Warnings: Yaoi/slash, AU, OOCness?
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Let me know if this is worth continuing.
It was a dreadful night. Work, as usual, was painfully dull. He hated being boxed up in a cubicle, unable to even flex his stiff muscles in fear of disturbing the horribly still atmosphere that was filled with nothing but stale air and the monotonous clicking of fingers working keyboards. However, he was good at his job, and pursuing a career that you possess talent in tends to be more financially appealing.
Alas, at least he didn't have to put up with them. Them, those things that so often grated on his nerves, frequently making him contemplate suicide on each occasion that one found it necessary to speak to him. Yes, one of the few perks of having a desk job was that he didn't have much interaction with people- though he hated to call them that. A person, in his book, required a sufficient amount of intelligence before he would deem them human at all.
Incidentally, on nights such as these, he found that he liked to visit the old playground behind the school that he had attended during his elementary years. He fondly deemed it his playground nowadays, seeing as no one dared enter the grounds after an unfortunate incident on the monkey bars nearly fifteen years ago.
It was because of this fact that he was surprised- horrified, really- to find someone else there. There, on the swing-set, their bare toes lightly touching the ground as the seat swayed with the nightly breeze. He could tell from their silhouette that they did not hear him approaching, or they at least made no move to suggest that they had. Frail hands gripped the swing's chains, their pale color visible in the faint moonlight. The person's head was down, as if staring at something nestled in their lap or perhaps upon the ground. Watching them, Neji felt his blood begin to simmer in his veins.
It wouldn't have been as much of a catastrophe if they hadn't been sitting in his swing. The one whose left chain he had nearly completely covered with a coalition of multi-colored band-aids during his childhood.
Slowly, he approached the shadowy figure. When he stopped about a foot and a half away, the person- a man, it seemed, - raised its head in mild curiosity. Neji frowned.
"You're sitting in my seat," He stated. He vaguely recalled someone saying the same line to him on the second day of his freshman year in high school. Damn. He hated remembering such random things at such inopportune times. Or at all, really.
The man raised a hairless brow with a mixture of surprise and doubt. He can't be serious.
"I'm serious," Neji added. As if to prove himself, he pointed to the bandaged chain. "See these band-aids? I put them there." Waiting, his frown deepened as the unwanted guest took his sweet time in turning to gaze at the series of metal links.
"I don't, actually."
He turned to face Neji again, and the clouds parted at that precise moment. A wave of moonlight slowly encompassed the grounds, and soon Neji could see the pale, aquamarine eyes that reflected his image without any sort of detection. He recognized the familiar dead look before the red-tipped cane leaning against one of the wooden posts even came into view.
"Ah-"
"I think you'll find that the other swings work quite well. I tried them all out, you know. This one simply happened to be the comfiest." He smirked, and raised a hand to brush a few strands of fiery red hair aside when the wind made them tickle his forehead uncomfortably.
Anger reignited, Neji continued to scowl. "That's because I broke it in." How exactly you could break in a swing was something that neither man considered.
"I see. Thanks for that, then. Be off, now, would you? I was trying to enjoy the night."
"Look," Neji began, halting when he noticed the slight twitch of the stranger's lips. Flustered, he hurriedly corrected himself. "Listen. I don't know who you are or why you're here, but I..."
The redhead chuckled, the sound quiet and soft, yet resonating from deep within his chest. "I got lost."
Neji blinked in surprise, turning to face the stranger once more. "Lost, at this hour? You must be from out of town.."
"Yep. I'm staying with my sister in the Enclave. Do you know where that is?"
Neji paused for a moment, unsure if he should answer truthfully. "Yes…"
"Ah, I see." The stranger left it at that, giving himself a light push before lifting his feet and rocking slowly in the creaky old swing.
Isn't he going to ask for directions? Neji frowned, feeling frustrated seemingly without reason. "I… Why aren't you wearing any shoes?"
"Forgot."
"Forgot?"
"I believe that's what I said."
"How do you simply forget to put on your shoes?"
"Dunno."
"…" Neji grasped the hem of his shirt, his knuckles turning white with unwarranted anger. He took a deep breath. Maybe if he left the conversation at that, the expressionless visitor would leave.
Time ticked by, invisible amongst the moon-lighted dead grass and broken fence.
These sorts of things never happened to Neji. He led a wholly predictable life; one that never left him surprised or even remotely uncomfortable. He contemplated the situation. It wasn't everyday that he met someone whose cynicism rivaled his own.
He could let it go this time, he supposed. As a warning.
Neji huffed in mild disappointment and sat in the middle swing. He couldn't just leave the man here, after all. He wasn't entirely heartless.
"Your sister… she's probably worried," He mumbled awkwardly. Helping people was certainly not his forte.
"Probably," The stranger agreed.
Were people in need of help always this stubborn?
"Shouldn't you call her or something?"
"I don't have a cell phone."
"You could borrow mine."
"I don't know her number."
Neji frowned. Was it just him, or did the guy seem a tad reluctant to be found? He could understand that, at least. He wouldn't want to spend time with anyone from his family, either.
"Well… it's supposed to rain soon." In actuality, the night couldn't be any drier.
"I like rain."
"You could get pneumonia and die."
"So be it."
A single brow twitched. Neji wouldn't let some blind idiot die in his swing. He couldn't even step on the same spot on the sidewalk where he had seen a dead cockroach three weeks ago. Death was… revolting.
"How about a proposition?" The redhead seemed to be deep in thought.
"Such as?" Neji half-expected the man to say something wildly preposterous, like he would relinquish the swing if the brunette adopted one of his wild bobcat kittens.
"You take me out to dinner, and I'll call my sister."
Dinner? That meant… people. Neji didn't do well in rooms filled with people. He wouldn't even be able to work if it wasn't for the high walls of his cubicle.
"I ca- wait. I thought you said you didn't know her number!" The Hyuga cursed the accusatory tone of his voice.
"It's called a phone book. Or I could just call the operator."
Duh. Why couldn't he think of these things? Neji struggled to refrain from gritting his teeth.
"…I don't like restaurants."
"There's a Japanese place on Main Street that's open 24/7 and is almost always empty," He offered. The expressionless look of his face made it seem as though he didn't care either way.
Neji pursed his lips, then let them part as he sighed in defeat. "Fine."
The redhead almost smiled, the ends of his mouth having the slightest upward curve. "Perfect." He dropped both feet to the ground at precisely the same moment, pausing before heading to the wooden post that his cane leaned against. He gripped it in his left hand, then looked back in Neji's direction.
"Happen to have any spare shoes?"
"I can't believe you came in here barefoot." Neji poked his soba noodles with distaste. He could see why no one was ever there—the place was a dump. The floor's cracked tiles looked like they were from the early 80s. From what he could see of them, anyway..
"Why? It's not like they clean the floor with toxic waste or something."
"I somehow doubt they clean it at all," He responded moodily.
"Are you always so pessimistic?" The other man had already devoured his plate and was now picking the broccoli from Neji's plate with his splintered chopsticks. Neji marveled at how he could do so without being able to see. He was about to retort but decided against it. Instead, he glanced around the room, taking in a couple of abstract paintings on the walls.
"You know, you haven't told me your name," He realized. His gaze returned to the redhead, expression expectant.
His companion only continued eating, having now moved on to the cooked carrots. Through the food, he spoke: "I'm demoniac."
"Wha-?"
"I am madness maddened; that wild madness that's only calm to comprehend itself." The stranger lifted both chopsticks and tilted back his head as if about to cackle evilly in some sort of classic madman move, but instead dropped the twigs onto his plate and lifted the napkin from his lap to dab around his mouth.
Neji lifted a brow before succumbing to the childish urge to roll his eyes. "Alright, Melville. How about your real name?"
"Ah, you've read it? I would have thought otherwise." There was the almost-smile again.
Neji sighed, taking a drink from the bottled water he had brought with him from his car. "It wasn't voluntary." He had hated Moby Dick; the symbolism and metaphors that he could never recognize but that his teacher expected him to find. He had read the book three times over and still lacked a total understanding of it.
"Mmm. Well, the name is Gaara."
"Gaara," Neji repeated, letting the syllables familiarize on his tongue. "Rather unusual."
"And you?"
"It's Neji."
"Rather unusual," Gaara mocked.
Gaara clambered into Neji's small sedan, stretching his short legs in the ample foot space and folding up his cane to the size of a ruler. "So. Are you going to give me your phone?"
Neji looked over, pushing a stick of gum into his mouth. "Maybe I should just drive you home."
"First of all," Gaara smoothed his grey t-shirt and tugged at the black jeans he had rolled to the ankle to avoid stepping on. "It's not my home. And secondly, no."
"C'mon, Gaara. It's already past midnight."
"I'm not sure how time affects this argument."
Neji let out a long, hissing breath. "Is there any particular reason you don't want to go back?"
"I never said I didn't want to go back."
"Well, it's rather obvious."
Gaara fiddled with the door handle, running his fingers repeatedly over the cool metal. "Just give me the phone."
Neji surrendered for the umpteenth time that night. He pulled out his slim cell, flipping it open and dialing the operator before handing it to the redhead. "It's ringing."
"Hello, operator. How may I assist you?"
"I need the number for Termari Sabaku in Reidonburg."
"Could you please spell the surname out for me?"
"S-a-b-a-k-u."
"Okay, one moment. Temari Sabaku. 426 East Haven Street. Reid-"
"I just need the phone number."
"555-895-2324."
Gaara pulled the phone from his ear, pressing a couple of buttons until he successfully ended the call.
"Here, let me dial it for you," Neji offered.
"I'm perfectly capable of dialing a phone number," Gaara pointed out, and proved this as he put in the number without any mistakes.
"Hello?" His sister's voice was frantic.
"It's me."
"Gaara?? Where are you?!"
Neji arched a brow. She spoke so loud that he could hear every word perfectly.
"I went to some playground at a school and met a guy who took me out for dinner."
The Hyuga winced. Couldn't he have made the whole thing sound a tad less creepy?
"You what? Gaara, you can't just go wandering around and taking meals from strangers. You don't have that luxury; you can't--"
"Temari." Gaara's voice suddenly carried an edge. "I'm not an infant. I can take care of myself. I'll be back in time for-" He paused as he became aware of Neji's presence. "Saturday. Bye." He hung up and tossed the phone in his chauffeur's general direction.
"Well," Neji stated, bewildered. "You do realize it's Wednesday, right? What exactly do you plan on doing for the next few days?"
Gaara opened the car door, extended his cane, and shrugged as he faced the night air. "Who knows?" He stepped out, shut the door, and disappeared into the darkness within seconds.
Neji exhaled.
He would be getting zero sleep tonight.