#saibuto

he forced himself to take deep breaths, counting as he inhaled and exhaled. when he had regulated his heart rate and breathing, he returned to the home lab to deconstruct, clean, and restore everything to its original condition. he worked meticulously, throwing himself into the process rather than into thinking every small noise was the knock on the door, some chunin who had no right having this job wanting to inform him sai wasn’t coming home.

everything is fine. you’d know if it wasn’t.

with the tea finished, he decided to give up for the night. alone, he undressed, brushed his teeth, and climbed into the too-large bed that normally felt too small. the grey duvet was spotted with ink stains and dried paint flecks. he rubbed his thumb over a rough purple patch near the hem, a remnant of a piece sai had done for his birthday last year. reminding himself once again that they would surely return in the morning, he shut his eyes and smoothed out his breathing, willing himself to rest.

I’ll see you soon, love.

it was nearly six in the morning when he was startled awake. there was movement in the bedroom, and he kept himself still, eyes squinted nearly shut as he took stock of the situation. no use in alerting the intruder to his awareness until he had an analysis of their intentions. it took only a minute for him to recognize the scent—mud, wet leaves, and sweat nearly covering the too-familiar smell of ink that never left sai’s skin.

thank god.

before he could sit up and welcome him properly, he was surprised to hear his partner whispering as they got undressed.

“I missed you more than I ever have before. we got lost, I ran out of chakra, I was isolated from the group and I didn’t know what I was going to do. I didn’t think I was going to make it.”

he heard the thud of his armor and weapons hit the ground, followed by the rustling of their scroll and delicate taps from the brushes and ink pots being placed on the dresser.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you. How I didn’t clean the dishes in the sink before I left, like you asked. I couldn’t remember what the last thing we said to each other was. I hoped it was ‘I love you,’ but I couldn’t remember.”

they’ve now made their way into the bathroom, and he lays calmly, tracking their movements via sound as they wash their face and brush their teeth. it’s only a few minutes before they return, dressed minimally in loose, comfortable clothing and crawling into bed. they snuggle up to kabuto without hesitation, burying their face in his hair and wrapping their arms around his torso.

“I am unbelievably glad to be here with you. To be home with you.”

kabuto smiled, rustling around to face his partner.