Written as part of a Music Shuffle last month, for Hilary Duff's song Why Not. Gaara is 'Mama' for Metal here; the backstory on how this came to pass (or how Metal came to exist) is beyond the purview of this story.
"Mama! Mama look!"
Gaara looked up from the message he was reading and smiled fondly as Metal scowled, putting on his Very Determined face - on his father the expression was mildly terrifying, at least to anyone who didn't know they lived in his heart; on Metal's tiny round face it was preciously adorable - and drew himself into an almost flawless taijutsu stance.
"Very good, Metal." Gaara agreed, and the scowl wavered as his dark eyes met Gaara's. Metal smiled proudly instead, puffing up a little before he transitioned with a little more determination than grace into another pose, continuing it into a combination that Lee might have been able to make work, but Metal certainly could not. He wobbled and fell over onto the grassy meadow.
His face crumpled as he landed, but he bit his lip and didn't cry - Gaara's sharp eyes swept over him from head to toe; he didn't look hurt, nothing beyond a few scuffs - only got up again.
"I can do it!" Metal said to himself, nodding determinedly in affirmation. Gaara smiled slightly.
"I am certain that you can, Leaflet." Gaara said gently, and Metal's expression cleared a little. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before getting back into his first stance. Gaara watched his son's practise closely for a few more minutes, then let his attention to the scroll in his lap. It was relatively dull work, but he had a satchel of it to get through this week and it all required his attention personally. Gaara worked through it patiently.
Though Metal hadn't cried out or even spoken again, suddenly something caught Gaara's attention. His head snapped up just in time to see Metal taking a tumble off the steep cliff at the back of the meadow.
"Mama, look!" Metal yelled out cheerfully, kicking further away from the rock.
Gaara's heart nearly stopped as he lunged to his feet, throwing one hand out in a harsh gesture. Metal landed on a cushion of sand barely two meters from the top of the cliff with a soft whuff. Gaara pressed his free hand to his chest, trying to calm the zing of adrenaline as he gave a subtler wave and the sand gently conveyed his son back to the ground, and to his side.
"Metal," Gaara said calmly as Metal came close, "what were you doing?"
"I was going to practise like Aunt Temari does!" Metal said eagerly, even as he climbed willingly from the sand platform up into Gaara's waiting arms.
Gaara hugged his son close - Metal's small body was reassuringly warm and solid - and closed his eyes for a moment. "Aunt Temari uses a very large fan, and is wind natured - and possibly the strongest user of fuuton in the world." he pointed out reasonably.
"Aunt Tenten jumps like that too!" Metal said eagerly, undaunted, his eyes all but sparkling.
"Tenten has been practising her leaps for a very long time, Leaflet, and she does not jump unwarily from cliffs, either." Gaara said firmly. Metal squirmed a little in his arms and Gaara eyed him. "And I expect she began her own practise from the ground." he added.
"Oh." Metal pouted thoughtfully, and Gaara flicked his fingers to disperse his sand, sending it back to its gourd. "That makes sense." Metal agreed reasonably after a few moments. Gaara loosened his hold on his son, and Metal slid down to the ground, turning to run off again and then pausing. "Did I worry you, Mama?" he asked earnestly, looking back up at Gaara.
Gaara swallowed. "Yes, Leaflet." he admitted evenly, kneeling and clasping Metal's shoulder, then kissing his brow, fingertips brushing aside neat, silky fringe. "I was frightened when I looked up and saw you falling, but it is all right. Just remember that unlike your Aunts you do not have the experience to manage such a fall, and you may not leap off cliffs until you do."
Metal leaned into Gaara, blinking at him confusedly.
"No cliffs." Gaara simplified. "No matter what your Aunts do. You are not them, just like you are not me or daddy. You aren't big enough to do it safely yet."
"Yes Mama." Metal said obediently, smiling. Gaara ruffled his hair and kissed his brow again, then consented to his return to taijutsu practise. He was a little wild, and certainly had inherited what seemed to be every scrap of Lee's determined nature, but Metal was a generally well-behaved child. Especially for his parents.
Gaara returned to his place on the grass, though not yet to his stack of scrolls, and watched his son practise - play, he supposed.
A few hours later he had made his way through most of the scrolls, though Metal had finally tired himself out and was sleeping with his head on Gaara's knee. Gaara petted his hair or his back from time to time, and he stirred and snuffled sleepily, content. That was how Lee found them.
"Hello, beloved!" Lee greeted warmly, dropping down beside Gaara.
Gaara smiled, tipping his head up to accept the kiss he knew would be coming his way and purring softly when it landed. "Hello, my darling. Have you had a productive day?" he asked.
Lee nodded, eyes straying down to their son. Gaara smoothed Metal's hair as the light breeze caught it. "Metal has been practising hard today." he supplied, and Lee grinned proudly. "Including trying to fly, like Aunt Temari." he added dryly.
Lee startled at that, eyes flicking back up to meet Gaara's. "What? I mean-"
"Fortunately I saw in time, and I caught him. We've now discussed why he is not yet allowed to jump off cliffs." Gaara said, looking down. Metal was stirring, beginning to wake. Gaara didn't want to think about what might have happened to their child if he hadn't looked up when he had. His throat went tight.
"Oh-" Lee cut off anything else he might have said as Metal opened his eyes.
"Daddy!" Metal scrambled up and threw himself at his father in one slightly sloppy movement, and Gaara smiled affectionately as Lee let himself fall backwards onto the grass, Metal landing on his chest. Metal laughed happily, bouncing on Lee's ribs, and Lee cuddled him close.
Gaara rolled up his last scroll and tucked it in the bag with the others before moving to stand over his family. Lee grinned up at him and then Gaara was tumbling to the ground almost before he had registered the light blow that knocked his feet out from under him.
Reacting fast, Gaara caught himself before he landed on top of Metal, but let Lee take the brunt of his fall. He had knocked Gaara down, after all.
Lee hardly seemed bothered, simply curling an arm around Gaara as well while Metal giggled and snuggled between them. "It was indeed a productive day! And I have certainly enjoyed assisting my fellow Konoha nin in their youthful training," Lee paused and stole a quick, light kiss, "but I missed you both today."
Gaara smiled at him. "Metal will have to show you how hard he was training today." he told Lee, turning his smile on their son, who brightened even further under their regard.
"Yosh!" Metal declared, sitting tall on Lee's stomach and raising one hand in a thumbs up. "I worked real hard, Daddy!"
Gaara's lips twitched with amusement as Lee's eyes filled with tears and he sat up, squashing Metal against his chest with an effusive hug and leaving Gaara lounging on the grass beside them.
"Wonderful!" Lee cried, holding Metal up. "Of course you did, my Youthful Little Leaf!"
Gaara sat up as well, his heart warm with love as he watched his small family, and leaned against Lee's shoulder, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Eyes still wet, Lee grinned at him as he lowered Metal again, and Gaara gave him a soft kiss before resting his chin on Lee's shoulder.