Disclaimer: I own Naruto not.
AN: Note of warning, this chapter skips around a lot.
"Naruto, I had no idea you were into men." Said boy choked on the remains of his milk, whimpering and muttering about how he swore he felt it sloshing around in his lungs.
"You asshole! We're in public!" Naruto shouted, sinking lower in his seat due to the stares directed his way. "Can't this wait?"
"It's friendly banter, dobe." Sasuke cooed seductively, and Naruto blushed pink.
"You're an ass." The blonde cast his gaze downward.
"No, seriously, if you had told me I wouldn't have set you up with Haruno-chan."
"I wasn't sure at that point…" Another sip of the creamy substance, topped with a barely contained mouthful of apple fritter.
"Are you saying she was your deciding point?" Sasuke was amused.
"No, actually, I wasn't fully sure until that incident last night…" Naruto looked away, his blush more than evident on his skin.
"What?" Sasuke was a little surprised, not expecting those words to come from his best friends mouth.
"I wasn't sure until you practically ravished me last night…" Naruto then latched his lips onto the corner of his fritter, looking at the pastry instead of Sasuke.
The Uchiha was stunned. He had lusted after Naruto forever, loving the way that he looked when he pouted, the way he sounded when he laughed, his sense of humor and amazing ability to empathize with others, and now here he was hearing that he had a shot that he never thought he would have. "Naruto, can I ask you a question..?"
The blonde looked at his friend silently, a thin line of milk clinging to the skin above his upper lip. "Hmm?"
"Can… I would like to… You know what? Never mind." Sasuke stood, blushing as he packed up his books, slinging his messenger bad over his shoulder and hurrying off. Naruto was left to dumbly stare before shrugging and finishing his food, completely oblivious to the fact that a certain redhead watched him still.
-
"Naruto! Are you listening to me?"
"Yes, Lee, now get on with the lecture." Naruto sighed, turning his stovetop burner on to let the water for his soup boil. He then moved on to chopping the ox tail to its appropriate size.
"I cannot believe that you and Sasuke would do such a thing! The two of you and your mindless ravishing has ruined my party. People left, Naruto, people left!"
Chop, chop, chop. "Why aren't you yelling at Sasuke?" Naruto asked, putting the last of the meat into cold water. He cleaned the cutting board, sighing breathily.
"He is but at work." Lee stated matter-of-factly. Naruto should've known better than to ask.
"So you call and bitch at me…" Naruto mused to himself, haphazardly chopping the green onions and garlic and laying them to the side. "I wasn't expecting that to happen Lee." He stated.
"Sure you were not. You could not have thought of a more casual way to let our friends know that you were into men?" Lee sounded flustered.
Naruto turned to the boiling pot, dropping the ox tail into it and turning up the heat. "Lee, I've got approximately three hours of boiling ahead of me, therefore, you can lecture me then. Why not come over and do it in person?" He stretched, leaving the kitchen and plopping on his sofa.
"What on earth are you making?"
"Kkori Gomtang(1)."
Lee's mouth watered. "Share with a good friend?"
Naruto heard himself sigh. "Fine. Just get your green-clad butt over here." Lee chuckled as he hung up the phone, and Naruto growled, tossing his handset on the pillow behind him, forcing himself to rise and return to his stove, turning the heat on the burner down. "So monotonous…" He whined, letting his eyes close as he sagged against the wall. He was silent a moment longer before a soft peal of boredom creased the air.
"Music…," he breathed, meandering to the stereo placed along the windowless wall in the living room. "Music is always good." He flipped it on, and Pride(2) flooded the house.
-
There was the soft sound of dishes clinking in the sink, and a satisfied sigh. "Wherever did you learn to cook like that?" Lee asked, stretching as he sprawled carelessly on his friends couch.
"I have no idea. Now shush, I have dishes to do, and you're distracting me." The blonde smiled to himself, placing the dish towel over his shoulder. He had just submerged his hands in the soapy water when his doorbell rang.
"I will get it!" Lee cheered, bounding past the kitchen and down the hall. He opened the door and grinned when he saw Gaara standing there, peeved beyond all reason.
He pushed past Lee, not paying attention to where he was, and swiveled in the entry way to look at Lee. "Where the hell am I, and what was your motive bringing me here?"
"Lee? Who was at the door? I swear to god that if you invited that Neji boy over to my house, I'll wring your neck." Naruto's voice wafted in from the kitchen, and Gaara stiffened. "Lee? Answer me or I'll attack you with the spatula."
"It is a friend you met at my party. You remember Gaara, ne?" Lee dragged the mostly unwilling redhead into Naruto's view.
Gaara blushed when he saw that Naruto's dish-washing attire consisted of a button up sleeveless shirt, carelessly unbuttoned to reveal his honey colored abdomen to the world, and baggy shorts that hung dangerously low on his hips, revealing the waistband of his boxers. "Yes I remember him, he's the one you mauled on the front lawn."
Naruto's words pulled Gaara from his state of awe, and Lee laughed. "True."
Naruto pulled the dishrag from his shoulder and smiled softly at Gaara, handing a partially dry hand as a greeting. "Nice to formally meet you." He spoke with a smile.
Gaara was reluctant to take his hand, but he did, shaking it meekly. "Nice to meet you as well…"
"The two of you make yourselves comfortable in the living room, and I'll finish the dishes. Sound okay?"
"Like a plan." Lee dragged Gaara into the other room, forcing him down onto the sofa.
"Why the hell am I here?" hissed Gaara, slamming the notebook he brought with him onto the blondes coffee table.
"I have a plan. You like him, do you not?"
Gaara growled in frustration. "No Lee! I forbid you to meddle in my personal life!"
"At the party you said…"
"I should've-" he calmed down, "I should've known better than that, okay Lee? Let me do as I wish with my own life?"
Lee sighed. "Fine, but you are at least befriending him, so do not think you can go anywhere."
Gaara was about to retort when soft singing could be heard from the kitchen. It was Naruto, and they instantly hushed to hear it.
"How long I will exist among dead stars," clink, "How long I will be a game without end," he paused to curse softly as he was nearly sliced by the knife he used to make the soup, "I will be waiting, traveling to endless skies," clink, "Choked into the seas of your forgetfulness…"(3)
"Wow…" Lee breathed, staring at the wall ahead of him. "That was…"
"Amazing…" Gaara finished the sentence, stunned. He had no idea that Naruto had a voice that was so… angelic… How fitting…
They were silent until Naruto's laughter startled both of them. He was standing in the archway that led to the hall. "Why do the two of you look so bemused?" He asked, the chuckle still evident as he spoke.
"We heard you singing." Lee was blatant, causing Naruto to choke. "You are really rather good."
Naruto sighed. "I don't like eavesdroppers." He stated, but smiled. "Sasuke says I should join some sort of competition…"
That sparked something in Lees eyes. "Oh yes… Sasuke should be off of work by now. Naruto, may I use your telephone?"
Naruto nodded, plopping into his recliner with a sigh. "So tired…" The silence lapsed for a moment before Naruto seemed to remember that he had other company besides Lee. "So, Gaara… What have you been up to?"
Gaara sighed at Naruto's attempt at small talk. "Just writing poetry and keeping a busy schedule trying to pry my brother from every poor girl he meets."
Naruto nodded, stretching. "You write poetry?" He asked softly.
"Yeah. Though it's really not that good…"
"May I see some?"
"No!" Even Gaara was caught off guard by the outburst. "Not no, I… don't want anyone seeing it…"
Naruto nodded silently, pressing his palms together. From the other room, you could hear Lee shouting. "No, Sasuke, you know what I am talking about!"
Naruto shook his head, chuckling as he imagined the look on his best friends face. He was snapped from his thoughts when Gaara asked him a question. "What do you do?"
"Oh. I draw pictures and such and sell them to people. It works amazingly well… Plus, on top of that, I work at the sushi bar near the high school, but only part time. Keeps the bills paid."
"You're an artist? May I see some of your drawings?" Gaara asked tentatively, and was surprised to see Naruto stand and run up the stairs. "I'll take that as a yes…"
"These are some of my favorites!" Naruto shouted when he returned, shoving the artwork in Gaara's face.
He looked them over, smiling when he came across one where there was an innocent panda sitting with a bamboo shoot curiously in it's mouth. The background was a waterfall with a gently colored sunset beyond the rocks where the water spilled from. "I love this one." He spoke quietly.
"Keep it."
"Really?" Gaara inwardly sighed – he sounded like an over eager child.
"Sure." And with a gentle smile, Naruto went upstairs to place his other drawings back where he got them.
Is it really possible to feel this… strongly for a boy I barely know..? Gaara let his thoughts roam freely as he gazed at the panda with an awestruck expression. Yes, it quite possibly is…
-
"Yes, yes, I know. Bye Lee, Gaara." Naruto shut his front door and leaned against it for a moment before deciding to make himself a sundae. He meandered into the kitchen and took the tub of vanilla ice cream from the freezer, lobbing a few good-sized scoops into a bowl and topping it with chocolate syrup, sprinkles, cherry and strawberry condiments and a few peanuts.
Walking to the living room, he saw a notebook on his coffee table that he didn't remember leaving there, and he lifted it, the bowl of sugary coldness balanced in his lap. The cover was simple black, but it had tons of stickers over it, some colored, some not. One was a kitsune, colored with the most vibrant orange, red eyes staring absently. Opening it to the first page, he read all that was written there.
All poems herein are sole property of Gaara.
Stealing these poems will result in a bashing of some kind.
I trust that you will respect these boundaries, and, if you like what you read, ask me for duplication.
Thank you, and please give positive feedback.
"The soul of a poet is both fragile and fierce."
Naruto smiled and closed it. He was going to honor Gaara's previously expressed wished of him not reading them. He set his bowl down, lifting the phone and dialing for Lee.
"Hello?"
"Lee, you still in your car?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Is Gaara with you?" Naruto put a spoon covered in syrup and sprinkles into his mouth.
"Yes he is."
"Come back here. He left his poetry notebook." He balanced a sticky peanut on his nose, laughing as it rolled down his chest, stopping in his naval. He plucked it up and tossed it into his mouth.
"Okay. We will be there in a bit." And Lee hung up.
"Ahh, the sweet pleasures of ice cream nirvana…" Naruto cooed, licking the spoon clean before taking a huge glob and shoving it into his mouth.
Whence he was halfway done with his bowl, boredly poking patterns in syrup on his abdomen, Gaara came bursting in the door, stopping when he saw Naruto using his index finger to draw a little swirl around his belly button. "My… uh… notebook?"
Naruto gestured to the table by his feet. "And besides the disclaimer on the front page, it remains unread."
"Thank you. I'll, uh… be going now…"
Naruto nodded, sticking another peanut in his naval. "See ya."
Gaara continued to watch as a bit of cherry flavored goop joined the peanut and Naruto used his spoon to drizzle some mostly melted ice cream over it. He laughed softly and poked at the peanut before topping it with a sprinkle. "Naruto, may I ask what in the blue blazes you're doing?"
"Body art." And the smile that Naruto gave Gaara had him stumbling out the door and into the light rain.
Owari
Mmm, I'm so sorry about the wait, my loves. Writers block is a calloused thing.
(1) Kkori Gomtang is a Korean dish, known as Ox-tail soup.
(2) The song was Pride by HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR. I was listening to that song while typing this...
(3)The song is 'My Angel' by On Thorns I Lay.