It was a plain and simple fact that Sabaku no Gaara didn't do relationships. There were a plethora of reasons (most churned out by the Konoha High rumor mill) for his aversion to affairs of the monogamous kind but the single most prevalent one was that Sabaku no Gaara was scary as fuck. The guy was downright intimidating and not just because he never smiled (or made any facial expression other than indifferent stoicism—a skill he wielded far better than Uchiha Sasuke who was far too prone to the pettier emotions of annoyance and jealousy) oh no.

It was because Sabaku no Gaara possessed a color palette most would find unbelievable—his skin was milk pale, an unearthly shade of white that was almost translucent. He dressed all in black—whether that be leather jackets, ripped black jeans, t-shirts of bands that most people couldn't pronounce, chains, belts, metallic accessories that looked more like torture devises than fashion statements—hell, even if you were blind you'd still recognize Sabaku no Gaara by the sound of his black, battered combat boots echoing down the hallway.

Yet the whole pale and dark contrast could have been forgiven if not for the dark-rimmed eyes and crimson shock of tousled hair that looked a cross between "I just had sex" and "I may or may not have disposed of a dead body." It was a bizarre synthesis of possibility but for some reason it was totally believable when Sabaku no Gaara was the one involved. And sure, the cool jade eyes might have softened the whole look of charcoal and steel knives but the pure apathy (tinged with derision and emptiness) was more frightening than any spiked metal collar.

So it was a complete and utter shock when star athlete, Uzumaki Naruto, the best forward Konoha High's seen in twenty years and who was bound to get a full ride scholarship to the University of Myoboku, began talking to him.

To Sabaku no Gaara.

Those who knew Naruto (and, to be quite honest, that was the entire damn school because Uzumaki Naruto radiated charm and affability) knew that Sabaku no Gaara (it was practically a sin to call him by his first name only) and Naruto were in the same AP English class taught by Hatake Kakashi, a retired Hollywood film star, and that Naruto's dad, Mayor Namikaze Minato, used to be college roommates with the ill-tempered and heartlessly cold tech billionaire Sabaku no Rasa.

A freshie had gotten wind of this and quickly spread word that Sabaku no Gaara used to go on playdates with Uzumaki Naruto—a rumor that got eviscerated after Inuzuka Kiba (a devil-may-care hedonist and startling good left midfielder) denied it with fanatical vehemence. No way was his best friend in any shap, way, or form associated with that red-haired freak of nature.

But even with these denials and muddled details, the fact remained: Uzumaki Naruto, the golden boy of Konoha High and the godson of Principal Senju Tsunade, now walked down the hallway after AP English cheerfully chatting with a stoic, blank-faced Sabaku no Gaara who would sometimes nod or shrug.

It was undeniably, unequivocally bizarre.


"And what'd you think of those last few chapters? Man, I thought Humbert Humbert was fucked up before but damn, I guess I should've expected the whole kiss kiss bang bang thing at the end." Naruto shook his head, running one hand through messy blond hair. "Fuck. Still can't believe Kakashi-sensei starred in a movie adaption of that book."

"It's been done before."

"Well yeah but it's Kakashi-sensei. I'm seriously worried he'll get a call by the American FBI one day for jailbait charges."

"It was a movie."

"Uh-huh. And the books he reads in class are instructional manuals on how to better his mind and soul spiritually."

"Some could see it as such."

"Dude if porn had the ability to cleanse your soul then you can bet I wouldn't be sending my subscriptions in under a pseudonym."

Gaara shrugged. "You're the mayor's son."

"Which means I could probably afford bail. And maybe my mom wouldn't hide my dead body under the floorboards."

"There's always the attic."

Naruto wrinkled his nose. (A few freshmen girls squealed.) "Nah, my mom's past the whole William Faulkner A Rose for Emily shit. She'd just neuter me instead." He laughed.

A faint gleam of amusement appeared in Gaara's expressionless eyes. "You really liked that assignment."

Naruto nodded. "Who'd a thought, huh? But I guess creepy, macabre, and unhealthy love's right up my alley. That arsenic scene gets me every time. I want some poison." He pitched in a high, craggy voice that sounded more like marbles being garbled by a cat. "Arsenic. Is that a good one?"

"Arsenic is what I'll be giving you if you don't shut up right now." Gaara returned conversationally.

"But Gaara-kun! I want the best you have! I don't care what kind! Love—passion—murder—state penitentiary!" He rolled his eyes dramatically, feigning a swoon before laughing again. "Fuck, I love stories like that. Makes analyzing literature interesting, ya know?"

They stopped at Gaara's locker, with the redhead ignoring Naruto's blabbering in favor of twisting in his lock code.

"Say, you wanna come over tomorrow or something to start on Kakashi-sensei's next assignment?" Naruto adjusted his backpack strap. "I was thinking we use The Sound and The Fury—"

"I'm not doing Faulkner with you."

"Well that's fine cause I'm not into necrophilia." Naruto grinned easily—the same grin that'd gotten him out of a suspension writeup after he'd beat up that Kabuto bastard for calling Sasuke a fag. "Come on—Faulkner's great! The guy can tell dirty jokes better than anyone and who else can put in the same level of crazy as Quentin Compson and his Jaime Lannister feelings towards Caddy, huh?"

"If I agree to become your partner we're doing something that hasn't been exploited by television for ratings."

"Blame our reptilian brains." Naruto's phone vibrated, prompting him to glance down and see three irate messages from the king of all bastards, Uchiha Sasuke. "That fucker!" Naruto seethed, opening his iPhone with as much care as he could when all he really wanted to do was throw it at the wall. "Fucking fuck—Dobe. Not going to be able to drive you home. Swim practice got extended."

"It's your own fault for never getting your license."

"That old turd failed me cause I called him out on his pedo shit!" Naruto protested. "Seriously—how the fuck can he fail me when he was trying to proposition me twelve minutes earlier?"

"Probably before you swerved and nearly ran into a U-Haul truck."

The blond glared. "That is the last time I call you mid-crisis."

"Fine by me." Gaara replied mildly, exchanging his Norton textbook for his calculus one. He'd always liked the soothing quality of multivariable formulations.

Naruto continued leaning against the locker wall, an irritatingly cute pout on his face.

"Why are you so upset?" Gaara closed his locker. "You only live two miles from here."

"Yeah but tonight's the old pervert's birthday and I wanted to be back in time to bake something. Maybe a cake. I dunno."

Gaara, who'd long since grown used to Naruto's excessive use of nicknames, said nothing before spinning around and walking towards the school's front doors.

"Gaara! Hey, wait up—!" Naruto grabbed the redhead's arm (the only person able to do that and not fear for their livelihood) with remarkable grace—guess he'd have to send a thank you note to crazy Might Guy and his "light ankle weights" that'd made Naruto feel as if he were running with the Chrysler building strapped to his legs. "Dude, I know I'm being a bitch right now but at least give me a hint when I've become insufferable. Otherwise I'll just get more annoying. It's a fact."

Gaara looked at him for a while, taking in the sharp sun-kissed jaw, the cheery (if slightly concerned) cornflower blue eyes, and unkempt blond hair.

He was taller than Gaara too. 6'1 to Gaara's 5'11.

"You want a ride or not?"

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

"I'm not repeating myself."

Naruto faltered for a moment. "You…sure you don't mind?" Gaara watched as the blond hesitated, eager to say yes but considerable all the same.

It was one of the many things he liked about the soccer star with the easy smile.

Liked it quite a bit. Probably more than he should.

After realizing that ten seconds had passed with him not answering, the redhead turned around again. "Keep standing there and I'll rescind the offer."

"What the—! Gaara, man—slow down! Sheesh," Naruto jogged up beside him. "For a guy whose chosen sport is glaring holes at the back of people's heads, you're remarkably limber."

Limber? He really wasn't but for Naruto, Gaara might be willing to see how far he'd stretch. (And it was only through years of systematic practice that Gaara managed to keep his blush at bay.)

"Do you have all your books." The two walked down the school steps, front entrance in sight.

"Yeah, I finished tutoring with Sakura this afternoon during free period and we got through all my stat shit. I still can't believe you're going into physics. Those differential equation pre-req classes sound like hell."

"Medical physics is a burgeoning field." He answered with a shrug. "There's a lot to explore."

"True. I still can't believe you guys can do heart surgery without cutting the patient open. Cyber knives sound fucking awesome. You're gonna be saving lives with clean hands!"

"I'm fairly sure all doctors are required to wear gloves and use sanitizer." He responded, a faint hint of repressed laughter in his voice. Even though Naruto only understood the rudimentary pillars of Gaara's intended college major, he listened and paid attention with more enthusiasm than most of Gaara's fellow STEM students. Rapt eyes, furrowed brows, a joke or question on the tip of his tongue—

Naruto had the unique ability to make you feel as if you were the most important person in the room. That your words were valued, that you were valued. And he did so with no judgement or pretension—freely admitting mistakes and faults (unless they were joking—in which case Naruto could be more bullheaded than a groupie chasing after Elvis) all the while saying the weirdest things that had the ability to make Gaara smile. Sometimes laugh.

It was downright strange.

"Speaking of which I never did congratulate you for your early admin to Myoboku." Naruto grinned as he kicked open the front doors, not caring about security cameras or potential damage to school property. Rushing outside, Naruto turned so he was walking backwards, with an amused Gaara observing him. "You gotta give me more notice than a 3 word text before homeroom, man."

Gaara shrugged. Honestly, it'd meant more to him than words could ever express just knowing Naruto cared.

Outside the clear blue sky and brisk February weather gave Konoha's winter atmosphere a calming effect. The lemon yellow sun shone overhead and the almost empty parking lot was unimpressive—save for one sleek black Jaguar parked near the soccer field.

"Seriously Gaara," Naruto walked beside him, lazily confident with his arms crossed behind his head. "Even if we get jack shit done tomorrow, you should still come over." He turned, giving him a smile so broad that the dimple on his left cheek stood out.

"And why would I do that." He ignored the beaming smile and dimple combo to pull out his car keys. Better keep his hands busy before he sunk into madness and tried to trace his fingers along Naruto's jaw.

"To celebrate!" The blond enthused, looping one arm around Gaara's shoulders. "C'mon, even if you aren't impressed with what you've accomplished doesn't mean we plebs can't be! I mean, it's Myoboku dude, the same university Prime Minister Senju Hashirama went to. The same school he played starring forward at and also where he met my great aunt Mito. And you got a full academic scholarship!" Naruto shook his head, clearly impressed. "If that doesn't warrant a party then I don't know what does."

"You're not throwing me a party."

"I know you're not gonna believe me when I say this but human interaction isn't that bad every once in a while."

That's because people want to be around you. People gravitate towards you—like planets around the sun. You make people feel important, Naruto.

You make them feel—

"Besides, you'll never hang out with me otherwise." Naruto chuckled, arm still around Gaara, who suddenly felt as if he'd been shot full of lightening.

He gave Naruto a sharp glare. "What?"

"It's true." The blond shrugged his shoulders. The easy smile and ready laughter often hid Naruto's unhappiness quite well but for someone like Gaara, who'd made a hobby of people watching, there was suppressed hurt hidden beneath those delphinium blue depths. "I mean, I get it." His…friend? Classmate? Companion? continued. "You got a reputation to maintain and I'm sort of a pain in the ass to talk to. Loud and obnoxious is how Sakura phrased it and," he shrugged, "she's not wrong. So I get why you might only wanna talk to me during AP Lit—mostly cause you're forced to but hey, I'm easy like that." He turned, giving Gaara a half-fractured smile. "I'll take what I can get."

"Naruto—"

The blond athlete—Konoha High's star soccer player and top of the popularity food chain—waved aside his protests. "Nah, don't worry about it. I'm just being melodramatic again."

They'd reached Gaara's car and Naruto's warmth suddenly left the redhead's side, leaving him off-center and cold. It wasn't anything new but after having basked under Naruto's sun, Gaara was extremely reluctant to give it up.

Hence why he tried to keep as much distance as he could. He didn't want to suffocate Naruto with his presence. Not Naruto, someone whose circle of friends was as large as the Cirque du Soleil and who had the ability to befriend a hundred more. It was a miracle Naruto even wanted to keep talking to him after Kakashi stuck them together for their first midterm in November because shit, didn't Naruto know?

Out of everyone at Konoha High, Uzumaki Naruto was the only one Gaara would look at with gentle eyes and the only person he wanted to perhaps talk to. Even just in passing.

And now that Naruto was talking to him on a regular basis (though he still couldn't figure out why—Naruto wasn't like the others. He was independently wealthy and his father was mayor, he didn't need Rasa's money or influence), Gaara would be damned if he ruined whatever accord they'd silently agreed upon by imposing himself in Naruto's life. And knowing the too-nice blond knucklehead, he wouldn't even complain. Would simply tolerate it until one of Naruto's close friends—one of his best friends, whether that be Uchiha, Haruno, or Inuzuka—kicked him out on Naruto's behalf.

Besides, for all Gaara knew, Naruto didn't even swing that way.

"Gaara? Dude, you okay?" Naruto asked, one hand coming to tilt the shorter boy's chin up.

Gaara froze.

He was now looking directly into Naruto's eyes—could see the planes and contours of his face: the sharp cut jaw, the Grecian nose, high cheekbones, and concerned sky-blue eyes. And, Gaara hesitated, Naruto's hand was under his chin. He could feel the callouses and frayed skin from hours upon hours of soccer practice, skateboarding accidents, and carpentry accidents that'd resulted in bruised nails and bleeding palms. The heat emanating from Naruto's hand seared through his translucent flesh, causing Gaara to feel heat rushing to his face.

With a sharp jerk, Gaara stepped away, eyes not missing the look of hurt in Naruto's eyes.

Now you've done it, that accusatory voice in the back of his mind sneered. Insult the boy you probably love more than your own life. Fucking shit.

"I'm fine." He cleared his throat, fumbled with his keys, and opened the driver's door. "Let's go."

"You sure—?"

"Yes. You'll be late for your godfather's party if we don't—"

"Holy fuck, I almost forgot!" Naruto frantically ran a hand through his hair. "If you hadn't said anything I would've just been here talking to you for hours!"

Hours…? Gaara's eyes widened just half a fraction.

"Anyway, you think we'll beat late afternoon traffic?" Naruto nervously pulled out his phone, checking Google Maps. "I mean, the local's always clogged and now we're an hour late and—"

"Get in the car, Uzumaki. The faster you stop talking, the quicker we'll get there."

"But hypothetically speaking, should we check for alternative routes? I mean, I can get pretty fidgety and I know you don't like that but if we're stuck in traffic for hours on end then I just might have a full blown fidget session that'll have you kicking me out of your car—"

"Naruto."

He glanced up. "Yeah?"

Gaara plucked the phone out of the blond's hands and pocketed it, completely ignoring the other boy's protests. "Shut up. Get in the car. Strap yourself in before I take off with your phone and your dignity."

"Aww babe, you should've said that earlier. You know I'm a sucker for dirty talk." Naruto winked with a laugh and a wave of thanks as he got into the passenger seat.

Gaara was torn.

On the one hand, he'd quite like to strap the blond in and ride him until he was chanting Gaara's name like a prayer.

On the other hand, Gaara grimaced, he was already too aroused—and they had a twenty minute drive, complete with traffic and red lights.

Fuck.


Although Naruto's father was mayor and owned one of the finest residences in Konoha, Naruto typically stayed with his godfather, Sannin Jiraiya, a multimillionaire media mogul who resided in one of the most upscale penthouses in the Ryuuchi district. Gaara's own father owned several suites in the same building and it was where Kankuro and Temari would reside when they visited over winter break and couldn't stand the icy atmosphere of the Sabaku mansion.

Gaara pulled into the VIP parking lot, flashed his pass, and killed the engine.

"You panicked for no reason." He said matter-of-factly. "And you're fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. Quite the change, actually."

"Eh, as long as I'm earlier than Kakashi-sensei, then I'm early." Naruto flashed a thankful smile. "I appreciate this a lot Gaara—especially since you live on the other side of town."

"I have my own place here. If the traffic became too unbearable I could just stay in one of the suites for the night."

"Yeah, but I don't want your dad ragging on you on my account." Naruto said seriously.

Gaara shrugged. Rasa honestly didn't give a shit where Gaara was so long as he wasn't out tarnishing the Sabaku name or lying dead in a ditch somewhere. "It's fine." He returned Naruto's gaze with as much reassurance as he could—which wasn't much but Naruto, sensing Gaara's discomfort, let the subject drop.

"You sure you don't wanna drop by? The perv's a downright creep at times but he's got a killer booze collection. Whiskey from 1909—how he swiped that, I'll never know." He crowed before pausing, a look of contemplation on his face. "Second thought," Naruto frowned, "I probably do know. God, he's gonna get sued one day."

"I think his lawsuit might have a fair chance of succeeding if the main object of contention is whiskey. I've yet to hear of a war being waged in the name of fermented grain mash." He knew he sounded ridiculous right now, joking about some 50 year old's liquor preferences in the parking lot of the Manda penthouses but—

Gaara couldn't help it. Being with Naruto loosened his tongue, transformed his silence into verbal responses, and softened the harsh set of his mouth into a half-smile that, while faint, was there.

Naruto, whose eyes widened only slightly, burst out laughing. "Have you met Jiraiya? Honestly I'm amazed the man even remembers to put his pants on most days. If he gets thrown into a court case over stolen whiskey then by god, I'm gonna have to get my dad to pull a few strings cause he'll just go back to writing porn on the back of his lawsuit files." Naruto laughed again and Gaara tried his best to beat down the sense of pride knowing he (or his comment) was the cause of Naruto's bright, effusive smile.

Instead, the pale-skinned boy gave half a shrug and unlocked the car doors. It wouldn't do to keep Naruto trapped in here all night.

Gaara closed his eyes.

Bad image. Not now!

"See you tomorrow, Uzumaki." It'd taken Gaara weeks to be able to say that without flinching—without thinking he sounded too desperate (heck, he still might) but it allowed Naruto to give him another smile (and when did he start collecting the blond idiot's smiles anyway?) before he opened the car door.

"Sure, and hey—if you really don't want me causing a ruckus then at least meet me for coffee, yeah? I know caffeine is one thing you'll never say no to." He added with a wink.

I'd never say no to you either. Gaara mused mildly before giving a faint inclination of his chin as Naruto climbed out.

Coffee.

Gaara could work with that.


Uchiha Sasuke didn't really have anything against Sabaku no Gaara, that weird, quiet red-haired kid whose eyes followed Naruto everywhere he went. He didn't care if the Konoha High rumor mill thought he was a part-time coke smuggler or that he'd done time in a maximum security prison in the US before transferring to Konoha. Sabaku was in his Calculus III class, didn't disrupt lectures, finished his work on time, and Sasuke never even considered him a fully formed entity until he realized goth boy over here had a big fat crush on his best friend, Uzumaki Naruto.

Sasuke made it a point not to involve himself in anyone else's business whether they be friend, family, or foe. He didn't have the time or energy to expend on other people whose problems he just didn't give a damn about.

Or at least that's what he told himself.

Sure Naruto was a cheery, optimistic moron who shat fucking rainbows and could outrun (just barely though, Sasuke's Uchiha pride reminded him firmly) on the soccer field. The blond idiot was an athletic prodigy with a good mind for history and literature and gave as good as he got. Naruto was the first person (besides Itachi) who didn't shrink at Sasuke's abrasive nature or sharp tongue. For someone so illogical and goofy, Naruto wasn't stupid—not at all. He was…loud, yes, but also entertaining, passionate, fiercely loyal, and probably the best friend Sasuke'd ever had and ever would have.

As a result, he wasn't too keen on some strange redheaded loner stalking his best friend—especially since no one knew a damn thing about Sabaku no Gaara and while Sasuke didn't care if he sold cocaine to high-ranking yakuza officials, he did care if Naruto was going to be involved in some shape, way, or form.

It was probably the reason he was committing theoretical suicide when he phoned Naruto's other best friend, Haruno Sakura, for dirt.

Information.

Not gossip.

"Hello, hello, Haruno residence." Sakura's perky voice smiled into the other line.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What do you know about Sabaku no Gaara?"

"Sasuke-kun? Is that you?!" Sasuke heard the faint sound of footsteps hitting hardwood, the slam of a door, and the creak of someone jumping onto their bed before Sakura's breathless voice continued. "Um, why do you want to know?"

"I just do."

"Ooh, are you interested?" She sounded disappointed.

Sasuke was beginning to question his sanity. "No, I'm not interested. Just doing a preliminary background check."

"Holy shit, I was right! Gaara's making a play for Naruto isn't he?"

Sasuke stiffened. "How do you know?"

"Um, it's kinda obvious Sasuke-kun." That statement itself was like a proverbial eye-roll. "Ino-pig and I even bet on when it's gonna happen. She says next month but I bet prom. I mean, Naruto has to have time to adjust right? He's not gay—"

"Sakura just tell me what you know about Sabaku no Gaara." He was annoyed now. It was 9 PM, dinner had been silent as usual, and Sasuke still had an extra credit report to edit and submit.

He heard the rustling of paper on the other line. "Alright, well, you didn't ask very nicely but I'll concede one to you because you're under stress and are currently in protective big brother mode—"

"I don't have a 'protective big brother mode'. Whatever that is."

"You have Itachi. You're telling me you never picked up a single habit from him? Smothering overprotectiveness? Smug superiority? Actually scratch the second one—that might just be an inborn Uchiha trait."

"Sakura."

"Say that again but slower—and in a lower tone of voice. You could definitely get a part-time job as a phone sex operator."

"I'm hanging up."

"Now that's one way to turn a girl on but you gotta specify which part is hung and—"

"Goodbye."

"Alright, alright," she managed between giggles, "I was just teasing."

Sasuke stayed silent.

Sakura sighed. "Fine, you want info? Here it is. Sabaku no Gaara, youngest child of Sabaku no Rasa and his wife, Karura. He's got two older siblings—an older sister named Temari who Shikamaru is low-key in love with after meeting her on the Konoha U campus tour, and an older brother Kankuro. Um…let's see, let's see. He transferred here from Sunagakure, has never been written up, has never had detention, and if I were to extrapolate then I'd say this kid's never even gotten a speeding ticket. Clean as a whistle, Sasuke-kun."

"That's it?"

"Unless he's got a secret criminal file that I don't see here then, yeah, that's it."

"What do his brother and sister do."

"Um…" he heard keys clicking and knew Sakura had entered into hacker mode. "Hold on…let's see—ah! So Temari's a senior at Konoha U and studying business management—will most likely pursue a masters degree, I definitely get that vibe from her—and Kankuro…huh. He's studying computer engineering at Myoboku and already got an offer to intern at Sunagakure Enterprises though I doubt he'll take it."

"Why not?"

"The Sabaku's are divas of the defense industry. Why work at another company when you're already on top? And," Sakura continued, "why're you so interested?"

"Mayor Namikaze's up for reelection."

"So…?"

"It's convenient how Sabaku no Rasa pulled his support from Mayor Namikaze's campaign and now Gaara is showing interest in the mayor's son."

"You can't be serious." Sakura sounded incredulous. "You think this is some…political move? Sasuke, what the hell."

"You don't know the Sabaku family like I do." He disclosed fluidly, opening his laptop. "They're trouble, Sakura. Everywhere they go, they leave disaster in their wake."

"Hey, I'm the future FBI special agent here and I know for a fact that the Sabaku's—"

"Can you really live with yourself if Mayor Namikaze's campaign is destroyed by an inside political job?" He demanded.

Sakura hesitated. "I mean, no, obviously but—"

"Then it's settled. Until we have fully discerned Sabaku no Gaara's motives, Naruto isn't allowed near him."

"Hold the fucking phone, Sasuke. I am not going to play Montague and Capulet and forbid Naruto and Gaara from seeing each other." She seethed. "Furthermore, you sound absolutely ridiculous. We're seventeen, what the fuck can we do?"

"You hacked into the school systems of Konoha High, Konoha University, and Myoboku four minutes ago. Naruto was the target of six kidnapping attempts before he was ten. Ino was in a mental asylum for five months. Do you want me to go on?"

Sakura was silent.

"Naruto. Gaara. Keep them apart. Got it?"

"…Alright, fine."

"Good."


Notes:

- Novels referenced are Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, William Faulkner's short story A Rose for Emily and his novel The Sound and The Fury.

- Medical physics is basically applied physics in medicine (or theoretical medicine) and focuses mainly on using radiation to improve the quality and safety of healthcare. It's also an extremely, extremely difficult field - hence Naruto's awe and amazement XD

A/N: So I have never written Naruto/Gaara before in my life but it's quickly becoming a pairing I am shamelessly addicted to lmao (tbh I ship so many couples in Naruto it's a little disturbing lol)

Comments and feedback appreciated!