The morning was bright, a candle in a dull, lusterlous sky. A shining beacon of light in the midst of utter shadow and darkness.

...A pain in the ass for the Suna brothers...

"Can someone turn out the sun?" Kankuro asked, sitting up in bed. He lifted a hand to his face, shielding his eyes from the light. "Do you hear yourself when you talk?" A cold voice asked. It was followed by a burst of shadows. "Agh! What the- Oh man! I'm blind!" Kankuro yelled as he found he couldn't see. The shadow was whisked away from his eyes as a close up of a familiar face peered down at him. "G... Gaara..." He sighed.
The red head kept silent, looking at him as if he were from another planet. He lifted his hand to Kankuro's face and showed him his black cap. Kankuro shifted his glance to the hat, afraid to leave his brother's eyes unattended and smiled slightly. "Oh"
"Idiot." Gaara muttered, tapping the top of Kankuro's head before leaving the room. As the door shut, darkness once more consumed the area around him, making him realise that the blinds were pulled down. He decided not to make any remarks about Gaara since he was actually considerate enough to help him with the light problem. Swinging his legs off of the bed and onto the floor, he stood. He stretched and yawned before pulling a pair of black pants on and easing a black longsleeved shirt over that. "Ah... now for the finishing touches." He went over to a small box on a stack of magazines and opened it up lightly. A black tube sat lazily on its side. "Yes..." he picked it up and popped off the top. Diligently he drew his signature markings on his face. "... Ok... time to eat." He said under his breath, walking out of his room and down the stairs.

"There's nothing here..." Kankuro groaned, going through the cabinet. All that was there was an empty box of ceareal and salt.
"Who the hell keeps salt with their cereal?" He asked, pulling it down and placing it on the counter. "What's wrong now?" Gaara asked, entering the kitchen, staring blankly at his brother.
Kankuro spun around, nearly collapsing from shock. Before he could speak, his stomach growled loudly. "That!" He yelled, pointing to his belly. "That is the matter! There's nothing to eat because your sister forgot to go grocery shopping." He filled his lungs with air. "How hard is it to go to the store and pick up a few things, Temari"
She stomped into the kitchen, a brush in one hand, the other one gripping the fourth chunk of hair on her head.
"Since you're so damn hungry, go shopping yourself!" She turned on her heels and left the room, returning upstairs to her bedroom.
"Fine then!" Kankuro yelled, pulling on his cap. Gaara blinked at him and crossed his arms. "You going out?" He asked lowly.
Kankuro nodded.
"Can I come"
A small hush fell over the room. 'Is he... serious?' Kankuro thought to himself.
"Uh... sure." He answered, not knowing whether to look happy or surprised.
Gaara let his gaze fall on Kankuro for a few moments as he left to the front door.

"Okay... what should we get?" Kankuro asked, standing infront of the store, rubbing the back of his head. The sun hadn't let up from the beginning of the morning.
Gaara walked past him, entering the store.
"How about a cart"
Kankuro grunted. "I knew that..." He muttered under his breath.
Gaara ignored him and pulled a cart from the line up. He pushed it over to the produce isle where Kankuro joined him.
The chilling mist of the area made Kankuro rubbed his arms. "Man, it's like sitting in a freezer"
"Tell me about it." Gaara groaned, picking up a bag of peaches.
"Fruits and vegetables?" Kankuro asked, smiling at his brother. "We can do way better than that"
Gaara smirked darkly. "Well it is Temari's fault for sending us out here with money and the task of buying food." He looked toward the next section over. 'Snacks' was written on a colorful banner.
"This'll show her." Kankuro said as maniacal as Gaara looked. The two ventured down the isle into the snack section.

The estate cabinets were nearly full with food. The fridge was already stuffed with sushi and sashimi. The soda was all put away, and only the cereal was left.
"Ah... food I can deal with..." Kankuro sighed, putting away the last box and sinking onto the kitchen counter. Slowly, he peeled his cap off and set it down beside him, running a hand through his brown hair. "Mmmmm..." He moaned as he felt the relief of his scalp.
"Enjoying yourself?" Gaara asked. He was leaning up against the wall a cookie pinched between his fingers.
Kankuro smiled. "You gotta stop sneaking up on me like that. You're gonna give me a heart attack." He chuckled, rubbing his head again.
"If I don't... the food sure as hell will"
The two laughed, Kankuro a little more openly than Gaara. He ran his hand through his hair again.
"Mmmmmm..." he moaned, a bit louder this time.
Gaara blinked, his big eyes almost glinting in the kitchen lighting.
"Does it feel that good"
Kankuro opened an eye. "Oh. Sorry about that. It's just all that heat outside, then the hat... My head can only take so much stress"
Gaara bit into his cookie, getting crumbs on his chin and the rounder parts of his cheeks.
Kankuro watched him. In between the angst and mystery of his eyes, was a cute child shining through. A brief glint, soon returning to a dark teen as he consumed the rest of the cookie. Kanuro smiled as he walked over to his brother.
Gaara brushed his hands together and burped softly. He noticed Kankuro looking down at him. "What?" he asked in his icy tone.
Kankuro gently brushed away the crumbs from Gaara's cheeks, using only two fingers. Still smiling, he finished by wiping off his chin.
Gaara smiled slightly. A small turn in the corner of his mouth. Thoughtlessly, he reached up and ran a hand through Kankuro's hair.
To his surprise Gaara's touch was soothing.
"Mmmmm." Kankuro felt himself moan accidentally.
The two stilled, Gaara's hand still in Kankuro's hair. He smirked in his shadow.
"So you're hot for your little brother..." He said, resuming in his task of rubbing Kankuro's head.
Kankuro twisted and turned his neck, yielding into Gaara's caress. "Hey, you have no idea how good this feels. Your hands are so soft..." He closed his eyes again, letting the gentlness take him.
"Oh wow. I never knew how close you two were." A feminine and stern voice called, entering the kichen. "Next time... try your rooms." "Agh!" Kankuro yelled, pulling back from Gaara. He panted for a brief moment, then turned to face Temari. "Why the hell does everyone keep doing that?!" He hollared.
Temari went straight for the cabinets.
"Don't worry boys... I'm picking up a snack and then I'll be on my way." She pulled the handle and peered in. "Looks like you two did a fantastic job shopping." She said, pulling a box of cookies out. Flouncing out of the room, she smirked at her brothers. "Be gentle now... we can't have any bruises." Her footsteps sounded up the stairs and faded off.
Kankuro rolled his eyes. He groaned a bit as he turned back to Gaara, who was strangely blushing.
"Hm? You ok Gaara?" He asked.
Gaara looked up at his older brother, recognizing what made them so different. It never occured to Gaara that being older, Kankuro would be bigger than him. It wasn't that he was inept to the fact that he was smaller. It was that he had only just began to hang out normally with him. And the sudden realization of their size difference seemed overwhelming to Gaara. He felt drawn to him. Was that what loving someone felt like?
He smiled a bit then looked away.
"I'm fine..." He muttered.
Kankuro ruffled his hair and yawned. "Man I'm beat. I'm gonna go take a nap." He left the room and Gaara with nothing more than a brief sigh.
Gaara left too, heading toward his own room.
As the two reached their room doors, Kankuro paused.
"Hey... Gaara"
Gaara looked at his brother.
"Mm"
"You're alright"
He entered his room without another word.
Gaara stood still. Then, as if time had come back into play, he smiled. It was love he was feeling. The burning sweetness of having someone love him. And though he was still unsure... he liked it.