Disclaimer: Sabaku No Gaara & Rock Lee © Masashi Kishimoto. Therefore, they do not belong to me. c:
Note: This can be looked at as simply friendship or the slightest hints of romance... if you can even call it that.
::
"Everything has been fixed into place, Kazekage-sama."
Rock Lee saluted, his face formal and stern. The mission had been a failure, simply because the mission was found to be a misunderstanding of a huge scale, and everyone of the Sand had been sheepish about this. Well, almost.
Rock Lee, face stern with formality, stood in front of the man who seemed to remain stoic at any time of the day (and even through the rest of Suna's embarrassment at the overreactions); the man who had been through more suffering than should ever be allowed; the man who now had the greatest responsibility in Suna; the one who had almost took away Lee's life and reason years and years ago. Sabaku No Gaara's gaze pierced Lee with strict indifference, and Lee was determined to show that he would not lose nor sway, though he was starting to feel giddy for little reason.
"Very well, you may proceed to your room." Gaara nodded at Lee, still struggling to hold his composure. In such presence I cannot let my foolery slide! You must be respectful to the Kazekage; he deserves a serious face to bide his reassurance in us. I must not let him d-
"Also, please try not to look so pained. It is cold yet you are sweating." The Kazekage added and Lee's mouth was agape. He was sure he looked like a fish. After a few seconds he registered that a fish was probably the last look he wanted Gaara to see, but after a few more seconds he realized the Kazekage had swiftly left the room while he was gaping- in absolute idiocy, he cursed himself- and had already disappeared around the corridor. Lee looked at the clock in Gaara's office and noticed the shorter hand pointing at seven hours, the longer at five minutes. It was too early to sleep now, but perhaps the Kazekage forgot something in his room. Still, how careless of him to leave the door open like that, and Lee smiled in having found a crack in the perfection of the great Sabaku No Gaara. Perhaps he should retire to his room and get started on the paperwork, though. Yeah, that sounded good. He subconsciously shivered at the chilling cold. He would bring a jacket next time he was asked to spend nights in Suna, for the night desert wind almost rivaled the power of the day desert heat.
::
Gaara looked at the beady eyes of the bear, staring at it with serene expression. It was awkward he should find calmness in something that he used to massacre in thousands. He stroked the doll's soft fur and sighed at it's expression. Something had caused the particular bear to have a fault in the manufacturing process and the eery smile of the bear's kind was replaced with a expression of sadness and blame. Gaara remembered first seeing the doll and thinking it was the most hideous thing in the world, when he was younger, and hiding it in the closet so he could kill it last and most viciously. In the end, he had forgotten about it and let the bear stay isolated until Uzumaki Naruto had met him, and he had changed in person. He had then tried to clean out his room, to make a good impression, and a clear start for becoming a better person.
Gaara found himself speaking to the bear soon afterwards, confessing the guilt he had, his future plans, his frustrations, his determinations. The bear would not react but somehow he looked at the bear's expression and saw it as less blaming. Many times he had sat talking o the bear, then sat gazing aimlessly out the window, the barrier to the outside of the tower. No that he couldn't go out, but from a high place it looked almost more magnificent with such detail in such big structures, and watching the small lego figures of people walking and bouncing around.
And now he was here with the teddy in hand and babbling about the mess of today's mission with the Konoha ninjas, eyes diverting constantly in embarrassment.
He did not notice the figure opening the door, a stack of paper in hand and blinking with wide eyes at the Kazekage. When he did, Gaara's usually narrow eyes almost matched Lee's wide unblinking ones.
"Ga- Kazekage-sama... What is that?"
"It's a bear." Gaara answered simply, turning his head to the other direction and out the glossy window, watching as the home lights flickered on and off and the silhouettes by the windows danced with happiness.
Lee noted the particular action awkward and advanced into the room before sitting next to Gaara on the bed. "May I see it?" and all of Lee's sternness has evaporated after seeing such affectionate actions from the Kazekage to the stuffed animal. He almost laughed at how human it was, but yes, Gaara was human, Lee shouldn't have thought him almost perfect. He probably had just as much quirks as Lee did.
Lee watched as Gaara froze in indecision. To give, or not to give; what a challenging question. In the end he settled at not to give, and defiantly walked over to the drawer beside the bed and placed it in. He closed it and then crossed his arms at Lee, but the green-clad ninja could tell of his embarrassment. A hue of pink was making a habitat of his usually pale face. Lee let out a small giggle.
"I'm sorry for that, Gaara."
"..."
"I mean it!"
"..."
"It's normal."
"..." A raise of a non-existent eyebrow.
"I do it too."
"... And that..." Gaara's voice echoed through the room in a threatening tone. Lee blinked, afraid he might have done something wrong. "Makes it normal how?"
The fish face seemed to like swimming around Lee's face today.
A joke? He just... he just joked? He just...
A dopy grin nestled on Lee's face and a knot untwisted in his gut.
"Of course I am- do you not think so? I mean-"
"Don't ruin the joke, Lee." Gaara looked exasperated but the beginnings of a comfortable smile rested on his usually straight lips. Lee smiled widely now, forgetting about how he'd fretted about respect and formality just 15 minutes ago.
"If this is what the bear gets to see everyday, I am jealous." Lee's eyes were half-lidded, his expression was somewhat yearning. "I would love to see the person so respect-worthy to trust me enough with everything you would trust your bear."
"You are respect-worthy as well."
"I'm not even respect-worthy enough to have Sakura-san respect me!" Lee hammered his fist into his hand in a upheaval of emotion.
"... Sakura-san is respect-worthy; but so are you." Gaara sighed before making his way to the door of the room. "And perhaps you are already a bear to someone, somewhere, Lee." and Gaara left.
Lee's mind flicked to Gai-sensei and he smiled. And then he thought of something uncalled for and blushed. "Bea- KAZE-GAARA! I forgot to ask you about paperwork!" and Lee dashed out of the Kazekage's room in a flurry of embarrassment and rash determination to try get the odd-relation he made out of his mind.