Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. All rights, characters, and pictures belong to their respective owners.
Why did it have to be tonight of all nights? Of course, he would have a nightmare on the one night both of his siblings were out on missions, it was just the redhead's luck. It wasn't like Gaara couldn't cope with them himself. He had many times before. It just seemed to help when he had his brother or sister by his side, especially after one as severe as the one he had tonight.
Deciding he didn't want to attempt sleep again just yet, Gaara threw the covers off and sat up on the edge of the bed. It wasn't particularly cool that evening, but the night air drifting in through the open window made goosebumps break out over his unprotected skin. He never wore his sand armor to bed; it just didn't seem necessary while within the walls of his own home.
The young Kazekage stood, his bare feet sending the chill from the floor through his body. He was still tired he realized, but he knew attempting sleep now would only mean the return of his nightmare. He needed his brother or sister, but sadly, that was impossible tonight.
Gaara gave a quiet sigh as he left his room, heading for the kitchen. He didn't bother with the lights; he was so familiar with the layout that he could easily locate any room he wished blindfolded. As he made his way down the corridor, he stopped as he came to Kankuro's room. Extending a hand toward the door, the tips of his fingers hovered over the cold steel knob. Even though no one was inside, Gaara still hesitated, and he couldn't seem to figure out why. Maybe it was because as children, they were never allowed to enter each other's rooms. It was a rule that had been drilled into them not long after Gaara was born, and the three knew it was intended to keep them from interacting with Gaara as much as it was intended to keep them safe. Maybe it was because even though things had changed, Gaara worried his siblings still feared him. Maybe it was because if it had been a year ago, Gaara knew he wouldn't be welcome in either of his sibling's bedrooms. Whatever the reason may have been, he willed his fingers to encircle and turn the knob.
The room was dark and quiet as the redhead knew it would be. Taking a step inside, he was immediately hit with the smell of sawdust. It was a familiar scent that Gaara could always detect whenever he was near his brother, and it never failed to relax him. The former Jinchūriki took a deep breath, letting the smell calm him and wash away the unwanted memories brought back with his earlier nightmare. He knew it would be best if he tried going back to bed before morning, so he decided to borrow something of Kankuro's to aid him in his mission. It wasn't anything unusual. In fact, Gaara often swiped some sort of item of clothing when he had trouble sleeping and would return it once it no longer smelled like his brother.
Walking over to the Puppeteer's chest of drawers, he pulled out the top drawer and gently dug around in it. Normally, he would grab one of Kankuro's shirts to wear, but none of them seemed to catch his eye this time. After he was sure everything looked like it had when he had started his search, Gaara closed the drawer. The redhead didn't even bother with the second drawer, which held all sorts of sweatpants. He only borrowed those once in a while, considering they were so oversized it made it difficult to walk without error, and Gaara wasn't really interested in tripping over his own two feet tonight.
With another sigh, the redheaded Kazekage was about to give up when something on Kankuro's worktable caught his eye. His brow bones furrowed as he walked over and picked it up, the fabric soft and light in his hands. His brother never went on missions without this. 'Perhaps it's a spare,' Gaara thought. Lifting it to his nose, he breathed in deeply, the corner of his lips lifting into a small smile. It smelled like everything else he had borrowed in the past, so it didn't matter to the former Jinchūriki whether it was a spare or not as he slipped it on.
With phase one of his mission successful, he left his brother's room and continued down the hall toward his earlier target, the kitchen. It didn't take him long to arrive at his destination, and soon he was sitting on the countertop eating ice cream out of the tub in the dark. It was a well-known fact that Gaara didn't care for sweet foods, but ice cream was the occasional exception.
The redhead had only had a few bites of his frozen treat when the lights switched on, startling Gaara immensely. His gourd of sand was still upstairs by his bedside, but that didn't mean that Gaara couldn't defend himself without it. He was Kazekage for a reason after all. However, the former Jinchūriki had just set the tub and spoon down beside him when he recognized the faces of his siblings as they fully entered the room.
Kankuro was the first to notice him. "Oh, hey Gaa- what are you wearing?"
Gaara had relaxed, but as his mind registered his brother's question, he tensed even more than he had before, embarrassment tinging his cheeks an almost un-noticeable shade of pink.
Temari smiled at how cute her baby brother looked in his newly stolen clothing item. "Did you have another one?"
Gaara's slightly wide-eyed gaze left the shocked Puppeteer and locked on her. He confirmed her theory with a small, hesitant nod.
Her grin widened as she noticed the forgotten treat sitting on the counter beside the redhead. "Any ice cream left?"
Another nod.
She walked over and grabbed a spoon for herself, hopping up on the countertop beside her brother. As she dug her spoon into the surface, Kankuro chuckled, causing Gaara to focus on him once more.
"Not that I mind, but why are you wearing my hat?" He asked, fetching a spoon out of the silverware drawer.
Gaara was silent as he avoided meeting his older brother's gaze.
Kankuro suddenly remembered Temari's earlier question. "It was a bad one this time, wasn't it?"
The redhead gave another slight nod.
Kankuro offered a small smile. He had been completely sincere when he had said he didn't mind. In fact, he was stuck somewhere between honored and proud that Gaara had chosen something of his to provide him comfort after his nightmare.
No one said anything more as they finished the tub of ice cream together.
The next morning, Gaara made his way to his office. Sleep had come much easier knowing his siblings were home safe, and the hat Kankuro had allowed him to keep had helped. He had returned it only a few minutes ago and found his brother's room empty, which was odd considering Kankuro never got up early, especially after returning from a mission the night before. The redhead had considered searching for the Puppeteer to thank him for letting him borrow his eared hat, but the stack of paperwork he knew was awaiting him on his desk dismissed those thoughts.
He let out a small sigh as he turned the knob to his office and opened the door. The sight that met him made his ringed eyes widen slightly.
Kankuro was sitting in his chair, feet propped up on the edge of his desk with his Kage hat resting on his head. It was tipped slightly so it was covering his eyes and his arms were crossed over his chest, breathing even.
The young Kazekage didn't know what surprised him more. The fact that Kankuro was asleep in his office, or that he was donning his Kage headdress.
For the first time in years, Gaara laughed.