Ailurophile
By S. Muffin

...

Ailurophile (noun): a person who loves cats; a cat fancier

"No."

"But Gaara—"

"I said no."

Sakura gave her boyfriend a look of pure exasperation. "Gaara, you're my last hope!" she exclaimed. She shifted on the sofa, turning around to face him with her hands clasped in front of her chest. "Will you please take care of Pookie while I'm gone?"

Gaara almost cringed at the very sound of the name. "I'm not going to take care of that thing while you're off at some spa for three days with my sister."

"His name is Pookie," Sakura corrected angrily, dropping her hands as her eyes narrowed into a glare, "and he's not a thing. He's a cute, innocent, little kitten."

"I hate cats," Gaara countered. "Thus, I have no intention of allowing a cat in my house. Especially one named...Pookie."

Gaara held back a shudder. He could hardly even believe that he was able to utter that name aloud.

Honestly, what was he going to say if someone came over and saw his girlfriend's pipsqueak kitten sitting on his lap? He was Gaara; rude, intimidating, unapproachable Gaara. He had an image to maintain and it definitely didn't involve kittens named Pookie.

Sakura scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Gaara. For once in your life could you just stop being such a pain in the ass? He's still a kitten. Just feed him, play with him a little bit before bed, and clean his litter box."

"And that's another thing," he added. "I am not going to be cleaning after that thing."

"Pookie," Sakura emphasized. "He has a name, you know."

"Well, it's a dumb one." He folded his arms and leaned back against the sofa, looking off to the side. "Especially for a male cat. Could you honestly not think of better name than that?"?"

"Hey! It's a cute name, thank you very much!" Sakura shot back, her cheeks turning red with anger. "And he's cute too, so there!"

Gaara sighed. "Sakura, for the last time, no. I'm not going to take care of that...Pookie . Put him in a pet hotel or something."

Sakura huffed and crossed her arms. "For the hundredth time, Gaara, I already called them, and they said I had to make the appointment at least two weeks in advance." Deciding on a new approach, she gave him the sad eyes and pouted. "Gaara, you're my boyfriend and I love you, so I never want to ask you to do things that might be a burden for you—"

"Bullshit, Sakura."

"—so, can you please just help me out?"

"No."

Sakura twisted her lips thoughtfully. "Are you sure you don't secretly love Pookie and are just trying to bug me?"

"I'm positive."

Sakura groaned impatiently, trying her best to suppress the strong urge to smack him upside the head.

Nothing was working.

Seriously, the only way I'm ever able to get him to do anything is...wait.

Why didn't I think of that sooner?

Smirking, Sakura slowly leaned closer to her boyfriend and curled up at his side, nuzzling her face into his shoulder. "Pleeeease, Gaara?" she asked softly.

He flinched—just barely—from her sudden move, turning his head so he could look down at her.

She brushed her lips over his skin, gently kissing the base of his neck. "I'll never ask you to do it again..."

Gaara successfully suppressed a shiver, but Sakura didn't miss the way his breath caught in his throat and how he tipped his head slightly to the side on impulse.

"Sakura—" he tried to protest, but he stopped when she trailed upward, gently kissing the spot behind his ear. He clenched his hand into a tight fist.

Sakura smirked again, placing a hand on his shoulder as she rose onto her knees for a better reach. "I'll make it up to you when I come back..."

Gaara's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He wasn't stupid. He knew very well that she was trying to trick him. But he did have to admit (silently, in his head, so no one else could know of his defeat) that she was playing all of the right cards. After almost a year and a half of dating, though, he couldn't exactly say he was surprised that she learned how to play dirty.

Thankfully, he was the original master of that particular art.

"...Make it up to me now and I'll do it."

Giggling, Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck while he grabbed her by the waist, lifting her up and quickly carrying her to his bedroom.

I haven't posted GaaSaku in ages!

This is just a short, fun, silly little oneshot I started some time ago and finally completed today. I asked a friend of mine to send me funny/weird words as writing prompts, and ailurophile was one of my favorites, haha! I'd never heard of it prior to writing this oneshot.

So anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this! Thanks for reading :)