Ch.10 Newfound Warmth

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The coffee tasted bitter and the cafe was quiet, too quiet. Naruto was going to lose his mind. After having snuggled all night and then with both deciding to go to a coffee shop that Gaara liked in the morning, it was turning out to be a bad decision. Neither one of the men were speaking and Gaara was reading something in the paper intently.

Correct me if I'm wrong, Naruto thought, but shouldn't you be looking at me like that? The fact that he was being ignored peeved him a little bit.

Just a little bit.

"What are you reading that's so good?"

"Death is never good, Uzumaki."

Naruto groaned. "I thought you brought me here to talk and stuff like...!"

"A couple...? That's far from what we are. We're here on business."

Naruto rolled his eyes and looked away, took a long sip of his half coffee half milk concoction. Gaara said that it wasn't even coffee just a more caffeinated version of plain 'old milk. God why was he thinking about Gaara so much, damn it all. He slammed the cup down sloshing a drop over the rim. Gaara slightly looked up, shuffled his paper, then went back to reading.

"You can't leave without me." He warned over the brim of the grey material of the newspaper. "They want you for some reason."

"Why would they want me? I haven't done anything to 'em."

"They want you because they want me."

"WHATEVER GAARA!" He stormed from the cafe.

Gaara heaved a sigh and went after him nearly forgetting his latte in its foam cup on the lowered tabletop. Gaara got out of the doorway and looked around to see Naruto and the last person that he wanted to see right then and there. Even if he was going to drag Naruto over there with him in a bit or so...

"Kakashi... great..."

The older man grinned through his navy bandana and flapped his porn book at the redhead. "What a pleasant surprise Mr. Kaze, out and about with the living I see. That's so strange."

Gaara muttered "Shut up, pervert..."

"So sorry about Daddy, haven't really be around all that much these last few weeks. It really is a shame though that the Alignment lost one of its most valuable members to The R.C.B. Organization. I-"

"...What did you just say?" Gaara's coffee was shaking in his hands at this turn of information.

"The Red Cherry Blossom...R.C.B. for short. Yeah, they ganked your old man. Can't say why though. The boss didn't tell me yet... baka..."

"Well where is he?"

"The usual hangout. Say, who's your little friend here. A little young to be running with you, huh?"

Gaara pulled Naruto out of Kakashi's reach. "Why do you have to pry so damned much Hatake. Leave him alone. We're not together..." Gaara seemed to trail off by the distant look in the blue eyes.

The older man had scared the younger with his words just then. Gaara was sure of it, but why. Who would ever have feelings for him. He was a monster. The blond had seen that just the other day, then they had sex. It didn't make any sense to the redhead and even when he would try to put his thoughts to rest they just wouldn't go. He had to knock Kakashi away from Naruto once more before he grabbed the younger man and began to drag him in the opposite direction.

Naruto pleaded. "Where are we going now?"

"We need to talk about some things...apparently..."

In the background Kakashi was yelling something about stopping by the club later and learning more about the band of women that killed his father. But if Gaara was ever going to get his emotions in check enough to fight without turning, this was the first thing that he had to do. Naruto was obviously confused by their night together and he needed to be reminded that it was just sex and nothing more. He also needed to touch base as to why the blond man would let him unceremoniously ride him right after nearly fainting at the sight of him.

They returned to the ratty apartment in silence. Gaara paced around in front of his analogue television some before turning back to Naruto who had flopped down on the beside facing more toward the bathroom than Gaara.

"What...?" The blond asked and set off a barrage of word fire from the redhead.

And so it started...

"What? You ask? What? I should be asking you that of all people. You saw what I turned into the other day in that damned alleyway! So why would you be so sick as to sleep with me directly afterwards? Are you just that damned keen on attention...of any kind?! Just because we screwed around doesn't mean that I belong to you by any means. If anything we are even further apart than polar opposites Naruto! I'm not even human for Christ's sake!" Gaara was wrapping up his rant and his pacing. His eyes were red from veins popping around his pretty blue iris's.

Naruto could only look at him. He didn't know what to say or do. If anything, Gaara was the one acting like they were an item. The way that he was yelling like they were having a lovers quarrel. It actually made the younger man want to laugh. Yes, he would admit that he felt something for the evil ginger man that gave him the best sex of his life the other night, but love, nah.

Naruto stood from the bed with a finger placed to his lips in thought as to what he was going to say without sounding too condescending. He knew he was going to either way...

Oh well.

The blond placed his free hand on the other mans shoulder and gave a small squeeze. "I let you sleep with me because I was emotionally unsound and sad and afraid for your mental health. I also haven't had sex in a long time, so yeah, that's why that happened. And I kinda forgot about the alleyway so thanks a bunch for reminding me about that... I know we're not a couple at all and it was just the way that you spit it at that guy that pissed me off. You said it like I was the worst person that you could or have ever dated. I'm fucked up, yes, insane like you, hell no." He nodded as he finished and added a simple pat on the shoulder that his hand was still clasped too.

Naruto sat back down on the bed with a sort of smug smile on his face, crossed one leg, and cocked his head. Gaara stood silently in front of the blond slightly shocked at the response that he had gotten. He couldn't help but wonder why Naruto was being so cool with the current situation.

As if sensing the confusion Naruto spoke as the voice of reason. "I'm not afraid if that's what you're thinking. I don't really know why, but I'm just not."

"I can't believe that, Naruto. There is every reason in the world for you to be..." Gaara was staring at the ground about as intently as he was the paper earlier. Naruto thought it to be kind of cute how Gaara was so baffled by a very simple phrase. But at the same time it concerned him even more. That fact that the redhead felt that way to begin with called for some interrogation on the blonds part.

Naruto returned back to the bed and sat crossed legged with his hands in his lap looking at Gaara wide eyed and bushy tailed. "What?" It was Gaara's turn to question.

"Why would I be so petrified of you in the first place. You didn't seem very much in control of whatever you turned into the other day, but you don't act like you're going to flip out anytime soon now...? Is there more to this interesting story Mr. Kaze?"

Gaara nearly blushed at the coy tone of the younger man. He shied away from the question entirely and slunk into the bathroom.

Naruto called."Why do you always try to hide in there? I know where you are!"

Gaara slammed the door anyway, his face turning bright red from a combination of embarrassment and fury. Naruto wouldn't have it. He sprang up from the bed and across to the door shut tightly. He jiggled on the handle and it began to budge until Gaara grabbed at in from the inside successfully holding it closed. Naruto grunted and tried to pry the door open harder.

"Gaara Oh my God! Open the damn door! You're acting like you're fucking five years old man!"

"No, just leave me alone!"

"I'm worried about you moron!"

"Don't be jackass!"

Naruto let out a high pitched sequel in pure frustration and banged a fist in the center of the door."I will bother because I want to know more about you, damn old fart. I want to know why I'm not afraid of you? I want to know what happened to your dad, Gaara. I don't think you realize that we're more alike than what you think. I may not understand your pa-"

"Shut up!"

"-in entirely, but I think I can relate. I may not be all smart and stoic, and tough like you but that doesn't mean that I can't get you. I don't love you-"

"Well I do!"

Silence.

"...what...?" Naruto's eyes widened.

As if on queue, Gaara's phone buzzed in his pocket that made him jump out of his skin. It was Jaraiya texting him. He skimmed the message once, frowned, grimaced,

This was sooooo not the time to be around that huge perv.

"We have to go." Gaara said gruffly, very quietly, still behind his door.

"...what?" Naruto asked again. "What did you say?"

Gaara opened the door quickly, knocking the blond out of the way. "I said we have to go now. That guy, what he said was a led in the case."

"What case...?"

"The case off my father's death."

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Oh snap, Gaara! What did you just saylol