Jiraiya stared at the ceiling. It had been a week since he'd first spent the night with Tsunade. They hadn't kissed again, although she tended to pat him like some sort of great beast she'd tamed, just a hand on his shoulder or even a lean against him. Was she still scared he would leave? A snuffling sound brought him out of his musings, they hadn't kissed again, but he'd spent every night in the blonde's bed with her curled tightly against him.
And Tsunade, Princess of the Leaf snored.
His hand smoothed back blonde hair before making its journey down to where her shirt had rode up in sleep. Fingers long and calloused traced the scars he could feel. It hurt him, knowing she had been so close to death and him a continent away.
"Hime, Hime wake up." The words were spoken before he even realized the intent. There was a plan formulating in his mind, a need to protect his precious people. He focused on her sleep creased face as she blinked up at him before looking ill tempered.
"Are you on fire?" she asked bluntly, eyes still languid with sleep.
Knowing that any answer was going to get a glare before she simply collapsed back on him in sleep, the Toad Sage spoke quickly. "I need you to make me a prosthetic for my arm. I need something so that I can mold chakra again."
Her whiskey gaze cleared and sharpened as she sat up, letting the blankets slide off her shoulders to puddle on the bed. "I have an idea, something I've been working on with the Kazekage's brother." Her hand reached out to touch the stub of flesh that was once his arm. "I attach chakra receiver rods, under the skin and attach the chakra network to them. The prosthetic itself has an artificial chakra system in it, your chakra and nerve endings would stretch via the connection and work the limb just like it was yours."
Tsunade moved, leaning over him as her voice got faster evidence of all the work and thought that had gone into this. "You don't have to be a puppet user to operate the limb. It's an amplification of your own chakra network. The sensitivity is as close as you can get to the actual thing."
He watched her, half in wonder. This was the Tsunade he hadn't seen since they were teenagers, the earnest and striving medic. She was happy, happier than she was behind that desk he left her with and happier than she was been on that bench.
"Do it. Heal me and fix me an arm. I want…" His free hand came up to pinch his nose, a sure sign of nervousness. "I want to hold you properly and I need two arms to do it."
She blushed. Even in the dark of the room, he could see the red tinge; almost feel the heat rise from her. It made him grin and sit up so that his face is close to hers, white teeth glinting in the moonlight as he teased.
"Your face is flushed. Are you getting sick Tsunade?"
The blush intensified even as she inwardly berated herself. Damn him for getting under her skin. "I'm not. I don't get sick."
"Hime if you aren't sick, why is your face red?"
Whiskey colored eyes glared at him, even as her mind scrambled to form a retort. He unnerved her just as much as he brought peace with his presence. It was an odd jumble, but it worked. Her mouth opened before closing again with a snap as his fingers traced her cheek.
"Can I touch you?"
The words were asked quietly, his low voice barely reaching her ears even with the stillness of the room.
"Can I trace fingertips over your curves and see for myself that you're real and whole?"
Time had changed them both. He wouldn't have asked for permission in his youth, and she would have never granted it. This whole scenario would have never played out. A brow arched, a forced show of nonchalance to combat her shortness of breath.
"Smooth words Jira. Is it a line from your book?" There was a pause before she added in a much softer tone. "Trace what you like, I'm not going anywhere."
She nearly unmanned him. Her smooth words and soft yes had his hand trembling like a genin on his first mission. Still, still he pressed on, lightly tracing the curve of her cheek before ghosting over plump lips. She was soft, despite her abrupt personality and completely still as he touched his fill.
Fingers tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear, only to have it fall back forward immediately. It made him smile and move on to touch her ear and then curl his palm so that the back of his hand smoothed down the cords of her neck.
Tsunade parted her lips and kept her eyes steady on his face. He looked as if he was solving some great puzzle, his hand moving down her neck and across the expanse of her chest. He didn't dip below the v of her sleep yukata, instead merely followed the line of soft cloth down and up before moving his hand back and waiting. Any move more, would be because she wanted it.
Manicured hands undid the ties at her side and slowly the fabric slid from her shoulders to rest on the bed below, leaving her bare from the waist up.
"By the Sage you're beautiful."
He hadn't meant to say to say the words out loud, but wouldn't take them back. She looked like some deity brought down from on high, the shadows playing on her frame so that her skin appeared dappled and full of secrets. His breathing deepened even as his hand kept that same light touch, tracing ribs to where waist indented and then down and across following the line of scars from her battle with the Uchiha. It still scared him, how close he came to losing her.
Her hand closed over his and brought it up to curve around her breast. Startled dark eyes glanced up to meet her amber gaze. He wouldn't ask if she was sure, he wouldn't ask anything, not when her breast was a heavy weight in his palm, the tip already pebbled. His calloused hand dropped curving around her waist to haul the blonde into his lap, wanting her closer, needing that contact.
Heat met heat through the layers of clothing and had her hands dropping taking big fistfuls of hair to pull his head back and touch her mouth to his. It didn't matter that they were too old for this sort of nonsense, or that he was scarred. It didn't matter that she had spent more of her life broken than not.
All that mattered was now, here, and each other.
He wanted her, more than anything he wanted to strip their clothing and sink into her. His body shook with it, and he was so hard it hurt. But he wouldn't, not like this. When they made love he would have two arms to do it with, and he'd love her like she deserved.
Jiraiya reluctantly pulled away and panted resting his forehead against hers. "Hime I ca-"
Her finger came up to touch his lips, silencing him.
"Idiot, do you think I don't know you." She said lightly even as her body churned with need. "Let's sleep; I have a lot to do tomorrow and a letter to send to Suna."
