Soothing Acoustics [GaaSaku]
Title: Soothing Acoustics
Fandom: Naruto
Prompt: #17 - Lullaby 100_prompts
Character/Pairing: Sabaku no Gaara/Haruno Sakura
Rating: PG
Word Count: 878
Summary: "It was enough for him to puff out his chest proudly and experience not a small degree of smugness."
Disclaimer: Don't own any of these characters.
Authors Notes: Just another dose of completely pointless fluff. xD Set after my fic Precious Flower, Fighting Sand
~~xxx~~
17 - Lullaby
It wasn’t what you would call standard... but Sakura had long ago ceased to care.
Everyone had their little quirks. Everyone found comfort in all kinds of silly things. They were what made life worthwhile and what sprinkled daily living with delightful moments of happiness. It didn’t matter if they were ridiculous or mundane; it was the essence of their nature that mattered.
She’d told him that the first time he caught her doing it. Gaara hadn’t been able to stop himself from asking her just what she thought she was doing. Not that he minded her presence; not at all. He was used to being watched during training, especially since the observation of others helped to point out deficiencies in his techniques he wasn’t able to see.
Nonetheless, having someone observe him while he went through his katas was one things... having someone fall asleep to the sounds he made during training, well, that was something else altogether.
Whenever she was feeling particularly vulnerable, Sakura would sneak into the small dojo she’d installed for him in one of the apartment’s rooms while he was amidst a shidokan workout. Even though Gaara would visit the Konoha academy frequently and would train with his fellow fighters, every so often he stayed at home and honed his skills in the tranquillity of their home. It was something he did when he needed to centre and did not welcome any external distractions. Whenever he was trying out some new moves, he preferred to do so at home where he could perfect his movements before trying them in actual fighting.
It was in those instances, when he had already started his warm up, that Sakura would sneak in and settle down unobtrusively in one of the room’s corners. If he was concentrating hard, he wouldn’t notice her until she was already lying down on the floor, her head on an impromptu pillow made from a blanket, and napping happily.
When Gaara had first seen her thus, he’d stopped in mid swing and narrowed his eyes. He’d thought she’d come into the mini-dojo to watch his drill. Was his technique so boring she fell asleep? He couldn’t help but feel slightly affronted. Which was why, when he finished, he’d gruffly asked her about it.
Sakura had blushed slightly, having just woken up from her restful doze.
“No, it’s not boring at all. I love watching you move,” she’d replied with a smile. “It’s just that... I like the sounds you make.”
Jade eyes blinked at her in confusion. “The sounds?”
She’d chuckled at his perplexity. “Yes, the sounds. You know, when you slice through the air with your arm, like this,” she said, proceeding to elucidate, “or when you swing around in the middle of a kick and throw your leg out. In the quiet of the room I can hear your quick movements along with your breathing and well...” Her blush intensified. “It’s a kind of lullaby for me; it helps me sleep.”
If it had been any other person telling him this, he would have thought they were completely bonkers. But this was Sakura. The woman he’d willingly fought and almost died for. There was absolute truth in her words and he knew it.
Gaara had puzzled over her odd little habit for some time and decided, in the end, that it wasn’t that weird for her to find comfort in something like this. When she had faced a life or death scenario at the hands of her psychotic ex-lover, it had been Gaara’s fighting that had saved her. It was his skill as a shidokan martial artist that had rescued her from the clutches of Sasuke. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that she found solace and security in his workouts.
No matter how bizarre or unusual it might seem to come across her prone form while he exercised all over the room.
Just hearing him was enough to make her feel safe and loved... so much so it allowed her to let go of her worries and drag down all her barriers for her to catch a nap. That was how secure Gaara made her feel.
It was enough for him to puff out his chest proudly and experience not a small degree of smugness.
Thus, whenever he finished his workout and found her asleep in the corner, he would settle down beside her while he cooled down. When the sound of his movements no longer registered, Sakura would eventually wake and find him sitting beside her, his back against the wall, legs stretched out in front of him and his eyes closed. She would snuggle up against his thigh and use it as a pillow while his fingers came up and caressed her roseate locks.
If she was especially tired, Gaara would pick her up and take her to their room, where she would sleep more comfortably on the bed. Usually, she would already be awake by the time he finished showering.
Her queer catnaps he would call them, making her stick out her tongue at him in protest. But despite the constant teasing and the jesting barbs he couldn’t help throwing her way, both of them knew he wouldn’t have it any other way.
~~xxx~~
Fandom: Naruto
Prompt: #17 - Lullaby 100_prompts
Character/Pairing: Sabaku no Gaara/Haruno Sakura
Rating: PG
Word Count: 878
Summary: "It was enough for him to puff out his chest proudly and experience not a small degree of smugness."
Disclaimer: Don't own any of these characters.
Authors Notes: Just another dose of completely pointless fluff. xD Set after my fic Precious Flower, Fighting Sand
~~xxx~~
17 - Lullaby
It wasn’t what you would call standard... but Sakura had long ago ceased to care.
Everyone had their little quirks. Everyone found comfort in all kinds of silly things. They were what made life worthwhile and what sprinkled daily living with delightful moments of happiness. It didn’t matter if they were ridiculous or mundane; it was the essence of their nature that mattered.
She’d told him that the first time he caught her doing it. Gaara hadn’t been able to stop himself from asking her just what she thought she was doing. Not that he minded her presence; not at all. He was used to being watched during training, especially since the observation of others helped to point out deficiencies in his techniques he wasn’t able to see.
Nonetheless, having someone observe him while he went through his katas was one things... having someone fall asleep to the sounds he made during training, well, that was something else altogether.
Whenever she was feeling particularly vulnerable, Sakura would sneak into the small dojo she’d installed for him in one of the apartment’s rooms while he was amidst a shidokan workout. Even though Gaara would visit the Konoha academy frequently and would train with his fellow fighters, every so often he stayed at home and honed his skills in the tranquillity of their home. It was something he did when he needed to centre and did not welcome any external distractions. Whenever he was trying out some new moves, he preferred to do so at home where he could perfect his movements before trying them in actual fighting.
It was in those instances, when he had already started his warm up, that Sakura would sneak in and settle down unobtrusively in one of the room’s corners. If he was concentrating hard, he wouldn’t notice her until she was already lying down on the floor, her head on an impromptu pillow made from a blanket, and napping happily.
When Gaara had first seen her thus, he’d stopped in mid swing and narrowed his eyes. He’d thought she’d come into the mini-dojo to watch his drill. Was his technique so boring she fell asleep? He couldn’t help but feel slightly affronted. Which was why, when he finished, he’d gruffly asked her about it.
Sakura had blushed slightly, having just woken up from her restful doze.
“No, it’s not boring at all. I love watching you move,” she’d replied with a smile. “It’s just that... I like the sounds you make.”
Jade eyes blinked at her in confusion. “The sounds?”
She’d chuckled at his perplexity. “Yes, the sounds. You know, when you slice through the air with your arm, like this,” she said, proceeding to elucidate, “or when you swing around in the middle of a kick and throw your leg out. In the quiet of the room I can hear your quick movements along with your breathing and well...” Her blush intensified. “It’s a kind of lullaby for me; it helps me sleep.”
If it had been any other person telling him this, he would have thought they were completely bonkers. But this was Sakura. The woman he’d willingly fought and almost died for. There was absolute truth in her words and he knew it.
Gaara had puzzled over her odd little habit for some time and decided, in the end, that it wasn’t that weird for her to find comfort in something like this. When she had faced a life or death scenario at the hands of her psychotic ex-lover, it had been Gaara’s fighting that had saved her. It was his skill as a shidokan martial artist that had rescued her from the clutches of Sasuke. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that she found solace and security in his workouts.
No matter how bizarre or unusual it might seem to come across her prone form while he exercised all over the room.
Just hearing him was enough to make her feel safe and loved... so much so it allowed her to let go of her worries and drag down all her barriers for her to catch a nap. That was how secure Gaara made her feel.
It was enough for him to puff out his chest proudly and experience not a small degree of smugness.
Thus, whenever he finished his workout and found her asleep in the corner, he would settle down beside her while he cooled down. When the sound of his movements no longer registered, Sakura would eventually wake and find him sitting beside her, his back against the wall, legs stretched out in front of him and his eyes closed. She would snuggle up against his thigh and use it as a pillow while his fingers came up and caressed her roseate locks.
If she was especially tired, Gaara would pick her up and take her to their room, where she would sleep more comfortably on the bed. Usually, she would already be awake by the time he finished showering.
Her queer catnaps he would call them, making her stick out her tongue at him in protest. But despite the constant teasing and the jesting barbs he couldn’t help throwing her way, both of them knew he wouldn’t have it any other way.
~~xxx~~