Chapter Text
The ceiling blinked in and out of Sasuke’s view.
His sharp intake of air filled the midnight room, his eyes widening a fraction too much as though that would clear the dark blotches that crowded the corners of his eyes. His next breath heaves out of him almost forcefully as he shoves the blankets away from him. And, like clockwork, his eyes land on the figure curled atop the bed next to him almost immediately.
He scrutinises the soft rise and fall of the blanket, watches until he is sure it is not hallucinations brought on by the clutches of sleep. Yet the tension coiling in his stomach does not ease.
He rises from his bed, drawing near until he can make out each delicate strand of hair curving against Sakura’s face, the way her lips are parted ever so slightly, the way her neck is smooth and unmarked. As though the poison that had been coursing through her veins had never been there, as if it had not wreaked havoc across her frail body. His jaw tightens.
He reaches for her, holding out a finger beneath her nose and letting each gentle caress of her breath remind him of the life humming through her. The poison had not won; it had not snuffed out the light of his precious comrade.
That familiar hiss, the welcoming darkness bemoans the victory, yet he does not listen, does not care. In that moment, it only matters that she is here, that the curve of her cheek feels soft and warm against his clammy palm.
“Sa…ke.” A soft whimper disrupts the calm, and his eyes drop to hers, to a softened gaze that he cannot tear away from. She smiles. “Even…even in my dreams, you are beautiful.”
Her palm covers his as she caresses against it, and that simple motion sends goosebumps dotting up his arms.
“Go back to sleep.” His voice is hoarse even to his own ears. “You aren't of any use without proper rest.”
“Not…no. Not without you.” Every hair on his arms stands on end when her gaze lifts to meet him, when she tilts her head ever so just that her lips brush against the scars on his palm. He swallows.
This is all but a dream to her, and he should do his best to remember that. It is not real.
He removes his hand from her grasp, backing away to his own bed. Her eyes scrunch before her lips pull into another smile. She lifts from the bed, stands on unsteady legs. His arms tense, reaching for her before his own body registered what was happening.
“This Sasuke, the one in my dreams, is stubborn too.” She says, almost to herself as she falls into his arms, wrapping her own around him. His hands clench and unclench before they limply fall to his side.
She stays there, nose buried in the crook of his shoulder until he loses track of the seconds, the minutes. And it is all too much. His body heats, and his heart squeezes uncomfortably, unbearably, and all he wishes is to control his unsteady breath. To stop this maddening disease, this poison, from corrupting his veins.
He pulls away abruptly, falling against the bed.
“Go to sleep.” He bites, turning from her. His eyes refuse to watch her, to watch the way her expression will fall.
The heat of the blanket pales to the warmth of her body, and maybe that is why he feels it against his back. The feel of her touch, heating his skin even through his clothes. Her breath fans against his neck as her arms wrap around him, her front pressing against his back until he cannot tell where he ends and she begins.
“Wh—”
“This is my dream. Shouldn’t you be doing what I say?” She yells, or as much of a yell as she can muster in that moment. His hands fist the fabric of the bed, forcing the raging pulse beneath his veins to calm.
“Will you go to sleep now?” He says through clenched teeth. His pulse continues to tick rapidly, mockingly. She nods against him, tangling her legs with his. For a moment, he thinks they have become one being.
“Thank you, Sasuke.” She breathes. It isn’t until her breath slows and evens that he allows his own eyes to fall.
It is the best sleep either of them had in months.