The Secrets We Keep *COMPLETE* (Sasori x OC? / Itachi x OC?)

Snow Day

Maeme wakes up early and frowns at the lack of warmth behind her. Itachi left the day before for a mission so Maeme spent the night curled up in his bed. She yawns and stretches then untangles herself from the blankets. As soon as her feet hit the floor, she shivers from the cold permeating the base. On a whim, she finds one of Itachi's shirts and slips it over her head before leaving the room. Her feet make no sound as she heads back to what was meant to be her bedroom. Sasori is at his desk as usual, working under the gentle glow of a candle. He looks up as she shuts the door then returns to his work. She sits on the edge of her bed, pulling her knees to her chest, and sighs.

"Sasori, I thought of something."

"What is it?" his voice drifts back from her.

"Back when I fought the man from the Mist, you were talking to me of feelings you could not describe, but never finished speaking."

He hums in response before falling silent again.

"Can you tell me if you have discovered the meaning?"

"I have." He answers.

"Will you-"

"It doesn't matter."

Maeme flinches at his harsh tone.

"It doesn't matter..." he repeats softly, more to himself than to her.

"I'm sorry for asking." She mumbles, unfolding herself and moving across the room to find clothing.

"Maeme I-"

Sasori's words die on his lips as the door closes behind her.

Maeme lets out a frustrated sigh as she dresses herself in Itachi's room. She wasn't sure what had sparked the memory of Sasori's conversation but she definitely did not expect him to snap at her for asking. Maeme sits on the edge of Itachi's bed with her comb and starts to pick through the tangles in her hair. Since her arrival in the Akatsuki over a year ago, her hair had grown considerably. Where it originally sat just below her rib cage, it now brushes her waistline. A fleeting thought crosses her mind to cut it all but she falters as Itachi comes to mind. He would often run his fingers through it and mentioned that he liked it. She carefully braids her hair back from her face, then decides to make breakfast. Though they often spent days, even weeks apart, she always found her time spent away from Itachi to be rather boring.

As Maeme enters the kitchen, her eyes and nose are assaulted by the array of dirty dishes piled up around the room. She shakes her head and starts to gather the dishes, scraping food scraps into the trash. Maeme starts to hum along to a tune she can't quite place as she washes the dishes. She seemed to be the only one to bother cleaning up but she found it to be rather peaceful. After finishing the dishes, she wipes down the counters and tabletop before gathering the ingredients to make breakfast for herself.

Itachi leans against the doorway watching Maeme as she prepares breakfast. He can hear her humming under her breath, her long blonde hair tied back in a braid. He moves quietly and hugs her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. She relaxes in his arms and smiles.

"You're back early."

"I didn't enjoy being away from you." He mumbles, lightly kissing her neck. "It's snowing too."

She shivers at the contact before offering him a piece of bacon. He carefully bites it before standing up straight. Maeme hands Itachi a plate of food and tells him to sit and eat while she makes her own meal. As he moves to the table, she turns back to the stove to crack more eggs. Her eyes follow the egg she reached for as Itachi's hand takes it from her and moves it above her head.

"Go sit down, I will cook for myself."

"But you've been traveling, you should eat first." She argues, standing on her tiptoes trying to reach it.

Itachi smirks and raises it further out of her reach.

"If you can grab the egg, I will sit and eat." He challenges.

"Don't underestimate me Uchiha, I will climb you like a tree!"

To his surprise, Maeme wraps her hands around his raised arm and circles his waist with her legs as she tries to get the last few inches that separate them. As her fingers graze his wrist, the egg slips from his hand, splattering across the floor. They freeze before their eyes meet and Maeme dissolves into laughter.

"I hope you realize this means you lose." He tells her, trying and failing to hold back a laugh as his hands move to secure her.

"Well, I got to hear you laugh for the first time ever, so I will take my loss."

Maeme leans in to kiss him before climbing down to grab a rag.

"I dropped it, I will clean it up." Itachi takes the rag from her and starts to clean as Maeme starts to cook.

She giggles as she is lifted into the air and placed gently on a chair at the table.

"You lost. Eat your food before it gets cold." He sighs.

"Yes Sir." she salutes him with a piece of bacon before taking a bite.

Maeme looks up at Itachi, her head resting on his lap as he absently runs his fingers through her hair. She softly smiles at the warm feeling settled in her chest. He glances down, noticing her gaze, and asks what's wrong.

"I really want to kiss you but your face is too far away."

"You could always sit up."

"But I'm so comfortable." She pouts. "Lift me."

He sighs and shakes his head. "If you want to kiss me, you have to do it."

Maeme sits up, almost passing out at the rush from moving too fast, then straddles his legs.

"I sat up, now kiss me."

"No."

"But you said-"

"I said, if you wanted to kiss me you have to do it." He corrects her.

"Fine then, I'll kiss you better than you've ever been kissed in your life."

Maeme leans in and plants a soft, quick kiss on his lips before pulling away. She smirks at the slight disappointment in his eyes.

"I changed my mind. You were being mean."

"You talk too much." He breaths before crashing his lips onto hers.