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Gaara was sprawled across the bed, eyes half closed, head canting languidly like a cat in a sunbeam. It was one of his rare days off - an occasion to be treasured - the whole afternoon and evening splayed out in front of him with infinite possibility, any opportunity his for the taking. And so, he had decided to nap. Sleep came easily to Gaara these days, hard won after his insomniac childhood and restless teen years. As his Kazekage duties grew more intense, the bickering of the council stretching on over years, he found that he valued sleep, appreciated it in a way that he never had before. There was nothing so delicious as pulling the curtains closed until the light in the room became soft, laying down between crisp sheets, and letting his heavy eyes settle into sleep. He rolled over on the bed, stretching and making himself comfortable, adjusting his pillow to just the perfect plushness. There was a rap at the door frame.“Gaara?” came Lee’s voice. “Are you in here? Oh- heck, sorry.” Lee’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I didn’t realize you were asleep.”Gaara fully opened his eyes to see his husband in the doorway. Lee was in his post-training clothes, a towel slung around his neck and his hair wet from a recent shower, face pink and freshly scrubbed. “It’s okay, I’m still awake,” Gaara said. He stretched languorously as Lee entered the room fully and sat on the edge of the bed. “You look so sleepy,” Lee said, resting a hand on Gaara’s blanketed knee. “Getting ready for a nap?”Gaara nodded muzzily. He turned his head to scratch his nose on the pillowcase.“Did you still want to go out for dinner tonight? That new restaurant you were talking about just opened,” Lee said. “I ran by it earlier when I was doing my laps; it smells amazing.”Gaara wrinkled his nose.“Was that supposed to be tonight?”“Mm-hmm,” Lee said. “We don’t have to go if you’d rather stay home and sleep, though.”Gaara hummed, shifting.“I do want to go,” he said. “But then I’d have to put pants on.”Lee looked down to where Gaara’s bare ankles were peeking out from the bottom of the blanket. He laughed, the sound bright and familiar. Gaara let his eyes drift closed to bask in it. “I suppose you would,” Lee said. “Don’t worry about it, then. You get your rest, and I’ll make us something to eat.”Gaara nodded, not opening his eyes. “Make it something we can eat in bed,” he said, the words slow to make it out of his mouth. He felt Lee kiss his forehead as he tumbled into sleep.Gaara awoke a few hours later, disoriented in his darkened bedroom. His stomach grumbled ravenously. He rolled over to see Lee next to him, quietly reading by the light of the bedside lamp. “Wha’ time izzit?” he mumbled, feeling like he had just been pulled from underwater and unceremoniously dumped on land. Lee glanced at the clock, dog-earing his page and setting his book next to him on the covers.“Around 10,” he said. “You slept right through dinner time.” Gaara rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. Despite his long nap he still felt drowsy, and the twin warmths of the room and Lee beside him weren’t helping matters. “‘S’ere any food left?” he asked. The impulse to simply roll back over into Lee’s side and fall back asleep was strong, but the growling of his stomach was stronger.“There sure is,” Lee said. He adjusted until he was sitting with his back against the headboard, then reached down and seized Gaara beneath the armpits. With an effortless heave, he pulled Gaara up to be seated between his legs, Gaara’s back to his stomach. Lee reached over to the bedside table and handed Gaara a bowl and chopsticks. “Sorry, it’s probably cold by now,” Lee said. “Nothing fancy, either, just egg and rice.”Gaara was silently grateful that is was nothing complex. Lee’s more adventurous culinary forays were sometimes a challenge to endure even fully awake. “This feels ridiculous,” he groused, craning his head back until it dropped to Lee’s shoulder. “Really?” Lee asked. “I thought it was kind of nice. With you right here, I can do this-” He wrapped his arms around Gaara’s waist and squeezed. “-and this-” He pressed a kiss to Gaara’s temple. “-and this.” He nuzzled his face into Gaara’s hair. Gaara had to admit, it did feel pretty nice. He never felt safer than when he was encircled by Lee’s arms. And here, in their bedroom, shrouded in warm light, draped in their shared blanket, with Lee’s strong arms surrounding him, he felt utterly secure. He hummed his agreement, meticulously shoveling egg into his mouth while Lee dotted the back of his neck and shoulders with kisses. When he was finished, Lee took the bowl from his hands and set it aside. “Do you want to lay back down?” Lee asked.Gaara shook his head. “Stay like this for a minute.” Lee pressed a long kiss to the side of his head, his breath tickling Gaara’s ear.“Whatever you want,” he said. “But let’s scoot down a little bit, in case you fall asleep again.”Gaara grumbled but assented to Lee adjusting him on the bed until they were slumped against the pillows, Lee still cradling Gaara in his arms. Gaara turned his head to kiss Lee’s mouth, half-missing and mostly landing on his chin. Lee snickered. “Thank you for dinner,” Gaara said. His eyes were starting to drift closed again, the rhythm of Lee’s chest rising and falling against his back steady and soothing. Lee reached over and turned out the bedroom light. The room fell into darkness, but Gaara’s eyes were already closed. Gaara fell asleep smiling.