I realized the weather is seriously messed up and that it would not snow so violently so quickly after summer. Oops.
Once again, Gaara woke up with Naruto leaning on him. Once again, he shoved him away, though this time, less violently.
"Wha-? He-eeeeeey, Gaaaah-rah," Naruto yawned. He rubbed his eyes and stared at his watch for a full minute before he realized that it was a watch and he was looking at it. Naruto was really slow thinking in the morning. Not slow talking/yelling, though. "Friggin' five in the mornin'? What the hell is wrong with you?" Naruto peered around the room blearily. "Dark. It's dark, believe it." Gaara rolled his eyes, not even bothering to say something sarcastic about that dumb "believe it," at the end of his sentences. He'd already done it every time Naruto said it. This time was too stupid to insult.
"Hey Gaara, since you're awake, we-"
"You know we have school today."
Naruto groaned and thumped his head against the couch. "How do you know?"
"It's on the school website. I used your computer."
Naruto scowled at him, frowning heavily. But it didn't suit his face, not at all, and he split into a grin as he tried to be serious and look serious. And failed.
When he got control of himself, he managed to make a semi-serious face.
"Do you wake up early to play on the computer or just to annoy me?"
In truth, Gaara had woken up earlier. He'd gotten up, but he couldn't stand the darkness, not for a moment. So he found Jiraiya's laptop on the kitchen table and checked to see if school was out. But, to his relief, he found his eyes twitching with tiredness. He was tired. He was always tired. But how many times had he actually fallen asleep after waking up? Rarely. And never this deeply. In a way, it worried him. If he got into the habit of sleeping deeply, then he wouldn't be able to defend himself at home, be able to wake up whenever his father entered the room- Gaara shoved the thought from his head. Not now. He would worry later. Enjoy the safety now. Instead, he made himself think about school and how it was open.
Gaara wasn't been sure if he was relieved or upset.
Here, he had less of a chance of seeing Kankuro or Temari.
But also here, they might come and visit him, where he couldn't escape.
Then there was also the matter that he hated being in school, surrounded by students and dumb teachers. The only person he could stand being around was Naruto and he didn't like Naruto's friends. Especially not Sasuke, and unfortunately, Sasuke was always wtih Naruto. It wad ironic because a few weeks ago Naruto had felt like an unbearable stick in the ass.
So he grudgingly got dressed in some random outfit Kankuro had stuffed into a bag for him, brushed his teeth with his toothbrush and toothpaste, locked Naruto out when he tried to get in, and emptied the bag of clothes, only to find Kankuro had thoughtfully filled it with the things he needed for school. Even his phone, something he'd never used before and doubted he'd ever use.
"Hey Gaara, you have a phone? Oh my god, I'm putting my number in the Contacts List, believe it!" Naruto shouted from the living room. Gaara shook his head, amused. It was hard to doubt anything when Naruto was around.
"Gaara! Come on! It's almost time to go and you're going to eat if I have to tie you to a chair and shove something down."
The redhead felt his stomach lurch at the thought. "No," he said. "No." He was adamant.
And Naruto was persistent.
With various methods.
"Gaara, do you want me to pay you?"
"It's for your own good!"
"Stop being so stupid and just eat something."
"I'm not gonna force you, just eat, please? For me?"
"What do you have against food?"
But Naruto remembered his vomit at Sasuke's house and didn't pressure him any farther than that.
"Just an apple?"
"I hate fruits, anything with sugar, really."
"Then why did you eat that apple the other day?"
"I didn't like it, I was only eating it because you were going to drag me out into a snowstorm."
"Hey! Kids! Shut up!" Jiraiya yelled. "At least it's not Tsunade yelling at us," Naruto said, grinning. She had left on Monday unexpectedly before they'd come home. Naruto thought it was because she had to deal with the snow and how it affected the snow. Gaara thought it was because she didn't want to see him. He had an instinct for when people were talking about him in the other room. He got a strange feeling and people never looked him in the eye and were instantly silent the moment he walked into the room. He was getting that sort of vibe now and Jiraiya's gaze never stayed on his for long. They'd been talking about him for sure, damnit.
This upset his stomach even more. He clutched at it and leaned over slightly, resisting the urge to dry-heave. Worry and stress made him throw up. He could tell himself not to think about it, but it was always there, always lingering on the edge of his mind, making him nervous and tense and unable to eat without throwing up his worry. "You're hungry aren't you?"
Gaara straightened and met Naruto's eyes. The blond didn't sound like he was trying to force him to eat, just asking a question. A genuine question. His eyes were serious.
"Yes."
"But you can't eat."
"No." He had to hand it to Naruto. He may seem like a total moron, but he could be oddly perceptive.
When it came to Gaara, anyway.
No cliffhanger this time. Does that make it boring? Sorry 'bout that, but this school scene is required. So, um, hi everyone. Sorry for the longer than usual wait. I've been having difficulties with writer's block, but I am now cured YAY and I'm going to celebrate by writing more chapters for this story.
5511narusaku4eva: I'm thinking maybe fifty chapters? Or forty like the last story. Depends on how much I feel is necessary. Later.
Battenburg507: What is a dongle? Thank you so much for ordering it 'specially' now I feel special :) About yaoi, I'm trying to slip it in there without ruining my writing style. I'm just going to let it go where it goes and see if it turns out as a yaoi or not.
HeartsNaruto: Again, I have to mention you because you're awesome for reviewing all of my Naruto fics.