Sabaku no Gaara rarely took a liking to anything. In fact, he pretty much hated everything around him. Anyone who acted kindly toward him was always rewarded with a basilisk glare and a malicious sneer that usually scared them off at once. But not that green-spandex-clad little annoying taijutsu master, no, not him. He didn't even turn a hair, even though he probably couldn't have been able to, since it was settled almost permanently into a stupid bowl cut that shone irritatingly even if he was in a dimly lit room. Gaara disliked shiny hair. He also disliked green spandex. It was extremely infuriating. Another thing that this red-haired Suna-nin disliked was people with no fashion sense. Green spandex with orange legwarmers and a red belt was hardly recognizable as fashion sense.
But, if there was even one thing Gaara enjoyed, besides killing people and hating them and sitting on rooftops brooding, it had to be following the stupid overachiever green-spandex-clad ninja. He was very amusing and Gaara liked being amused. He sat watching the young genin for hours at a time. Well, what else was there to do, when you've got a freaking badger demon shut inside you and you can't sleep? Sitting in a tree watching the kid train was better than sitting on a roof brooding. Of course, that was what Gaara was doing right now, watching the exuberant Rock Lee of Konoha train. He chuckled to himself as the genin energetically exclaimed to no one in particular that he was going to do five hundred pushups.
He won't finish, said the demon badger Shukaku inside his mind.
Who says he won't? Gaara snarled. Shut up, dumb badger. Leave me alone.
Why do you watch him? It's annoying.
I watch him because I can, now shut the hell up! Gaara mentally beat the demon down. It grumbled but shut up. Gaara sat, watching Lee, satisfied that for once, Shukaku had left him alone.
"Four hundred ninety…" Gaara watched as Lee gasped out the number of the pushup he was on, marveling the boy's muscles as he struggled to make it to the next pushup.
"Come on," Gaara growled exasperatedly. He had to admit; he was getting a bit bored with this whole situation. He knew Shukaku had been right. Lee never made it to the numbers he proposed.
Lee heard Gaara's growl and fell face-down in the grass, cursing. Gaara sighed.
"Ah, too bad. You were close," he said, raising a non-existent eyebrow in the general direction of Konoha's Beautiful Green Wild Beast.
"Why are you here?" Lee asked, panting.
"Because I like to watch you train. It's actually a bit entertaining." Gaara said, being immensely straightforward with Lee. Not that he had any reason to lie, of course.
"Oh." Lee didn't know how to respond. "Ok…" He rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "Don't you ever rest? Sheesh." Gaara said, rising to a standing position on the tree branch. He made the hand seal for tiger and allowed his sand to carry him to the ground. "It's like, two in the morning"
"Yeah. So? Why do you care? I should ask you why you aren't at home sleeping," Lee retorted, frowning slightly.
"I don't sleep." Gaara muttered. You should, he heard Shukaku growl in the depths of his mind. Then I could take over your body and do as I wish for once. Gaara held the side of his head, snarling, "Shut up!" to himself.
"I didn't say anything." Lee said, crossing his arms.
"I wasn't talking to you!" Gaara growled, trying to beat Shukaku into submission again. "Are you schizo or something?" Lee inquired. "'Cos you're really starting to freak me out." He paused for a second while Gaara regained his composure. "Gaara, I have a favor to ask"
"…" Gaara grunted. "Would you…erm…would you perhaps train with me?" Lee asked, almost shy. And Gaara knew Lee was not shy. He must be sick, the Suna-nin thought. Really sick. He looked at the green-spandex-clad Leaf-nin for a few seconds. Lee was fidgeting like that Hyuuga girl, and it was starting to annoy him. A lot. And when things annoy Gaara, it's best to stop them, or else Gaara will stop them himself. Which, of course, never ends happily ever after. Lee noticed that Gaara seemed to be getting ticked. It wasn't anything to do with facial expression, since the Suna-nin couldn't show that because of his sand armor, but some kind of aura seemed to radiate from him whenever his mood changed.
"Gaara?" he said tentatively, and stopped fidgeting. Thankfully the aura disappeared.
"Sure." Gaara said. "What do you want me to do"
"I dunno. Spar with me"
"You know you can't hit me." "I did before, so shut up." Lee huffed. "Just sort of stand there like you always do"
"Fine"
"At least fight back without the sand. Can't you do Taijutsu"
"A bit. Definitely not enough to survive on." Gaara chuckled.
"Hmm. How would you like it if I taught you?" Lee asked. Gaara started.
"Why would you teach me?" he questioned. Lee was silent. Gaara gave him a look. "I mean, I don't deserve it, since…you know…what I did to you before"
"Will you please stop dwelling on that? I'm fine now, Godaime-sama healed me! Every time I've seen you or talked to you, it always goes back to that! Just forget about it"
"I wont!" Gaara bristled. "I almost killed you then and there, and I couldn't control myself! If your teacher…" he clutched at his heart. The sudden ache had caught him by surprise. Every time…he thought exasperatedly. Why does this happen? The image of Rock Lee's sensei, protecting Lee as Gaara tried to mutilate him, was fresh in Gaara's mind. He shivered involuntarily. "Gaara? Are you ok?" Lee asked, worried. Gaara looked up at him with jade-green eyes and just stared into Lee's onyx ones, not knowing what to say. A few moments later, he spoke, softly.
"I…just…don't understand you…" The redhead choked. Lee raised a large eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" the Leaf-nin was confused. Gaara was normally cryptic and confusing, but he was being downright serious right now, more so than usual, and it was really making Lee befuddled. He went and stood in front of Gaara.
"What don't you understand?" Lee inquired. The red-haired boy straightened up and lightly touched Lee's hands with his own. Lee's face immediately turned red and he tried to back away, but Gaara just grasped his hands tighter, pulling him close.
"Is…is this what another person feels like?" Gaara asked pretty much no one. He touched his forehead, where the word "love" was emblazoned on his forehead like a grotesque tattoo. Lee didn't know how to respond to Gaara's advances. He was blushing furiously as Gaara's arms began to snake around his slender torso, constricting slowly, gently. The Suna-nin was never this affectionate. Then again, he never really touched anyone…at all…especially like this. But Gaara wasn't being forceful and Lee was really starting to like the feeling of the younger boy's body pressed right up against his own.
"Lee…I think I really like you…" Gaara murmured, right next to Lee's ear, his soft breath tickling Lee's neck, below his jawline. Suddenly, the redhead leaned in and gently pressed his lips to the skin of Lee's neck. It couldn't be wrong, he thought. He had seen his brother and that Chinese-blouse girl…what was her name…Tenten doing the same thing at the dance held in Suna a few weeks before. Lee started at this contact but didn't pull away.
"Gaa-"
"Shh," Gaara smiled at Lee. "Do you mind?" he asked tentatively, caressing Lee's neck gently. He had the strangest feeling inside him…
"…No…" Lee smiled. "No, Gaara, I don't mind." He put his own arms around the skinny Suna-nin and leaned in and kissed the younger boy, gently pressing his lips against Gaara's. Gaara's eyes widened in slight surprise. Lee broke away slowly and looked at him, laughing softly.
"What?" Gaara asked, almost snapping at Lee, taking a half a step away from the green-spandex-clad boy.
"Silly," Lee chuckled. "You're supposed to close your eyes," He whispered, and pulled Gaara to him and kissed him again. This time, Gaara closed his eyes.
Maybe green spandex with orange legwarmers was okay after all.