Work Text:
It was an odd situation he had found himself in. He never thought he would see the man who called himself Madara Uchiha so exhausted. They had been discussing their next move when it had become far too quiet, and the masked man was not responding to him. It wasn’t until he heard soft breathing that he realized he’d fallen asleep sitting up. They had been sitting next to each other to get a clear view of the map on the table in front of them, and then this happened. Now he was stuck here sitting next to a sleeping Uchiha and was contemplating his next move.
His first thought of course was to wake him, they were in the middle of something important after all. But if he was so tired to fall asleep in the middle of something important… he probably needed it. Nagato barely slept and even now he wished he was the one sleeping. But Akatsuki and Amegakure business kept him very busy. He understood what it was like to be that tired.
Still, it was not a good position for him to be sleeping in, he knew that from experience too. Well… he wasn’t going anywhere for a while, so…
Carefully, he reached over and brought the masked man’s head down to his lap, using oh so gently his control of gravity to make the movement as undisruptive as possible. Almost like floating on air for a moment before the back of his head lay on his lap, back pressed against the bench now rather than slouched forward. The breathing he could hear hitched for only a moment, before moving back into the soft breaths from before. No, Madara clearly must not have been getting proper rest to have not woken from his sleep. It was deeper than he thought, and no shinobi wished to be in that kind of vulnerable state…
For only a second, he considered taking the chance to get even a small peek under his mask, but the risk of him waking was far greater. Worse if he woke up and saw what he was trying to do. But besides the risk, he had more respect for whatever secrets he wished to keep beneath than that.
Instead, he focused back on the map and continued what they had been working on, he would provide Madara with the details he’d come up with later.
But several minutes later he felt the man stir. But not as though he were waking, no… he knew it all too well. Rinnegan eyes focusing on his chakra, fluctuating from emotion. Breathing picking up a little. Small, quiet, worrying sounds coming from him… An unpleasant dream, he assumed. He frowned, knowing how it felt after the many, many sleepless nights he experienced. He never thought he would see the man like this, so very human in this moment. A man not so different from him even if only in small ways.
Was it because he understood that he felt this concern for him of all people? Perhaps the kind boy within him wasn’t fully exterminated yet… Somehow, that was comforting to think, even if it was himself who tried to erase it…
And now, he honestly didn’t want to leave Madara like this.
A frail hand slowly reached down, and so softly as though expecting something to go wrong, placed his hand on top of the spiky-haired head. When the stirring settled a bit after the touch and he didn’t wake, he carefully moved his hand gently across his head, and again and again. A motion that always helped when he needed comfort, something his friends had done for him so many nights plagued by nightmares, and he did in turn for them. Knowing someone is there… sometimes that is all you need.
It came naturally to him, and it seemed to help. His chakra relaxing, breathing starting to slow again, and sounds quieting with each pet of the head. Until it was nearly silent again except for the gentle breathing of the masked man.
Nagato could not help the small smile that formed as a peaceful feeling returned to his rest. Glad to know he was of some help, even if in such a simple way. He didn’t stop with the head pats, in fact, he continued them even as he went back to work. Sometimes his hand even unconsciously playing with the spikes of his hair as he worked. Everything was quiet, a bit too quiet, and the work wasn’t particularly exciting. His eyes were starting to close, trying to fight the sleep his body was desperate for as well.
His fight was in vain, before he knew it, he too was asleep. Hand still placed atop the Uchiha’s head, now he was the one left sleeping sitting up.
When he next woke from a surprisingly dreamless sleep (a rarity), he realized he was not sitting up anymore. He was on his side in a very careful position to avoid the rods poking out of his back on the very bench where he and Madara had been last he remembered. A blanket draped over him shielding him from the cold air in the room. And Madara himself was nowhere to be seen.
A tiny, almost unseen smile came to him as the realization of what happened hit him.
I suppose the work will have to wait, huh, Madara? For now... let's rest.