Work Text:
If you hate one thing, it's a cold. Of course one is haunting you now, and you're lying in bed with no chance of leaving it - unless you have to go to the bathroom, that is. The person who makes sure that you move as little as possible sits right next to you.
Your boyfriend has made himself comfortable on a seat cushion with a book next to your bed, and whilst reading he registers your every movement.
"Sasooo" you whine the nickname of the redhead and then have to cough as you feel a tickle in your throat. At the same time, you try to wiggle out of the blanket layers. However, a hand that presses lightly but firmly on the pile of blankets prevents you from doing so.
"It's your own fault that you got sick, now you have to live with the consequences." He sits up and hands you a cup of still lukewarm tea.
After you have drunk a little and have calmed your throat, he gently touches your forehead. "You seem to really have a fever, sleep a little, you’ll feel better." "But it's way too warm!" you complain about the blankets that are stacked on top of you.
"Believe me, you will feel better afterwards" he kisses you on the forehead and then sits down again in a comfortable position before he continues to read his book, ‘Advanced Woodworking Techniques’.
With slightly flushed cheeks - not just from your fever - you turn to the side so that you can look at him. You close your eyes and try to go to sleep, but the recurring little coughing fits just don't let you rest.
Suddenly a pleasantly warm hand strokes your head and your whole body begins to relax. Before Sasori can pull his hand away, you take it and hold it in yours. In his presence, you're always very relaxed and a pleasant feeling of security spreads throughout you. It doesn't take long before you finally fall asleep.
Everything around you is just a black blurry mass. You feel like your surroundings are rocking, or are you the one that rocks? You don't know, but you get sick and you try to keep your balance.
You close your eyes to escape the irritating masses that hurt your eyes and trigger the nausea. When you have the feeling that you have solid ground under your feet again, you slowly open your eyes.
You sit on the floor of a room that somehow seems familiar, but somehow it doesn't. Confused you look around in the slightly traditionally furnished room and see a little boy sitting on the other side of the room.
He doesn't seem to have noticed you. He sits quietly in his place and plays with some dolls that are attached to threads. On the face of the little red-haired boy is a happy smile that warms your heart.
You recognize him immediately. You would always recognize your boyfriend, no matter how old he looks. Especially this version of him is very important to you. After all, it was about this age when you two met each other.
Now he seems to have noticed you too. It almost looks like he recognized who you are. He takes the dolls in his little hands and runs towards you. "_____-chan let's play!"
A little puzzled, you nod. Who could turn down a request from this little angel? He hands you one of the dolls and plops down next to you. With already skilled fingers, he begins to move the threads. The puppet performs several movements and the boy speaks with a slightly adjusted voice.
He pauses, then looks up at you sulkily. "_____-chan you have to answer!" All this time you just watched him and forgot that you actually wanted to play with him.
"Oh of course!" You fumble with the doll he gave you and try to organize the threads in your hands. Of course, Sasori has often shown you how to move such a doll, but somehow you can't get it together properly anymore. Chibi Saso next to you starts to giggle and somehow you are embarrassed as you struggle with the threads.
"I'll show you again. Look closely!" He slips closer to you on his knees and puts your fingers and threads in the right order. Now you're a little calmer and you remember how to move your fingers to let the doll make a few simple movements. "Thank you very much, sir" your doll bows slightly as you speak in a disguised voice.
Chibi Sasori giggles and then bends over to you to give you a kiss on the cheek. "I really like you _____-chan!" Your cheeks turn slightly red, but you smile at the little boy. "I like you too Saso" you pull the little boy in your arms. You can still hear his sweet giggle before suddenly feeling dizzy again and having to close your eyes.
The next time you open your eyes you are no longer in the room in which you were just sitting. Chibi Sasori is also no longer there. Now you have a Sasori sitting opposite to you, he looks like he probably just started highschool.
You weren't a couple at this time. You're not quite sure, but think that this is your old classroom. Even though it’s empty apart from the both of you.
You're sitting at your old school desk, Sasori is sitting on the chair in front with his elbows on the desk and his head propped up on his palms. His gaze is on you and it seems as if he's looking right through you. Even today, it makes you nervous when the redhead looks at you like this. It's as if he knows exactly what's going on in your mind, what you think and feel.
Quickly, you turn your gaze away. It takes all your self-control to withstand his staring gaze, but you just can't muster it right now. "So you're still as shy" you're torn from your thoughts and turn your eyes back to the redhead opposite from you. Suddenly he's very close because he leaned over the table. Then he whispers "But you look really hot" before he leans forward and kisses you.
You can't move in shock, but your heart is beating wildly in your chest and your face is probably bright red. Sasori has never said anything like this to you before. But before you can enjoy the kiss, the room begins to change. Again, you have to close your eyes so as not to stagger and to keep your nausea in check.
It takes longer than the times before to calm down again. Breathing a little heavily, you slowly open your eyes again and find yourself in a different environment, as before. You're sitting on a large bed and in front of you is a large window wall through which you can watch the night and the city lights. It looks like you're in a hotel room, which is above the city, so that you have a nice view.
You admire the breathtaking view and don't notice how another person enters the room. Only when he steps into your field of vision do you notice the tall young man. You flinch slightly but relax a little when you recognize the redhead. This time you hardly recognize Sasori, which is probably because he appears to be a bit older than you are right now.
And you have to say, he looks really good. How he stands there on the bedpost, in his black suit, with this smug grin and his brown eyes watching you. When you catch his eye, his grin grows wider and again you feel like he knows exactly what you’re thinking. And that's exactly what makes you blush. Because you're sure that he knows exactly how good looking you find him.
"How cute you are", his voice is deeper than you're used to. With slow steps, he comes closer and you don't know what to do, so you just stay where you are. But now that he's suddenly so close to you, you're getting uneasy. Meanwhile, Sasori kneels with on leg on the mattress next to you and leans slightly over you.
In order to bring some space between you again, you pressed yourself flat on the mattress. The problem is you have no other options to get away. The grin on his face seems a little more confident to you now. He knows exactly how to make you nervous and takes full advantage of it. "What are you doing?"
His brown eyes sparkle with amusement before running his right thumb over your cheek. "You tell me" "Get off me?" "You're still so innocent and a little bit naive my love" he bends down and presses his lips gently on yours.
Your face seems to be exploding as red as it is, and your heart is racing as if you're running a marathon. A heat spreads throughout your body and everything starts to spin again.
With a gasp, you startle up and try to calm your racing heart and to orient yourself where you are now. You scan the room with your eyes and stop on Sasori, who kneels next to your bed and watches you with a concerned look. "Are you ok _____?" When you slowly realize that you are awake again and in your own room - with your Sasori - you throw your arms around his neck.
He's holding you a little perplexed. Through his touch and the slow running of his hand through your hair, you start to calm down. In the few minutes it takes to compose yourself, neither of you say a word. Then you break the silence first.
"Saso?" "Hm?" "You were really cute as a kid." At first he doesn't know what to say, but he doesn't have to say anything either, because you keep talking.
"From the beginning of highschool, you started staring at me with a penetrating gaze. I don't like that. I always have the feeling that you know exactly what I think and that's embarrassing." The redhead keeps to himself that you're like an open book to him, and just accepts the words of his girlfriend.
"You will surely tease me more in the future. But I won't always put up with that! I know you will look even better than now, and I will be proud to be your girlfriend. However, I have a request" you take his silence as an invitation to continue. "Just stay the way you are now for a while longer. Nothing has to change. Everything can just stay the way it is."
You strengthen your grip around his torso a little and bury your face in the crook of his neck. "I have no objections" the redhead refrains from commenting, instead swallowing your statements and slowly starting to stroke your back. He too, doesn't feel like anything has to change. It can stay as it is for now.
Extended Ending:
"Saso?" Once again, you break the silence that has come between you while simply enjoying the presence of one another. "Hm?" You push yourself away to look at your boyfriend. "You're not going to become a ninja and kill people, are you?"
Sasori raises an eyebrow and tries to suppress a laugh. "I think you should lie down again _____." He gently pushes you back onto your pillow and pulls your blanket under your chin, tucking you in. "But don't worry, that won't happen."