It was a lazy Sunday afternoon when Rock Lee entered the strange downtown café. It had recently opened and he was eager to try it out. Music posters and rustic furniture gave the café an old-fashioned hipster vibe, which Lee didn't mind. Although he never really paid much attention to aesthetics; his main concern was if the coffee was good.
He stood away from the counter to browse the menu options. Lee wrinkled his nose. Everything was extravagantly named, to the point where each menu item was unrecognizable. There was "farm-house stock", "oats and nuts", and something called "cat paw" that was listed under the foods menu.
Cat paw? Lee thought for a moment. Shrouded in such mystery…surely this will be a worthy first order!
He strode with confidence to order. "Hello, I would like-"
Rock Lee stumbled and flushed as he suddenly found himself looking into the most arresting blue eyes he had ever seen. The barista was about his age, fifteen or sixteen, with pale skin that appeared even paler framed by short deeply red hair. His eyes were empty and staring, rimmed with black kohl. Lee felt a strange not-unpleasant chill run down his spine. He realized the reason the boy looked so strange was because he did not have any eyebrows. He was a good deal shorter than Rock Lee, who was admittedly tall, but also seemed to be seventeen or eighteen.
"Can I take your order?"
Lee shook himself when the boy spoke. His voice was as deadpan as his gaze, just as unwavering.
"I-I apologize! Yes, I would like the Cat Paw, please! Can you tell me what that is?"
The boy clicked the order into the register. "You're ordering it without knowing what it is?"
"Absolutely! I've never been here before, see."
The boy looked up and Lee felt a jolt. "It's a dessert. Is that everything?"
Lee paused. "Uh, ah, I'll take a coffee too." He shook his head internally, wondering why his words were melting into a wobbly mess at the sight of this boy. Lee felt his cheeks burn. He was suddenly very self-conscious of his sweaty t-shirt and sandals. What if his feet stank? He'd been walking around all afternoon, he was liable to sweat a little bit. That was okay, right? People sweat. Sure, maybe he more than others, but that was a sign of good health, right?
What is this feeling?
The boy seemed completely oblivious to Lee's internal struggle. "Seven fifty," he said listlessly.
Lee reached into his pockets for change. As he handed it over, his finger ever so slightly grazed the palm of the café employee. Lee's heart leapt to his throat. It was like an electric current passed between them.
Lee's heart pounded as the boy rustled around in the cash register. "Your change." He held the coins out, waiting for Lee to open his palm to catch them.
Coming back to reality, fresh embarrassment surged over Lee. He opened his palm, and the boy slowly dropped each coin. The boy could almost be teasing Lee, if there was any humour in his face.
"Food's on the other end. Next customer."
"Ah- thank you!"
But the other boy was already talking to the next customer, Lee's thanks falling on deaf ears. Ashamedly, he took his coffee and cat paw, which turned out to be a disgustingly sugary cinnamon thing, and slunk off to find a secluded table amongst the bustling café.
Way to go, Lee, he grumbled to himself as he tore into his food. That guy probably thinks you're sooo weird! You were too forward again! He took an angry slurp of his coffee and almost spat it out, still boiling hot. Lee ate mechanically while he waited for the coffee to cool, refueling his body from the walk. He liked drifting around downtown, stopping by shops and enjoying the nice summer weather while vacation lasted. It was a good way to let his aching muscles cool down from rigorous training while still remaining active. Usually he ran into Naruto or Sakura or one of the others, and that was always pleasant too. If he could convince one of them to finish training with him for the rest of the day, all the better. But so far there was not a familiar face to be seen. Lee wondered where everyone could be as he sipped his coffee more prudently, eyes darting out the window.
Still, how could a stranger affect him in such a way? So immensely? It was straight up bizarre, and Rock Lee thanked his lucky stars he had never encountered the blue eyed red head in the battle field. His knees were so weak he doubted his ability to stand, let alone land a kick.
Pull it together, Lee! You cannot let this weakness get to you! You must be strong!
In the middle of his internal mantra a flash of red hit the corner of his eye. A shiver rattled up his spine as the same red headed boy pulled out the chair opposite Lee and took a see. He look up to Lee.
"Do you mind?"
Lee's heart pounded. There was a strange rushing between his ears. "Ah- uh, no! Not at all!"
The boy already pulled out a small paperback. He also put a small coffee on the table.
"Thank you. There's nowhere else to sit."
Lee scratched his head. "Haha, yes! I can imagine, your feet must be tired from standing all day. By all means, feel free to sit."
The boy nodded, already perusing his paperback. He took a small sip of coffee, and Lee couldn't help but notice the way it wet the boys pale lips. Shaking himself, Lee dove into his pastry with fresh vigor, determined to overcome the squirming in his stomach.
The boy placed the coffee back on the table, and as his eyes scanned the paperback, Lee stole glances when he was sure the server wasn't looking. The boy's eyes were so blue, and steely like ice. The black kohl that lined them made the colour pop, contrasting highly. His skin was unbelievably smooth and unmarred. Lee wondered if the boy had ever had so much as a zit in his entire life. It didn't seem so. And his hair, so wild and such a brilliant red that Lee could not tell if it was natural or not. The boy had no eyebrows to compare his hair to. The lack of eyebrows might have looked downright weird on anyone else, but they gave the server an other-worldly effect, almost alien.
The boy looked up suddenly. Caught off guard, Lee hurriedly ducked his head, but the damage was done. He could tell the server was still watching him as Lee awkwardly dissected the rest of his food, no longer hungry.
Come on, Lee! This is no way for a warrior to act, you are retreating! Do not retreat! Attack!
Mustering up all the courage he had, Lee looked the server square in the eye and flashed a grin. "So, what is your name anyway?"
The server blinked. Lee pumped an internal fist. Ahah! I have caught him off-guard!
The boy looked at him. As the boy answered, he pointed to the name tag attached in plain sight on the boy's shirt. "Gaara."
Lee's courage melted instantly. "Right! Of course, you wear a name tag! I did not notice- I apologize for asking such a ridiculous question!" He babbled all while red filled up his face.
Gaara looked to his book again. "It's fine."
"Right, well, my name is Rock Lee!"
With palpable reluctance, Gaara tore his eyes from the paperback to Lee. Although he didn't have eyebrows, even Lee could see the furrow of annoyance in the boy's forehead.
"Rock Lee," Gaara's voice was cold and clipped. "I have eleven minutes on my break left. I would like to finish this chapter. It is nothing personal but I am very tired."
Gaara's voice was so cold that it sucked the life from Lee. The blow was almost physical, a punch straight to the gut. His face flushed further, and he struggled to keep his face calm.
"Oh, ah, of course! My apologies, Gaara."
But it seemed like the boy wasn't even listening anymore, enthralled by whatever was between the pages of his paperback. Lee sat back, no longer hungry. His spirits were dampened considerably.
I will finish my coffee, and then go for a ten kilometer run to pick up my spirit.
Lee picked up his coffee and started chugging, draining the remaining hot stuff in a single gulp. So much coffee at once going straight into his stomach made him queasy, but that was nothing compared to the internal roller coaster Lee was strapped to. He bunched up the rest of the food in a napkin and stuffed it into the empty coffee cup, brushed any stray crumbs into his palm. Then summoning his determination, Lee stood up from the table and left without a word.
No matter how hard he ran, Lee could not escape those brilliant blue eyes playing over and over in his head. He is so cute! So cute! But I must concentrate. Taking a deep breath, Lee broke into a sprint, lapping the race track within seconds. Sweat drenched his skin and fell into his eyes, salt stinging. His chest was on fire, but Lee pushed harder.
"Woah there, Lee! Nice training."
Startled, Lee skidded to a halt to greet the tall man approaching the track field. "Oh, hi Guy-sensei."
Might Guy flashed a mighty grin. "That was some impressive speed, Lee. You're getting faster every day."
Lee flushed with pride. "Thank you, sensei!"
"You've been hitting the track a lot recently, haven't you?"
"That is right! I want to become even faster!"
Guy nodded and smiled. "That's all well and good. But I want to remind you, don't focus all your energy into running. I want to see you brushing up on that taijutsu of yours. Your technique could use some finessing."
Nodding seriously, Lee wiped the sweat from his brow. "Yes, Guy-sensei, but is speed not important in a fighting scenario?"
"Well, it is." Guy held up a finger and flashed that smile of his. "But you can't rely on speed if a situation gets sticky. A real warrior faces their opponent head-on, with integrity! Speed is good, yes, but it cannot be your only weapon. If all you have is speed, the most you can do is run away. You must have taijutsu, technique, strength, bravery, all the things that come together to make a true hero. Got it?"
Lee felt tears welling up in his eyes. Guy-sensei is so inspirational! "Yes sir, I understand!"
Guy-sensei clapped Lee on the back and chuckled. "Then go get'em, tiger!"
"Right!"
Without another thought Lee took off running down the street, leaving a trail of smoke behind him. Guy-sensei watched with pride as his prized pupil disappeared into the distance. Then he scratched his head. The practice dummies are in the arena, he thought to himself. Where in the heck is Lee going?
Within seconds Lee was back at the café, heading pounding in his chest. Fresh youthful vigor surged through his veins. With confidence, he seized the doorknob and re-entered the place of the dreaded encounter.
The sun was setting and it seemed like most of the customers were gone for the day. But Lee stopped in his tracks when he saw the telltale red hair behind the counter. He took a deep breath and reassured himself. You must face challenges head on, Lee! Make Guy-sensei proud of you!
Without giving himself time to overthink, Lee went to the counter.
"I would like a coffee, please!"
At the sound of his voice, Gaara's head moved. Then he turned and faced Lee, stoic as ever.
"You're back."
Lee nodded, determined to not let those blue, blue eyes derail his train of thought. "Yes! The coffee was delicious, and I wanted to give it a second try before the day was over."
Gaara got the work putting the coffee together wordlessly. Lee's nerves were electric, his palms sweaty. Can I do this?
Lee took a deep breath.
"And can I have your number please?!"
Several patrons turned their heads as Lee realized he forgot to use his indoor voice. Gaara stood frozen, mid-pour. His eyes were so wide it scared Lee.
Oh no, I scared him off! Great going Lee.
Then, after a suspended second, Gaara seemed to come back to life. He finished pouring the coffee and sealed the plastic lid, wordlessly setting it before Lee. He did not look Lee in the eyes.
Lee's heart dropped like a stone. "Ah, okay, thank you. It's two dollars, right?"
Reaching into his pocket for change, Lee tried to shake off the overwhelming shame crawling all over him. To be rejected was bad enough. To be rejected in public was a blow to the name of Rock Lee. I'll have to do at least a thousand push ups to restore my honour.
But before he could set the coins on the table, Gaara waved his hand.
"It's on me."
"Huh?"
Gaara stared at him with those unrevealing eyes and spoke again. "It's on me. Enjoy."
Lee stammered, ready to protest when he saw the numbers scrawled in black sharpie on the side of the cup. His eyes widened.
"Uh- thank you! Yes, I will be sure to enjoy this most delicious coffee!"
He couldn't pinpoint what changed the boy's spirit. Maybe it was because it was close to closing time. Maybe Gaara was just really into reading. Maybe a customer had left a massive tip and Gaara was trying to secure Lee's business after a rocky exchange.
Maybe….he thinks I'm cute too!