Banishing the chill [GaaSaku]
Title: Banishing the chill
Fandom: Naruto
Prompt: #06 - Cleansed 100_prompts
Character/Pairing: Sabaku no Gaara/Haruno Sakura
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1832
Summary: "Hence, here he was, getting ready to step out the door into the cold at this ungodly hour."
Disclaimer: Don't own any of these characters.
Authors Notes: I decided to show my fic Cold Front a little bit of love. Thus, this is a continuation of sorts. You can expect more where this came from in the future. This is just a bit of unadulterated and shameless fluff on my part, so beware. 8D
~~xxx~~
06 - Cleansed
Turning the shower on, Gaara flinched back slightly as he waited for the hot water to start flowing. He yawned widely and opened the small window of Sakura’s bathroom. Once the temperature of the shower was more to his liking, he plunged right into the spray.
The early morning sunshine was making its best effort to pierce the overcast but wasn’t entirely succeeding. All in all, having patches of sunlight was better than nothing at all. The winter had been long and bleak; it always was up here in the north. Having come from warmer climes, it had taken Gaara a while to cope with the extreme change in the weather. Back home, the winters were incredibly mild. As a matter of fact, some people would be hard pressed to call them winters at all. Nonetheless, thanks to the exchange program held by his dojo back in Suna, the redhead had been forced to grit his teeth and bear silently with the cold.
Thankfully, sometime after his arrival, he had met someone who had greatly helped him to face the winter months. The memory of their initial meeting always caused him to grin deviously. Some would say Gaara was incorrigible... and they would have been right. Nonetheless, whenever he set his eyes on something, he didn’t stop until he got what he wanted.
And in that examination room at the hospital, he’d wanted Sakura.
So, he’d gone ahead and acquired her. It was the simply straightforward tactic with which he’d lived most of his existence. There were no spoils in life for those who hesitated.
Sure, there had been a feasible amount of resistance on her part initially. But after a while, she was forced to see the truth of things. In all honesty and despite their many differences, both of them went great together. It was something the redhead had no qualms in admitting. Ever since the first moment he’d seen her, he’d known Sakura was one of a kind. Women like her were too few and too precious. Therefore, once he’d staked his claim, he had no intention of letting go.
Scrubbing his arms with the bar of scented soap his lover had a weakness for, Gaara made his best efforts to pry off the last remnants of sleep. It was clear evidence of his love for his martial art that he would get up at this unreasonable hour on a Sunday. Having to start the day at 8am on a weekend was something he’d very much prefer not to do. Nonetheless, there wasn’t much of a choice. It was the belt exam for the younger members of the dojo and Naruto had been adamant for him to attend. Despite hailing from a different academy, his friendship with the Raging Fox had won him a place of prestige at the Konoha dojo.
So much so he’d been offered a permanent place after the exchange program was over. Coming spring, he’d initially planned on returning to Suna and his own martial arts school. Life had different plans for him, however, mainly in the appearance of a certain pink haired doctor in his path. Therefore he had wasted no time in accepting the offer Naruto and the Konoha dojo had given him. He’d learned early on that when opportunities presented themselves, he should not allow them to pass by. He’d stay.
The blond fighter hadn’t hesitated in presenting Gaara with the option of rooming up with him. His apartment had two rooms after all and he’d gone without a roommate for the past few months. It wasn’t easy to share a living space with a kyokushin fanatic, especially with such an enthusiastic one as Naruto. However, since both of them were martial art nuts, Naruto was sure they’d get along perfectly. The redhead agreed and the blond was amazingly happy to be able to split the rent again.
Lathering the shampoo into his hair, Gaara grinned in remembrance of the expression in Sakura’s face when he informed her he would be staying in town. She went from blank to shocked to pleased to hesitant all in a time frame of three minutes. Being aware of the way she had vacillated when they had started their relationship, the redhead knew she had a tendency to over-think things and to add complications where none were needed. Hence, he’d laughed at her and proceeded to kiss her thoroughly until she could do nothing but approve of his permanent presence in her life.
Of course, sharing an apartment with Naruto didn’t mean he wouldn’t spend the weekends warming Sakura’s bed. It was partly the way he’d gained her appreciation. Her heater had remained unfixed for close to two weeks after they met. This meant Gaara had become an important source of warmth for her during this time, something he in no way complained about. Her little single story house was old and the pipes of the heating system had needed to be replaced badly. Considering his apprehension towards the cold weather, they spend much of the time under the covers, getting to know each other much more intimately and not only in the physical sense.
Gaara was aware he was extremely lucky to have stumbled upon Sakura. After talking to her extensively, he had never met anyone else who exhibited such surprising forbearance towards his personality. After having pushed people away for the entirety of his life, it still left him breathless to think there was someone out there who was willing to overlook his faults and see him for the person he truly was. True, it didn’t mean she didn’t lose her temper and end up shouting at him; as a matter of fact, he loved it when she was riled. But her tirades were balanced by a sweetness of character he’d never experienced before. It was a special mix of a will of steel and a loving disposition that was the essence of who Sakura was.
Whenever she looked at him with understanding in her bright emerald eyes after he made some kind of cynic and bitter comment about the world, it made him feel cleansed. It was as if she could strip all the ugliness from his soul and lay bare the part of him that was worth something.
Turning off the shower, he breathed in deeply and proceeded to towel himself dry. Naruto would have his head if he was late. The blond really had no idea how much of a sacrifice Gaara was making on his part. He was giving up a whole morning in bed with Sakura just to help out with the belt exam of some teenagers. It didn’t matter that said youngsters admired him and looked up to him, reason why he had been asked to attend in the first place. None of that measured up when it came to resting bare skin against bare skin with his pink haired lover.
Naturally, Sakura hadn’t looked amused when he’d suggested he stand Naruto up and remain with her.
“If you do that, I’ll lock myself in the bathroom,” she’d said the night before. There was a familiar angry glint in her eyes. “These kids look up to you. You need to set an example.”
Trust her, in her doctor mindset, to take things too seriously. Of course, no matter how much he tried to argue, the bottom line was she was right. Hence, here he was, getting ready to step out the door into the cold at this ungodly hour. He dressed himself in the dojo’s sweatpants and exited the bathroom. Sakura’s room was still dark but he managed to find his things despite the meagre light. He rummaged in his bag for a t-shirt and a thick jacket, setting them aside but not putting them on just yet.
Quietly, Gaara approached the bed, admiring Sakura as she slept. He lowered himself next to her, his elbow on her pillow, and caressed her cheek softly. She smiled sleepily in response.
“Umm,” she murmured, her eyes still closed. “My tomcat’s leaving me early today.”
“Well, you were the one who insisted I attend the belt exam last night,” he replied grumpily. Despite his complaining, he inwardly relished at the use of the nickname Sakura had chosen for him. More than once, she’d mentioned he reminded her of cat: all jewel eyes and sneaky intentions. It made him smile because he knew she was absolutely right in her assessment.
Her quiet chuckles filled the room. “You smell deliciously of pomegranate,” Sakura said, blatantly ignoring his protest.
“All thanks to your damned soap,” Gaara countered, lowering his lips to hers for a forceful kiss.
It made her wake up a bit more and she finally opened her eyes. She took him in, dishevelled red locks and handsome face. He really was strikingly good looking. It still left her quite breathless sometimes.
“At what time will you be done?” she inquired, her voice still laced with sleep.
“Sometime after midday, I think.” His fingers caressed their way down her neck and across her collarbone, sliding the thin strap of her camisole down her shoulder.
“I’ll see you after you’re done?” Her voice came out in a gratifying murmur.
Gaara leaned down and retraced the trail of his fingers with his lips. He bit down softly on her sensitive skin before laving the spot with his tongue. “I’ll be back after lunch,” he said huskily. “Naruto said we’d be eating with some of the other senseis.”
As he spoke, his breath trickled across her skin and made it erupt into goose bumps. An unwilling shiver shook her and Sakura suddenly wanted nothing more than for him to remain under the sheets with her all morning... and maybe part of the afternoon as well.
Of course, it was all part of his strategy. He was punishing her for having sided with Naruto and not allowing him to shrug off his responsibilities.
She rolled her eyes and kissed his temple. “You’re going to be late,” she reminded him.
Gaara lifted his head up to look at her, his jade eyes surly.
It made Sakura chuckle but he didn’t share the amusement. He lowered his lips down for one more hard kiss before standing up to finish getting ready.
“Make sure you dress warmly,” Sakura said, very much aware to his susceptibility to the cold.
“We’ll be doing a full lesson outside so I think I’ll be warm enough,” the redhead replied. Even so, he wrapped a thick scarf around his neck.
Gaara shouldered his backpack, looked at her one last time and made his way out the room.
“Have fun, tomcat,” Sakura called out after him.
He grunted in response before she heard the front door open and close.
Smiling sleepily to herself, Sakura pulled the pillow Gaara had been using to herself. She buried her nose in it, breathing in his smell before closing her eyes.
If she slept through the whole morning, it’d mean he’d be here sooner and they’d enjoy a nice afternoon in each other’s arms. With that enjoyable thought in mind, Sakura allowed sleep to take her away once more and dreamt of the pleasurable moments to come in her redheaded lover’s embrace.
~~xxx~~
Fandom: Naruto
Prompt: #06 - Cleansed 100_prompts
Character/Pairing: Sabaku no Gaara/Haruno Sakura
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1832
Summary: "Hence, here he was, getting ready to step out the door into the cold at this ungodly hour."
Disclaimer: Don't own any of these characters.
Authors Notes: I decided to show my fic Cold Front a little bit of love. Thus, this is a continuation of sorts. You can expect more where this came from in the future. This is just a bit of unadulterated and shameless fluff on my part, so beware. 8D
~~xxx~~
06 - Cleansed
Turning the shower on, Gaara flinched back slightly as he waited for the hot water to start flowing. He yawned widely and opened the small window of Sakura’s bathroom. Once the temperature of the shower was more to his liking, he plunged right into the spray.
The early morning sunshine was making its best effort to pierce the overcast but wasn’t entirely succeeding. All in all, having patches of sunlight was better than nothing at all. The winter had been long and bleak; it always was up here in the north. Having come from warmer climes, it had taken Gaara a while to cope with the extreme change in the weather. Back home, the winters were incredibly mild. As a matter of fact, some people would be hard pressed to call them winters at all. Nonetheless, thanks to the exchange program held by his dojo back in Suna, the redhead had been forced to grit his teeth and bear silently with the cold.
Thankfully, sometime after his arrival, he had met someone who had greatly helped him to face the winter months. The memory of their initial meeting always caused him to grin deviously. Some would say Gaara was incorrigible... and they would have been right. Nonetheless, whenever he set his eyes on something, he didn’t stop until he got what he wanted.
And in that examination room at the hospital, he’d wanted Sakura.
So, he’d gone ahead and acquired her. It was the simply straightforward tactic with which he’d lived most of his existence. There were no spoils in life for those who hesitated.
Sure, there had been a feasible amount of resistance on her part initially. But after a while, she was forced to see the truth of things. In all honesty and despite their many differences, both of them went great together. It was something the redhead had no qualms in admitting. Ever since the first moment he’d seen her, he’d known Sakura was one of a kind. Women like her were too few and too precious. Therefore, once he’d staked his claim, he had no intention of letting go.
Scrubbing his arms with the bar of scented soap his lover had a weakness for, Gaara made his best efforts to pry off the last remnants of sleep. It was clear evidence of his love for his martial art that he would get up at this unreasonable hour on a Sunday. Having to start the day at 8am on a weekend was something he’d very much prefer not to do. Nonetheless, there wasn’t much of a choice. It was the belt exam for the younger members of the dojo and Naruto had been adamant for him to attend. Despite hailing from a different academy, his friendship with the Raging Fox had won him a place of prestige at the Konoha dojo.
So much so he’d been offered a permanent place after the exchange program was over. Coming spring, he’d initially planned on returning to Suna and his own martial arts school. Life had different plans for him, however, mainly in the appearance of a certain pink haired doctor in his path. Therefore he had wasted no time in accepting the offer Naruto and the Konoha dojo had given him. He’d learned early on that when opportunities presented themselves, he should not allow them to pass by. He’d stay.
The blond fighter hadn’t hesitated in presenting Gaara with the option of rooming up with him. His apartment had two rooms after all and he’d gone without a roommate for the past few months. It wasn’t easy to share a living space with a kyokushin fanatic, especially with such an enthusiastic one as Naruto. However, since both of them were martial art nuts, Naruto was sure they’d get along perfectly. The redhead agreed and the blond was amazingly happy to be able to split the rent again.
Lathering the shampoo into his hair, Gaara grinned in remembrance of the expression in Sakura’s face when he informed her he would be staying in town. She went from blank to shocked to pleased to hesitant all in a time frame of three minutes. Being aware of the way she had vacillated when they had started their relationship, the redhead knew she had a tendency to over-think things and to add complications where none were needed. Hence, he’d laughed at her and proceeded to kiss her thoroughly until she could do nothing but approve of his permanent presence in her life.
Of course, sharing an apartment with Naruto didn’t mean he wouldn’t spend the weekends warming Sakura’s bed. It was partly the way he’d gained her appreciation. Her heater had remained unfixed for close to two weeks after they met. This meant Gaara had become an important source of warmth for her during this time, something he in no way complained about. Her little single story house was old and the pipes of the heating system had needed to be replaced badly. Considering his apprehension towards the cold weather, they spend much of the time under the covers, getting to know each other much more intimately and not only in the physical sense.
Gaara was aware he was extremely lucky to have stumbled upon Sakura. After talking to her extensively, he had never met anyone else who exhibited such surprising forbearance towards his personality. After having pushed people away for the entirety of his life, it still left him breathless to think there was someone out there who was willing to overlook his faults and see him for the person he truly was. True, it didn’t mean she didn’t lose her temper and end up shouting at him; as a matter of fact, he loved it when she was riled. But her tirades were balanced by a sweetness of character he’d never experienced before. It was a special mix of a will of steel and a loving disposition that was the essence of who Sakura was.
Whenever she looked at him with understanding in her bright emerald eyes after he made some kind of cynic and bitter comment about the world, it made him feel cleansed. It was as if she could strip all the ugliness from his soul and lay bare the part of him that was worth something.
Turning off the shower, he breathed in deeply and proceeded to towel himself dry. Naruto would have his head if he was late. The blond really had no idea how much of a sacrifice Gaara was making on his part. He was giving up a whole morning in bed with Sakura just to help out with the belt exam of some teenagers. It didn’t matter that said youngsters admired him and looked up to him, reason why he had been asked to attend in the first place. None of that measured up when it came to resting bare skin against bare skin with his pink haired lover.
Naturally, Sakura hadn’t looked amused when he’d suggested he stand Naruto up and remain with her.
“If you do that, I’ll lock myself in the bathroom,” she’d said the night before. There was a familiar angry glint in her eyes. “These kids look up to you. You need to set an example.”
Trust her, in her doctor mindset, to take things too seriously. Of course, no matter how much he tried to argue, the bottom line was she was right. Hence, here he was, getting ready to step out the door into the cold at this ungodly hour. He dressed himself in the dojo’s sweatpants and exited the bathroom. Sakura’s room was still dark but he managed to find his things despite the meagre light. He rummaged in his bag for a t-shirt and a thick jacket, setting them aside but not putting them on just yet.
Quietly, Gaara approached the bed, admiring Sakura as she slept. He lowered himself next to her, his elbow on her pillow, and caressed her cheek softly. She smiled sleepily in response.
“Umm,” she murmured, her eyes still closed. “My tomcat’s leaving me early today.”
“Well, you were the one who insisted I attend the belt exam last night,” he replied grumpily. Despite his complaining, he inwardly relished at the use of the nickname Sakura had chosen for him. More than once, she’d mentioned he reminded her of cat: all jewel eyes and sneaky intentions. It made him smile because he knew she was absolutely right in her assessment.
Her quiet chuckles filled the room. “You smell deliciously of pomegranate,” Sakura said, blatantly ignoring his protest.
“All thanks to your damned soap,” Gaara countered, lowering his lips to hers for a forceful kiss.
It made her wake up a bit more and she finally opened her eyes. She took him in, dishevelled red locks and handsome face. He really was strikingly good looking. It still left her quite breathless sometimes.
“At what time will you be done?” she inquired, her voice still laced with sleep.
“Sometime after midday, I think.” His fingers caressed their way down her neck and across her collarbone, sliding the thin strap of her camisole down her shoulder.
“I’ll see you after you’re done?” Her voice came out in a gratifying murmur.
Gaara leaned down and retraced the trail of his fingers with his lips. He bit down softly on her sensitive skin before laving the spot with his tongue. “I’ll be back after lunch,” he said huskily. “Naruto said we’d be eating with some of the other senseis.”
As he spoke, his breath trickled across her skin and made it erupt into goose bumps. An unwilling shiver shook her and Sakura suddenly wanted nothing more than for him to remain under the sheets with her all morning... and maybe part of the afternoon as well.
Of course, it was all part of his strategy. He was punishing her for having sided with Naruto and not allowing him to shrug off his responsibilities.
She rolled her eyes and kissed his temple. “You’re going to be late,” she reminded him.
Gaara lifted his head up to look at her, his jade eyes surly.
It made Sakura chuckle but he didn’t share the amusement. He lowered his lips down for one more hard kiss before standing up to finish getting ready.
“Make sure you dress warmly,” Sakura said, very much aware to his susceptibility to the cold.
“We’ll be doing a full lesson outside so I think I’ll be warm enough,” the redhead replied. Even so, he wrapped a thick scarf around his neck.
Gaara shouldered his backpack, looked at her one last time and made his way out the room.
“Have fun, tomcat,” Sakura called out after him.
He grunted in response before she heard the front door open and close.
Smiling sleepily to herself, Sakura pulled the pillow Gaara had been using to herself. She buried her nose in it, breathing in his smell before closing her eyes.
If she slept through the whole morning, it’d mean he’d be here sooner and they’d enjoy a nice afternoon in each other’s arms. With that enjoyable thought in mind, Sakura allowed sleep to take her away once more and dreamt of the pleasurable moments to come in her redheaded lover’s embrace.
~~xxx~~