Hiding Place
By Landlady of the Universe
Summary: Hide here with me… Naruto/Jiraiya/Gaara (totally not my fault), implied Jiraya/Orochimaru
Genre: Stuff-ish
Spoilers: Through chapter 154.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sensei, who deserves to have it because he is just that cool. ^__^
A/N: I have no idea where this came from. It was supposed to be a little Jiraiya ficlet, cause he has got to be my favorite character ever. Then Naruto appeared, which I was ok with, cause, you know, they kinda go together. Then, Gaara showed up and I was like, wtf?, but I figured it was ok since he and Naruto belong together anyway. Then all of the sudden there is a strange Naru/Gaara/Jiraiya triangle-y thingy going on. How did that happen? .
He hides in his dreams.
He hides in women and drink and pretends to sleep when insomnia takes over.
He calls Naruto and idiot even through the boy will quite possibly achieve his dream some day and there is no doubt in his mind that he is nothing short of a genius. This is also a way to hide for him.
He really does like the boy, for all the trickery and abuse that he sends Naruto's way. He tells himself that it's for the boy's own good, and maybe, that's a way of hiding too.
Jiraiya has been hiding for a long time. He's become quite good at it.
But now … he's afraid to come out. It's been too long.
He really does like the boy. So a little tiny bit of the vast guilt that he feels at spending Naruto's savings on sake is redeemed when he finds it harder to take the wallet the next time. He figures that he'll make it all up to Naruto someday by leaving him the fortune that he's amassed from selling his books and spending other people's money instead of his own.
Naruto has a certain spark to him that can light up even the dankest, darkest holes. And the one that he has chosen to hide himself in is one of the deepest of all. He has to admit that he appreciates the light. But even so, he can only take so much at a time, so he sends Naruto away for a while, or escapes off on his own.
He always comes back though. It's addictive, Naruto's light. Jiraiya isn't the only one that feels that way either.
He can feel Gaara's eyes on him as he orders Naruto into a training exercise that will prove ultimately pointless when the boy finds a new and interesting way of getting around things as he generally does. The sand nin is hiding too. It's possible that Gaara has been hiding longer that Jiraiya has. Only…
Gaara has no dreams to hide in. He's too young to drink or enjoy the company of women.
But Gaara really does like Naruto, even though he often pushes him away and calls him an idiot. Jiraiya knows they are 'together', even though it's a huge secret. As much a secret is the fact that Gaara is staying here, hiding in the woods outside of Leaf village. That didn't stop Naruto from bringing him here to show off his boyfriend.
Jiraiya really likes Naruto, but he'll be the first to admit that the boy isn't the smartest at times. He seriously doubts that Naruto even considered the implications of bringing him to the hiding spot of a notorious missing-nin. Gaara, sorry to say, hadn't even been surprised. He had merely shrugged in that cool, collected way he had, nodded when introduced, and returned to whatever he'd been doing before they'd arrived, keeping a careful eye on Naruto.
That had been six months ago. Jiraiya saw him rarely, but Gaara had seemed to loosen up a bit. He really should have turned him in, it was his duty as a frog hermit, but somehow, he couldn't break into the sanctity of someone else's hiding place.
Besides, Jiraiya kind of likes hiding here with Gaara.
He isn't really surprised when Gaara kisses him. No warning, just the sudden pressure of the boy's lips against his. Gaara is rather straightforward about things like that.
Perhaps it doesn't feel as odd as it should. Then again, they really are a lot alike. They both feel a lot older than they really are.
Gaara pushes him backwards so he lands on his back with a dull thump and kisses him harder. Though he is easily twice the boy's size, Jiraiya doesn't resist.
"Hey! Don't forget to breathe over there!" Naruto is laughing; possibly because Jiraiya is more surprised than he originally thought.
Gaara sits up, glancing in Naruto's direction while a small smile plays over his face. His hand, planted firmly on Jiraiya's chest, prevents the older man from rising as well. So Jiraiya stays down, trying to think of something subtly appropriate to yell back. Nothing comes to mind, so he says nothing.
Gaara turns back to him, glancing down with emotionless aqua orbs. "He really does like you, you know."
Jiraiya glances over at his student, who, as it turns out, didn't need any prompting to resume training. "Yeah," he whispers back, "I know."
So Gaara kisses him again. And Jiraiya kisses back, figuring that this isn't as odd as it should be. How strange that Gaara would be the one who best understood both teacher and student. Gaara understands Naruto's pain of rejection and loneliness and Jiraiya's need to hide.
Jiraiya kisses back, ignoring the urge to bolt, to bury himself deeper in the hidey-hole he's dug.
The last time Jiraiya kissed a boy, he hadn't been much more than a boy himself. It was clumsy, fumbling hands and clacking teeth. And then that boy, then his best friend, betrayed him, hurt him, nearly killed him. So he ran and has been hiding ever since.
Someone lifted him back up into a sitting position, slides behind him and wraps strong arms around his waist. Jiraiya smells sweat and opens his eyes to see a head of blond hair resting on his shoulder.
Gaara leans back, returning the smug smirk Naruto is giving him. Jiraiya, sandwiched between the two boys, knows that he should put a stop to this. But he doesn't say anything.
He figures it might be alright to hide here for a while.