A/N: This is gonna be a four part mini story. For those of you who know how awful I am at updating my stories, you'll be glad to know I finished this one completely before posting. Pls enjoy this wholesome bit of baby fluff.
i.
Gaara was no stranger to loneliness. He had undergone quite an arduous time getting to the point of indifference he was now at. This state of quiet acceptance had urged him into maturity. Looking back on how far he had come felt good, like an accomplishment worth noting, even if he had no one to share it with.
By the age of nine he had stopped pining for companionship and was coming around to the idea that not everyone was going to have it so good. By thirteen, his impassivity had become this bridge to outrage, further provoked by teenage hormones and a hostile home life. No longer the timid child he once was, he became cold and unstable. Around sixteen he began to question himself and by seventeen he found a sense of calm that brought him back to solid ground. Now, nineteen years old and starting his sophomore year of college, he looked towards the future with a bit of optimism.
His freshman year of college had been less than enjoyable. Prior to getting approved for the transfer program, he attended the same university his brother and sister were enrolled in. For as far back as Gaara could remember, his siblings had little interest in him. It was as if all the familial love they had was reserved solely for each other, leaving none to spare for their smallest brother. It had bred a terrifying resentment that finally showed itself when Gaara entered his teens. Following a violent incident between Gaara and his older brother Kankuro, his siblings had retreated both physically and emotionally from him. Things were never quite the same after that. Though they were pleasant to each other now, every exchange dripped with insincere formalities. No one enjoyed it.
Gaara applied for the transfer program because he saw an opportunity to start over. It was a new place where no one knew who he was, where no one held that natural aversion every other person in his village seemed to have for him. For once he was choosing his own path to follow. His father, leader of Suna, saw to it that Gaara had his own one-bedroom apartment rather than the shared dormitories that most transfer students were assigned. His father wasn't a good parent by any means, but he was grateful for the gesture. For as much as Gaara looked forward to the change in scenery, even he had limits to how far his comfort zone could be encroached upon.
The place he rented was comfortably small. Gaara didn't have many belongings of his own to bring, but the place was furnished upon arrival with any essentials he might need. All he had to contribute was a minimalist wardrobe, a few select books, and a toothbrush that he had bought at the train station after realizing he'd forgotten the one he had intended to bring in the first place. Some might complain that it was boring but Gaara found the plainness of it all comforting. He had very few attachments to the material world and that in of itself was freeing.
He arrived in Konoha three days before his classes were due to start. He took this time to familiarize himself with the village and the people within it. The differences between his home and this new place were startling and evident upon his very first steps off the train. He was most impressed by the huge varieties of color that made up the Konoha landscape, being used to shades of brown and red, being in a place with such rich vegetation was refreshing. The change in season was more intense than it was back home however. He pulled the scarf around his neck up over the bridge of his nose and let the warmth of his own breath bring some color back into his face. After unpacking at the apartment, Gaara put a heavier coat on and walked to the market for a few groceries
With his basket hanging from one arm, Gaara ran his finger across a shelf of instant soups as he deliberated on his purchase. "Can't go wrong with the Soba brand," a husky voice said from beside him. Startling Gaara from his bubble of existence, he looked with large, curious eyes at the boy next to him. He might have been a little taller than Gaara but looked as if he were Gaara's age. He had unkempt blonde hair and sun-kissed skin leftover from a summer spent outside. The boy grabbed three packages of the same instant soup he'd suggested and then met Gaara's gaze. He looked taken aback to see such an intense stare coming from a stranger. Gaara, realizing his social graces were slipping, quickly looked back to the shelf.
"Oh, thank you." He said quietly as he too grabbed a box and placed it in his basket. The blonde gave a satisfied nod with a cool smile before turning to continue his shopping. Gaara kept his head forward and down until he could see the boy turn the corner in his periphery. Shyly, Gaara crept down the aisle and peered around the corner. He spotted the blonde standing in line at the register. Gaara looked down at his basket, it was full of everything he needed but he felt nervous at the idea of standing in line behind the blonde. This is insignificant; he thought tiredly, there was nothing to be nervous about. He pulled his scarf up over his mouth and with deliberation, strode over to the line.
At first the blonde didn't notice Gaara's presence, which had shrunken considerably as he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the next, but when he did he gave a half-turn and smiled. "Good choice," he said in a tone that lacked any sort of insecurity.
"I'm sorry?" Gaara asked with wide eyes, caught off guard by the very thing he dreaded from the start. Was it normal to talk to strangers in the store? He was suddenly aware of how awkward he was being. The blonde pointed to the soup in his basket and Gaara shut his eyes knowingly, "oh, the soup." He wasn't quite sure what else he could say so he didn't say anything. This didn't deter the blonde however.
"I'm Naruto, never seen you around here before." He extended a hand and Gaara looked at it stiffly. Even more awkward than before, Gaara shifted his basket to free one of his hands and softly took the other's in his own. Naruto grinned and shook his hand with a sturdy, firm grip. In comparison, Gaara's hand must have felt like a child's, limp and unsure.
"Gaara," he introduced himself. "I'm in the exchange program at the university, from Suna." The blonde's face lit up and he did a full turn so he could face the redhead completely.
"Maybe we'll have some classes together! This is my second year, kind of bummed summer ended so quickly but what can you do, you know?" He grinned and Gaara was left somewhat speechless. He wasn't used to such casual conversation, out of a million responses he could have had, not a single one reached his tongue.
"Err," he said casting his eyes towards the rest of the line ahead of them. He wished they'd move a little faster. "It's my second year as well," he finished lamely, if not just to get something out there. Luckily, the blonde seemed entirely unfazed by Gaara's reluctance to make conversation. The line took a small step forward; it was almost Naruto's turn.
"It's not so bad out here, I mean, I've lived here my whole life so I don't really have much to compare it to, but there's a lot to do and none of it ever really gets boring. If you ever need someone to show you around, just let me know, I know all of the good places to eat and I could introduce you to some of the other guys too." Gaara swallowed hard. That comfort zone of his was only moments away from shattering; he had to keep it together.
"Thank you," he said sincerely, though with apparent nervousness. To his relief, the cashier called on Naruto to put his items on the table in a tone that sounded short at Naruto's lack of attention. The blonde turned around, startled. He waved his hand around and apologized quietly several times. Eagar to get through the line, the cashier rang Naruto up quickly and ushered him out, moving onto Gaara. The blonde grabbed his bag and waved at Gaara.
"Anyways, I'll see you around!" He called out at a volume a little much for indoors. Gaara timidly waved back as the blonde retreated out the door and he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He paid for his items and pulled his scarf back over his nose as he walked out into the cool midday air. Gaara felt an uneasiness bearing down upon him. It seemed like for any other person, socializing and making friends wouldn't be too hard of a task. But for him it was different, and he worried he would lose any chances at doing so before he got a chance to get good at it. On the other hand, after that brief spell of contact with Naruto, Gaara had to wonder if he really wanted it in the first place. He'd grown so accustomed to spending time alone that time suddenly spent with other people felt foreign and like a waste of time and energy.
Gaara unlocked the door to his empty apartment and promptly locked it again behind him. He stood for a moment and just listened, the resounding silence of the small space brought him a sense of comfort he needed. Funnily enough, it felt like home.
He looked out of his bedroom window as he wrapped the thick scarf around his neck. The first day of class was marked with dark clouds and the distant rumble over the valley of a possible storm heading their way. He hadn't brought an umbrella. It hadn't even occurred to him that he might find himself stuck in a storm; rain wasn't something he often saw in Suna. He was puzzled by the August weather, the second day in the village gave him high temperatures and a lot of sun, the third day was warm but windy, and now this. Was it all going to be so unpredictable? He looked down at his watch and curtly turned, grabbing his book bag from the back of his bedroom door as he strolled out.
Gaara didn't care much for impressing other people. He dressed simply, slim black pants and a thin grey sweater, topped with a heavy utility coat that hung past his hips. The only splash of color on him was his shock of hair, standing out brightly in the gloomy light of day. If anything, Gaara was unabashedly himself, it never occurred to him to be anything else. Because of this, he dressed the way he wanted, left his hair unruly, didn't make much eye contact and hardly spoke a word unless it felt necessary. He'd had a lot of time to think about what it would take for someone like him to make friends and he'd come down to a surprisingly simple answer. The fact of the matter was, he didn't want to make friends if he couldn't be himself. It might have been the collective results of his life experiences that made him such a reserved person, but it was undeniable that reserved was just the type of person he now was. He had no desire to find himself in awkward, forced conversations and because of that, he didn't plan on finding himself in one again. If this meant that he'd spend the next year alone, so be it.
A light sprinkling started as he approached the school. The redhead frowned and tucked his chin into his scarf, picking up his pace as if he were going to out move the storm. The university was bigger than the one he'd attended in Suna. From his pocket he pulled a map of the school and scanned the page for his first class. Second floor, room 205-b. The hallways bustled with other students, some walking alone, some hanging back to chat to groups of others. It was nice to feel like such an unimportant presence. It didn't take him long to find his class, as it was he entered the room and found himself to be the first one there. He took the seat at the back of the classroom, near the window. Watching the rain gently fall across the glass, he didn't look over as voices trailed in and the class steadily began to fill. By the time class started, the rain had picked up and was running rivers down the windowpane. A flash of yellow in the courtyard caught his eye and he watched in amused silence as Naruto came bolting from the neighboring walkway, a textbook held over his head to protect himself from the rain. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth but before it could pull into completion, the instructor began to speak.
He began with attendance, slowly crawling through the list of names before him. When he came to Gaara's name, the redhead at the back of the class said, "here" quietly. He hadn't expected nearly everyone to shift in their seats to look over at him.
"You must be our newest exchange student," the instructor said. Gaara refused to look anyone else in the eye but the man at the front, giving a short nod in response. "Well, welcome. If you have any questions-" his words were suddenly derailed by the classroom door being flung open from the outside. Entering with labored breathing was Naruto, he looked unkempt and damp, and he waved his hand with the textbook still in it around.
"I'm here, I'm here," he said breathlessly. He shook out his wet hair and grinned as the girl next to him complained.
"Naruto, nice to see you could make it. You're late."
"Mr. Hatake, I can explain. See I was-" The instructor lifted a hand to silence him, effectively bringing Naruto's mouth to a stop.
"Just have a seat and don't make this a regular occurrence. We were just introducing our newest transfer, Gaara, to the class." Gaara shrunk down slightly in his seat, his eyes wide and mouth small and silent. Naruto whipped his head towards the back of the class and grinned, teeth bared. He gave an excited wave from where he sat, two rows over and three chairs up. Gaara returned the gesture with much less enthusiasm. "Ah, I see, you two have already met then. Well in that case, Naruto, be a good host and make sure Gaara knows where to go, will you?"
The blonde sat back and crossed his arms, looking smug as if he'd been honored with a very important job. "No problem," he said, brimming with confidence. Gaara felt his mouth begin to frown.
It wasn't that he didn't like Naruto, more so it was that his energy was electric, far more concentrated than anything else Gaara had ever come into contact with. He didn't quite know how to handle it yet and he had hoped he wouldn't have to for a little while longer. It seemed that the unpredictability of the village was back at it, if this was going to keep up, Gaara would be going home with whiplash. The class moved on slowly and Gaara was almost disappointed to discover that the Suna education was ahead of the Konoha curriculum by a semester or so. Because of this, he let himself drift into his silent headspace, eyes transfixed on the wet world just outside the window. When the class was up, Gaara purposefully gathered his things at a slow pace, hoping Naruto would have forgotten about the instructor's direction. As it was, he hadn't.
Naruto approached Gaara's desk with an unanticipated warmth. "Good to see you again," he said at an appropriate volume this time. But again, Gaara found himself stumbling over his thoughts.
"You too," he didn't necessarily mean it, but it was the first thing that came to mind when he thought about what any regular person might say. "H-how are you?" Dammit. His pale cheeks flushed slightly as he realized he was doing exactly what he told himself he wouldn't, and badly too.
"Better now that I'm not stuck in the rain," he gave a husky laugh. Gaara marveled at him for a moment, how he remained so incredibly oblivious to Gaara's discomfort was almost…comforting. "Is your next class math too?" Gaara gave a quiet nod and Naruto beamed. "Alright! I guess we'll probably have a lot of the sophomore classes together. I hope you're good at it because I could really use some help with-"
"Come on, dobe, we're gonna be late." A steely voice said from the doorway. Both Gaara and Naruto turned towards the voice, which belonged to a serious looking boy with dark hair that framed his elegant face. Besides him stood a smaller girl with pink shoulder length hair, looking happily over at Naruto. These must be his friends, Gaara thought.
"Yeah, yeah," Naruto waved his hand at them and turned back to Gaara. "We can all walk together since we're all goin' to the same class." Gaara wanted anything but that. It was one thing to follow Naruto around like a lost dog, it was an entirely different thing to lurk around his entire group of friends.
"I'll be fine, I do have a map. Please, don't wait for me. I wanted to speak to the instructor anyway…" Gaara looked around to find it was only him and Naruto in the classroom, the instructor having left some time ago. He felt a twitch of a nerve go off, so much for that.
"Don't you worry about a thing, Gaara. We can probably answer any question you've got." As Gaara straightened himself out, resigning himself to the inescapable fate before him, Naruto decided to take it one step further. He threw his arm around Gaara's shoulder and led him towards the two in the doorway. He could feel his face growing hot and all he could do to greet Naruto's friends was stare wide-eyed and helpless as he tried to remember how to say hello.