Hello! Sorry for the delay on this one. University is raping me with homework this week. Oh and Happy Thanksgiving! :)
Teagsiebabe85: Thanks! I try my best :D. Don't worry I have an explanation for Naruto's insomnia. You'll just have to keep reading ;D
KawaiiGaara: Haha you rock. I attempt to read them in the library, too. You have to find one of those places where no one can abruptly sneak up on you and read behind your back without you knowing. Btw I apologize for this chapter sort of! But I wanted to include more Gaara for you. I hope I don't make everything too complicated now haha.
Naruto glanced at Sasuke before looking back at the clock. It was about four in the morning and he hadn't slept a wink. He stirred about the bed one more time before giving up, frustrated. Throwing off the sheets, he hopped out of bed quietly and made his way down the hallway to the kitchen. He couldn't help but laugh a little when he saw the white stain still on the counter. He mentally made a note to clean that up before Sasuke got up. He opened one of the cupboards up top, fingering his way around the dark region. His fingers wrapped around a nice wide bottle, guiding it down to the counter. He opened one more cupboard to grab a tall glass, filling it with the contents of the bottle. He knew he really shouldn't use an insanely tall glass to drink whiskey but at the moment he really didn't care. By the time he managed to quietly put ice in the glass he cursed, forgetting the most important part of this whole task. He opened a few drawers before remembering exactly which one it was he hid his stash of cigarettes in. He sighed, staring at the pack in his hands. Twirling it around a few times he glanced at the clock on their oven, noting only a few minutes had passed and he could just give this up and wake up Sasuke and tell him he couldn't sleep. But he couldn't. The craving was taking over him and even if he woke up Sasuke it would be worse for him to watch Naruto with a stick of nicotine between his lips. He glared at the small box in his hand. It was almost as if it was mocking him. He sighed and shoved the drawer shut, grabbing his glass of whiskey and a spare lighter Sasuke kept on top of the fridge. You know, just in case. He unlocked the door to the apartment and went through it, leaving it ajar as he sat down, leaning against the metal fence that surrounded the stairwell. He pinched his eyes closed for a moment before throwing back half the whiskey. He fingered through the pack of cigarettes, picking out one to slide between his fingertips. He grabbed the lighter and stroked it a few times, trying but failing to get it to light. The third time was a charm and he managed to light the stick, throwing the pack on the ground somewhere beside him. He inhaled, his nerves immediately beginning to calm and he felt himself relax. He looked out at the sky which was beginning to become painted with light tones and highlights. He glared at nothing in particular. His eyes traveled across the sky, not so much looking at anything. He took another drag before he noticed movement below him underneath the stairs. He leaned close to the side, looking underneath and into the black unknowingly occupied space.
"Gaara?" Naruto's eyebrow rose and he began sitting up, his eyes never leaving the black space that surrounded who he assumed was Gaara.
"Don't," he heard the redhead mumble, a puff of smoke evacuating from underneath the stairs, "I'm not the prettiest thing to look at right now, okay?" Naruto nodded his response as he finished his journey down the stairs, staying out of the shadows Gaara had taken to. He stood in front of it instead, leaning his weight onto one leg and taking another drag from his cigarette, his eye glued to where he assumed Gaara was.
"What happened this time?" He asked casually, as if the things Deidara did to the poor boy were everyday situations he had to go through. As if the things he did were exactly the same as brushing his own teeth.
"He came home drunk again," Gaara started, the shadows around him lying on different curve of his figure as he moved around, shifting his weight onto another foot. He took another drag from his own cigarette and watched Naruto, noticing the new bite mark on his neck. His eyes began to water when he knew that the mark left there wasn't bruised or hurting.
"What… Where did he hurt you, Gaara?" Naruto's eyebrows furrowed and his jaw clenched. Gaara didn't deserve a boyfriend who treated him like a Mafioso's wife every time he came home drunk. He stepped forward, just a few inches away from where Gaara stood, trying hard to look at him in the dark.
"Don't Naruto-"
"Gaara! Come on, don't be a fucking idiot. This man beats you senseless and all you do is hide in the shadows pretending it never happened? Fuck no. Gaara, break up with that asshole!" Naruto's voice began to raise and he was sure Sasuke was either awake and wondering what the fuck was going on, or he was just waking up and wondering where his boyfriend decided to run off to.
"You know I can't do that…" the redhead trailed off, his eyes landing on the ash that fell from his stick of nicotine between his fingertips. He raised his hand and took another drag, letting the smoke fall freely from his lips when he exhaled.
"That's a dumbass reason, Gaara, and you know that," Naruto huffed, stepping forward once more and coming face to face with Gaara. He cringed, his eyes falling over the bumps and bruises lining the pale complexion of his friend's face. He noticed his lip had bled and there was a deep scab adoring his once plump and perfect lips. He knew Gaara wasn't going to school in the morning. There was no way he could explain this.
"See?" His eyes met cerulean ones as he felt the tears finally reach their limit, falling from his eyes and down his bruised cheeks.
"Gaara…" Naruto dropped his cigarette on the ground, stepping on it as he stepped forward for the last time, meeting Gaara in a motherly embrace. His fingers laced through the redheads hair, calming the sobbing boy in his arms.
"You have to tell someone, you have to…" Naruto whispered in the boy's ear. He felt Gaara shake his head, wrapping his own arms around the tan waist of his friend. "You can't pretend anymore, Ga. You can't."
"I don't know what else to do, Naruto," Gaara managed, choking back a harsh sob as he finished. His own cigarette fell from his fingers.
"Naruto?" the blonde tensed slightly when he heard is boyfriend's voice, knowing full well that the situation probably looked really bad at this point, "Naruto, what the fuck are you doing?"
"Sasuke, we have to help Gaara," he mumbled, trying to drag his friend out of the dark and up the stairs. He wanted so bad to patch up the cuts and bruises. He knew Sasuke would be able to help the situation.
"What? What happened?" Sasuke rushed down the stairs, walking up to the red head and taking a good look at him. He saw the tears trailing down the boy's cheeks and looked at Naruto, who had a stern and sad look on his face. He had let go of Gaara and his arm was now leaning on his shoulder, the contact helping Gaara to relax a bit.
"Come on, I know what you need," Sasuke mumbled, his eyes immediately beginning to soften. He knew exactly what the boy had been through. His own brother was part of their dumbass Akatsuki club everyone thought was so badass. It was like the Mafia, except there weren't any rules to it. He grabbed Gaara's hand and led him up the stairs, rolling his eyes at Naruto as he followed, downing the last of his whiskey and stumbling through the door behind them.
Sasuke sat Gaara down on one of the dining room chairs, grabbing one of the boy's arms and cradling it in his hands.
"Naruto, can you get the first aid kit please?" Sasuke asked, examining the red head's bruised arm. Naruto nodded and rushed down the hall. Sasuke turned the arm from side to side, trying to see if it was broken or not. The bruise adorning the red head's porcelain skin looked vulgar.
"Does it hurt when you bend it or anything?" Sasuke asked, moving the boy's arm around a bit, feeling for resistance or pain. Gaara nodded, the tears still quietly streaming down his face. Sasuke leaned forward and wiped a tear off the boy's cheek, looking at him sternly.
"We'll get you through this, okay? I promise," the raven said, a smile planted softly on his lips for reassurance. Gaara nodded in response, eyeing Naruto as he walked into the room holding the white kit with a red cross on it. He placed it down on the table and opened it up, immediately searching for something to dress the red head's wounds.
"That's fine, Naruto," Sasuke mumbled as the blonde held a small roll of medical tape in his hands. He passed it to Sasuke and then searched for some Polysporin or something to help heal the wounds faster.
"Is he still at home, Gaara?" Naruto asked, looking at the boy as he handed Sasuke the tube of Polysporin he finally managed to find. Gaara shrugged. Naruto figured he probably was still home.
"Was anyone else with him?" the blonde asked, closing the box and sitting down across from the two boys, watching as Sasuke dressed his wounds carefully. Gaara shrugged again. He didn't really know. All he knew was that he had to get out. He told them both that, the tears beginning to stop seeping out from his eyes. Naruto got up for a moment and grabbed a cloth, concluding that it was probably a good idea to wipe the counter before he began putting the kettle on to make some tea.
"You can stay here as long as you want, kay?" Naruto told Gaara, pouring water into the kettle and placing it onto the stove top, turning the dial to high. He leaned onto the counter and looked at Sasuke and his friend, grinning his trademark grin. Gaara tried his best to crack out a smile, his lip going up just a touch.
"I'll have green tea," Sasuke said, eyeing Naruto in a stern way. The blonde knew he was still in shit for earlier. But he was okay with Sasuke's anger being held back for a few more hours. He just knew he was going to be the one sleeping on the couch. Naruto nodded, pursing his lips as the kettle boiled. He got out two mugs, assuming that Gaara was going to have some, too. As he prepared the tea he would sometimes take a glance at Sasuke and the red head. He wondered why it had been so bad this time. Usually it was just a smack that would leave a small bruise somewhere on the boy. But this time it looked like he just full out beat the kid up. Gaara looked terrified and Naruto couldn't blame him.
"Here you go, guys," Naruto set down the two mugs, one in front of Sasuke and one in front of Gaara. He ran his fingers through Gaara's hair one more time, smiling reassuringly before turning to Sasuke and patting him on the head. The raven just looked up at him and glared.
"Naruto, I need to talk to you in the living room for a second, kay?" Sasuke said, bringing his tea with him as he made his way to said room. He looked at Gaara and told him he'd only be a few minutes then he'd help him come up with some way to get his boyfriend to stop being such an asswipe. Gaara nodded, his hands coming around and cradling the mug of tea as his eyes watched the steam rise from it. Naruto sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, biting his lip as he followed his boyfriend into the living room, knowing full well he was in total shit and was probably about to be yelled at and scolded.
Aww poor Gaara. I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you the boyfriend of a douchebag! 3
Anyway! What did you think?