzaki1; I hope you two like it!

This one was a little short, and it took me a while to get back to it, so I do apologize for the hiatus. Enjoy the story.

Couple: Sara/Gaito

"You should get some sleep, Gaito."

The young man ignored her voice, focusing his attention on the maps he had spread out on his desk. If he could just draw their attention away, then the weakest segement of the walls around the Antarctic could be taken down with ease. Following that, all he would need to do would be to spend some time to locate the Antarctic Palace and the Purple Kingdom would be the next one to fall…

"Gaito…" Slender arms wrapped around his neck as the Orange Pearl Princess leaned her weight on the back of his chair. Well, if she wanted to get his attention, that was the right way to do it.

He tried to hold back his exasperation, even though he was always glad to see her after a long day and sleepless nights. "Just let me finish this, Sara," Gaito muttered, brow furrowing together as he set a placeholder figure onto the map to represent the kingdom's approxmiate location. The mermaid kingdoms were hidden away far too well.

The black-haired princess didn't sound too enthusiastic about having to wait for him as she gave him a none-too-gentle tug on the back of his coat, startling him. "You need your rest," she scolded, her frown so obvious it was audible in her tone. "And you know that you can't sleep without me with you. How long has it been since you've properly slept?"

He winced at the accusation and averted his gaze from the maps and her to stare off at a corner. He hated when she brought that up; it was something he didn't like being bandied about. "Sara, I'm just about to finish," he insisted, purposefully avoiding the last question. "It will only be a few minutes more." Now where was he? As he reached out for another placeholder figure, she snatched his wrist, startling him.

"Gaito!" Sara snapped, her orange eyes narrowed at him as she entered his line of sight, huffing indignantly and bracing a hand on her hip. "That's enough work. You'll fall ill if you don't get enough rest." She didn't wait for him to respond and reached out to pull him from his seat, leading him towards the long velvet sofa that he slept on. "Come."

Gaito sighed, resigning himself to listening as he allowed himself to be led towards the sofa. None too gracefully, he sank onto the soft velvet of the furniture, silently appreciating it as Sara gracefully sat down beside him. "I really need to finish my work, Sara," he murmured to her, glancing at her through his peripheral vision, red eyes filled with something akin to indignation.

The princess shifted on the sofa to sit at the very end, beckoning to him to lie down and rest his head on her lap. She didn't seem to want to take no for an answer that night. "Your work can wait until tomorrow," Sara insisted, smoothing out the creases in her white dress. "Your well-being is more important than that." Despite her insistent tone, the well-meant intention behind her stubbornness was not missed.

"Very well, then." The silver-haired young man rolled his eyes with a sigh, lying back onto the soft velvet of the sofa. He exhaled softly at the gentleness of the material as his head touched the silk of her dress. The day's tension that flooded him slowly melted away as she stroked his hair, humming softly to him. He closed his eyes, inhaling sharply.

Sara was always right. He really did need the sleep.

The orange princess hummed a soft lullaby as she ran her slender fingers through his silver hair, her eyes focused elsewhere as she settled into a comfortable position. It was a routine — though not a daily one — with them, whenever she felt he had been overworking hinself, which, all things considered, was rather often. Her gentle song was soft and welcoming as always, her soft voice lulling him towards sleep.

Gaito allowed himself to relax, lacing his fingers together as he rested. He glanced up at her through half-lidded eyes, catching sight of the faint smile that pulled at her lips, the serene expression on her face. He savoured moments like that, when the room was silent and it was late, with only the two of them. There was no need to speak as she sang him to sleep, nor even the need for eye contact.

In that moment, he was content.

As Sara continued to sing, Gaito felt himself drift further and further from consciousness, and finally, he fell asleep.

When he woke up in the morning, he would find that Sara too had fallen asleep, her hand in his hair and a smile on her lips.

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