Additional One-Shots

Nightmares: Cold

A/N: First in a small series of one-shots focusing on my different couples and the night. After all, so many of them have trouble sleeping~

It might have been the cold that woke her. She'd never been a fan of low temperatures. He hadn't moved enough to wake her, nor had he made a noise. In fact, he was utterly silent throughout it all.

He just wasn't there to keep the cold away.

Her muddy eyes flickered open, sleep blurring them for a moment as she attempted to focus on the world around her. It only took her seconds to realize it was her sleeping companion that had startled the girl into awareness- not an unseen danger. As silent as ever, she simply rolled over on his bed, gaze studying the currently still man. His entire body was tense, the images playing out in his sleep coated mind causing sweat to drench his brow. A frown tugged onto her lips as she raised a hand, hesitation flickering through mind.

It was most likely a nightmare. She'd known he was plagued by them, he'd told her as such the first night she'd elected to share a bed with him. She'd brushed it off, telling him that it'd be strange if he didn't. He'd offered a faint, bitter smile in response. Just the thought of that evening almost pulled the frown from her lips. the urge disappeared, however as something akin to fear flashed across his sleeping face. Her hand lowered, then, lightly brushing his cheek.

"Kakashi..."

The man jolted awake at the touch, his hands striking out as quickly as they might have in battle. One of them shoved the blankets away with one, swift movement, the other seizing her wrist as he flipped their positions. Suddenly, her back was pressed into the bed, Kakashi above her. It was far too easy to imagine that in any other situation, the hand that he'd used to shove the blankets away would have already been shining with the blue crackle of chidori.

Kakashi's eyes locked onto hers, the startling sight of his shirgan causing Miki to freeze in place for a few moments.

Awareness seemed to flood into him within a split second of the initial movement. His hand released her wrist, the other dropping to his side. He said nothing, although in as sudden of an action as when he'd woke, the man was off of her. His feet swung over the side of the bed, his entire frame turned away from where she laid.

Miki didn't move, her entire face crimson despite the seriousness of the situation. It took her a full minute to start breathing again. By then, Kakashi had wrapped the palms of his hands over his knees, his entire frame as tense as it could possibly be. Still silent, he didn't bother to look back at her as she shifted into a kneeling position on the bed. He could feel her eyes boring into his back.

"... Kakashi."

The quiet word did little to break the tension flooding the air between them. Her frown deepened and a thoughtful crease appeared on her brow. After a second's thought, however, the crease disappeared and she carefully inched closer, never shifting from her knees. A small, frustrated noise escaped her lips when the baggy edge of his tee-shirt caught against the blanket, almost pitching her into his back. Earlier that evening- when she declared she didn't feel like making her way back to her own apartment- Kakashi had offered to lend her a pair of his pajamas. She'd declined, informing him that his tee-shirt was big enough she could wear it as a nightgown on its own and that his pants would most likely hang off of her. Amusement had flickered across his face- an expression that she imagined was far from the one he was currently concealing from her.

Without a word of warning- as she doubted he wasn't aware of how close she'd become- Miki draped her arms around his shoulders from behind. If anything, he only grew more stiff as she locked her hands together and settled her chin on his shoulder. She didn't say a word, simply curled her face into the small crook of his neck. Moments ticked by, neither one of them moving. Neither one of them saying a word. And then:

"I'll sleep on the couch."

As soon as the words had left his lips, the man started to pull away. Miki simply locked her arms more firmly around his neck, causing her to lift slightly off the bed when he first started to stand. Understanding she wasn't releasing him, he paused.

Not once did he shift his gaze in an attempt to look at her.

"It's cold, Kakashi."

"... I could get another blanket for you."

"No."

His fingers hesitantly raised to brush where her clasped hands laid against his collarbone.

"... why?"

"Because."

At Miki's stubborn response to the simple, even toned question, Kakashi sighed. His entire frame slowly relaxed, fingers curling around her wrist to pull her hands over his head. Even as she released her locked fingers he tightened his grip on her wrist. Within seconds he'd turned to face her, an undecipherable expression on his face. In turn, she simply offered him an even gaze. Once again, minutes passed without a word. The longer his hand stayed wrapped around his wrist, the more he became aware of the faint tremble to the limb.

Eventually, his eyes dropped to his fingers.

"You're trembling."

"I'm cold," she replied. "...and you're warm. Of course I would shiver."

"You aren't afraid?"

She blinked, her free hand snaking out to catch his chin. Soon, Miki had forced him to look back up at her.

"Why? Are you?"

Something almost like a smile touched his lips as he slowly shook his head.

"Then lay back down. It's cold," she repeated. "You know how I hate the cold."