A/U: Quite a bit of progress made during this chapter. Character development for Kabuto, Gaara and Naruto and a little advancement in the relationship between the two roommates.

I hope you all enjoy. Let me know what you think with one of your lovely reviews!

Warnings: Strong language, dirty talk

"Sorry to ruin the intimate moment," Ino said, smiling knowingly at the two roommates. "but you need to go get ready for tonight, don't you, Naruto?"

"Oh, right!" The blonde said, pulling away from Gaara's ear with a massive grin. "I almost forgot!"

"Tonight?" Gaara repeated in question, shrugging out of Naruto's hold as the weight began to grow uncomfortable on his shoulders. "What's happening tonight?"

"A couple of us are heading into the nearest city to go clubbing, y'know." Naruto explained, still grinning. "As a sorta celebration for making it through today. Kiba and I have tomorrow off so it's perfect!"

"Oh…"

"Fancy coming?"

"Huh?" Gaara looked up, almost making eye contact before he thought better of it. Hearing about Naruto's plans had come as a slight disappointment, but now he was being invited along too? Him…clubbing? Gaara had never been out drinking before and the idea really didn't appeal to him at all. He couldn't imagine actually enjoying it. Surrounded by drunk teenagers, dancing and grinding against him, approached by people wanting meaningless sex, or being harassed by aggressive drunks…it sounded like pure hell to him.

"Yeah, I've been planning to ask you." But seeing that handsome face, with the eager smile and twinkle of hope in those impossibly blue eyes…Gaara found himself starting to yield to his roommate's request.

"I can't make it," Ino cut in. "because of some work Pein's got me doing. So they'll need someone sensible to go along and keep them in check."

"Alright," the redhead mumbled unconvincingly. He knew it would go wrong somehow but the thought of spending more time with Naruto was too appealing and the huge beam the blonde idiot gave him was enough to convince him he'd made the right choice.

"Awesome!" Naruto shouted, patting his roommate's shoulder- sending shivers through him. "What about you, Kabuto? Fancy coming along?"

'You've got to be kidding me.' Gaara thought, eyes glancing towards his cursed stalker coldly. The last thing he wanted was for him to come along. That would be enough to ruin his whole night.

"No, thank you." The redhead relaxed, relief spreading over him. "I've got a lecture tomorrow so I need the early night. Let me know how it goes though."

"Oh, okay…what about you…?" Naruto asked, turning to face Omoi with a questioning glance. His head cocked to the side cutely.

"Name's Omoi and I appreciate it but I gotta give it a miss." The dark-skinned man explained, a worried look crossing his face. "Karui'd kill me if she heard." He shook his head dejectedly, obviously imagining something awful happening to him. Gaara was just glad he wasn't explaining his pessimistic thoughts this time.

"Alright, looks like it's just you, me, Tenten and Kiba then." Naruto concluded with a smile, eyes glimmering with a happiness which was almost infectious.

"Well, I best head back to the Student Union building and see if Pein needs anything," Kabuto muttered, a little venom seeping into his tone as he glanced between Naruto and Gaara coldly. "Later." He gave a curt wave before heading off, leaving only Ino and Gaara suspicious. Excusing himself for a moment, the tattooed redhead followed Kabuto, pulling him aside so that they could speak privately for a moment. He was done putting up with the office worker's crap.

"If you cause any trouble for me, I'll make sure you regret it." He hissed under his breath, only earning a chuckle from the grey-haired man.

"What's wrong, Gaara?" Kabuto asked with a slight smirk. "Are you scared…? …Of me…?"

"Not a chance." The redhead glared coldly. "I don't care about your odd infatuation with me…but keep it to yourself and stay the hell away from me."

"Oh, Gaara…" Kabuto began, shaking his head as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You misunderstand…it's not you I'm interested in." He whispered with a chuckle.

"What?" The redhead's eyes darted to the smirk the other man wore, taking in his words as best as he could. "Then who?"

"You're not stupid, Gaara." Kabuto began, his eyes darting over to the others. "I'm sure you can work out exactly who I'm interested in. And I also hope you realise that I'm not going to stop pursuing him, no matter what you try and do."

"And what exactly do you think I'm going to do?" Gaara demanded, also glancing over at a laughing Naruto. So Kabuto was after the blonde idiot? He was stalking Gaara to get to Naruto…

"If you make your move, then I'll just have to made a better one. Simple as that, Gaara."

"Well, how do I look?" Naruto asked, finally stepping out of the bathroom after a ridiculously long time getting ready and throwing his arms out for inspection. Gaara thought he'd just give the blonde a quick look over, say 'fine' and move on to finishing getting ready himself…he should have known better. As he turned his head to glance at his roommate, he found himself frozen to the spot.

Naruto had always looked effortlessly gorgeous…but having put effort into it…he was beyond gorgeous. Gaara wasn't quite sure what this young man had done to please whatever deity there may or may not be, but it must have been something good for his reward to be this good. There were good-looking people everywhere nowadays thanks to modern grooming techniques, it wasn't a case of you're either naturally gorgeous or not. Naruto, however, really came out on top. When he was sleepy, confused or drunk, he looked unbelievably cute. When he was determined or serious, he looked incredibly hot. When he wasn't trying to look good, he did. When he was trying to look good, he really did.

The man was dressed in an orange shirt (Gaara hadn't known they made shirts in such a color) with a black jacket over it. The top four buttons of the shirt were undone to reveal the tanned and broad chest, along with a small green-crystal necklace. He wore a pair of dark, baggy khaki pants with a pretty cool belt and a pair of white trainers with orange stripes. Gel had been added to his blonde hair in an attempt to try and make the spikes seem tamed, giving Naruto an edgy look. Gaara could easily understand how Pein had flocks of fangirls and fanboys throwing themselves at him, but he would never understand how the hell Naruto didn't. There was absolutely nothing wrong with him at all! He was perfection.

"Earth to Gaara…" Naruto called, head tilting to the side as his face scrunched up in confusion.

'Damn Uzumaki. Doesn't he have any idea what he looks like with that face?' The redhead cursed inwardly, resisting the urge to bite his lip.

"You look…good." That answer seemed to please Naruto, who grinned happily and focused his attention on Gaara's appearance instead.

In all honesty, Naruto was just as impressed with his roommate and the effort he had made. With a pair of black, tight-fitting jeans, white shirt and a dark hoodie- Gaara was looking damn fine.

"I can put some gel in your hair, if you want?" The blonde offered, waving a tub of the product for his roommate to see. Gaara eyed it cautiously, unsure of whether to trust the idiot or not, but finally gave in and nodded. "Don't worry, it'll look awesome." Naruto reassured, slipping in to stand behind Gaara as he rubbed some gel into his hand. "Trust me." He murmured softly, instantly relaxing the other boy.

Gently, he slipped his gelled fingers into Gaara's soft hair and began working his magic. Poor Gaara could have melted under the blonde's caress as his hair was carefully sculpted into neatly-designed spikes. And, he couldn't help but notice, Naruto made of point of extending the parting on the left side of his forehead in order to make his 'love' tattoo even more visible. Gaara wasn't sure why, but that little act made him smile and it was appreciated greatly. It meant that the blonde truly understood how important the tattoo was and wanted Gaara to show it off. Naruto understood him.

"Done?" The redhead asked, slightly disappointed as those wonderful fingers pulled away.

"Yup! Go take a look!" Naruto said, full of pride as he grinned happily. And, despite his little shred of doubt, Gaara was relieved to see the blonde looking so happy with the results. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed that Naruto had done a pretty good job and Gaara's hair was looking pretty cool.

"Not bad, Uzumaki." The blonde beamed at him in reply, winking cheekily as he started heading for the door.

"Let's go!" He shouted enthusiastically, obviously ready for a fun-filled night. Gaara rolled his eyes, following the idiot out of their dorm whilst trying to ignore the persistent feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong.

The night was a bit of a blur, if Gaara was honest. Though not a big drinker, the peer pressure from Naruto and his two friends caused him to go well over his limit and most of what happened seemed to slip out of his mind. Kiba and Tenten were annoying to say the least and Gaara hated having to compete for Naruto's attention all the time but…Naruto always made sure he was included. No matter how many clubs they went to, or how many drinks they downed, Naruto always pulled the redhead along with him and made sure he was always there. If Gaara sat out whilst the others danced, his blonde roommate would join him so he wasn't alone. It was both warming and incredible to feel so looked after and cared for. Perhaps it was the alcohol churning deep within the pit of his stomach, but Gaara couldn't help but feel a rush of heat each time Naruto flashed him a smile, sent him a wink or made physical contact. The arm round the shoulders, friendly hugs and attempted fist bumps all made the tattooed teen feel…loved. His drunken mind was able to quickly deduce what his sober one was so desperate to ignore or bury…

'I'm in love with Naruto Uzumaki.'

Gaara first allowed that thought to float through his mind as he sat opposite the blonde, watching him engage in a very in-depth conversation with Tenten. They were discussing something stupid, like fish or something, but Naruto was so emotionally invested that Gaara couldn't help but smile slightly. The alcohol softened his heart and allowed him to accept the ultimate truth. The feelings he felt for Naruto, despite how annoying the man was, were feelings of love and the desire to be loved.

The rest of the night went on peacefully, with Gaara constantly keeping his eyes on his roommate. No matter how much they went through that night, or all the stuff that happened, Gaara's mind and heart remained focused on Naruto Uzumaki. And only Naruto Uzumaki.

He was glad when Naruto finally decided to call it a night and asked Gaara if they could take the train back to the college. To his delight, Kiba and Tenten decided to stay out for longer, meaning he finally had the blonde all to himself. He was surprised at how happy that thought made him. Time alone with Naruto was quickly becoming his favourite activity…

Gaara gulped nervously as he felt a sudden heat on his thigh, dangerously close to his crotch. He could feel himself start to blush as he glanced down, finding Naruto's large hand resting on the top of his leg casually- as though there were nothing odd about it at all.

"N-Naruto?" The redhead mumbled with a shaky voice, sneaking a look at the drunk blonde in hopes of some explanation. Instead, the man groaned in response, shuffling in his seat and squeezing Gaara's thigh slightly. Electricity shot through the tattooed teen's body at that moment, a jolt going straight to his cock. Cursing silently, the redhead tried to force away the feeling that arose in him…he was starting to get hard…

Naruto was slumped in his seat, eyes closed and lips parted as he seemed to attempt sleep. The jolting of the train seemed to keep him on the verge of consciousness and the hand on Gaara's thigh was most likely an attempt to steady himself. After all, being drunk on a train wasn't a nice experience. Either way, it seemed Gaara was suffering the most. Every time the train shook too violently, Naruto would groan in frustration and squeeze the flesh in his palm- not realising he was so close to his roommate's clothed groin.

"Mmmm-wanna a cat…" the blonde muttered with a sigh, relaxing his grip slightly as his fingers started tracing small circles on the material of Gaara's jeans. Saying Gaara was getting aroused was an understatement. He didn't think he'd ever been so turned on in his life. The heat of Naruto's palm was almost burning his thigh and the blonde's little finger was moving gently- teasingly- over the teen's balls.

"…" Gaara bit his bottom lip as he tried to ignore the searing pleasure coursing through him. He was trying so hard to will away his erection, which was pushing against his jeans in a desperate attempt to get out and receive some attention. Going out with Naruto had been a horrible idea and getting the train had been an even worse one. "Naruto," the redhead said quietly, trying to avoid alerting the other passengers' attention. "we're almost there." With that, he took the idiot's hand and removed it from his crotch before things went too far.

It got worse.

Naruto smiled in his drunken stupor and began pulling Gaara's hand down, pressing it against his bulge teasingly.

"S'nice." He slurred simply with an idiotic grin, grinding against the redhead's open palm.

'Damn Uzumaki…oh god, is that…?' Gaara's eyes widened as he felt an obvious lump of flesh beneath his roommate's pants and he quickly yanked his hand away.

"Hmm?" Naruto whined, a pout forming on his luscious-looking lips.

"Naruto, it's me…Gaara." He explained, hoping the idiot would snap out of it and start feeling as embarrassed as he did. "We're on a train back to the college."

"No more drinking?" The blonde mumbled, eyes creaking open slightly to stare at Gaara.

"No more. You've had too much."

"M'kay." Naruto sighed contently, shifting closer to his tattooed roommate, a smile spreading across his space. "I just sleep here." The warmth of the blonde's body against his own was soothing for Gaara and he himself was tempted to just snuggle in and drift into the world of sleep so close to Naruto. But that, of course, would be a stupid idea.

It was at that moment that an announcement rang out, declaring that their stop was approaching and Gaara couldn't help but feel a little guilty as he shook the blonde slightly.

"Not yet, we've got to get off now." The shit-eating grin that spread across Naruto's face instantly sent a pang of regret into Gaara's stomach as he realised exactly what his friend was thinking.

"I like getting off." Naruto said happily, grin widening. Rolling his eyes, Gaara started helping the idiot to his feet. It was gonna be a long night. "Are we gonna get off together, Gaara?"

"…" no amount of self-control could stop the blush that proceeded to flood the redhead's face at that moment. Naruto asked it so sweetly, despite the evil grin, and in a voice so husky and breathy that shivers shot through Gaara's entire body. That voice…

"Are you gonna help me get off, Gaara?" Naruto whispered darkly, lips brushing against his roommate's ear teasingly. That voice was so possessive and…dirty…Gaara was sure that he'd do anything that voice told him to. But he knew he had to resist.

"No, Naruto," he said, trying to sound commanding but failing miserably. "I'm not helping."

"Awww, come on." The blonde whined, pressing closer to Gaara as they made their way to the train doors. "I'd really like it if you helped me…" That dark voice was back, passing over the redhead's ear and skin like an inferno. Gaara felt like he was on fire, his cock painfully hard within his jeans. He should have expected this from a drunk Naruto but even if he had prepared for it, it would have made no difference. Naruto was either incredibly horny and drunk or just messing with him.

"Not far now," Gaara said, more to himself than the blonde, as they began heading down the street towards the college. He was hoping to get back to the room as soon as possible so Naruto could just hurry up and go to sleep…alone…

"Then when we get back to the room…"

"No." Gaara snapped, nudging the blonde in the ribs with his elbow. Naruto merely chuckled and pressed closer.

"Don't you wanna touch me, Gaara?" That voice… "Don't you wanna feel me?"

"…" the redhead gulped, silently praying for the verbal torture to stop. He couldn't take much more of this.

"Don't you wanna suck me?"

"Oh god…" Gaara hissed, feeling his own hardness jolt as the dark words passed into his ear.

"You can call me that if you want," Naruto whispered, chuckling like an idiot. "but I think your mouth will be too full."

It continued like that, all the way to college. Gaara would try his best to ignore his roommate's obscene comments and whisperings but he knew perfectly well he'd need a cold shower once they were back in the room. There was no way in hell he was going anywhere near Naruto when he was in this state. The blonde idiot obviously had no idea what he was saying or doing. But, secretly, a part of Gaara took delight in his roommate's words and, if he were honest, he was starting to hope there was more than just drunken horniness behind them.

"I'll take care of you, Gaara. I promise. I'll get you naked, lying under me while I kiss and lick you all over. I'll make you feel so good. I'll make you tremble at just the touch of my hands. I'll press my body against you so you can feel all of me. Wouldn't you like that, Gaara? To touch me…to feel me inside of you. Does that sound good, Gaara? I'll make it so good you'll never forget. You'll never think of anything else other than me and how good I made you feel. You'll never stop dreaming of me, Gaara…"

For someone so drunk and intoxicated, Naruto's words were surprisingly clear, steady and intelligible. Each one, hissed in that dark tone, made Gaara jolt with pleasure. He wanted all of those things to happen, no matter how obscene they sounded. Naruto was really hitting a nerve in him. Those words…they were making him feel so hot and needy. If Naruto kept this up, Gaara would end up shooting off in his pants.

"Here we are." Gaara announced, pushing himself and Naruto into their dorm room with a triumphant sigh. It had been a lot of work supporting the weight of his roommate all the way down the street but it had definitely been worth it. Insomnia or not, Gaara's bed was really looking appealing right now. But first he had to deal with the idiot clinging to him hopelessly.

"Hey, Gaara?" Naruto muttered as the two of them stumbled over to the beds. "Is there anyone you love?"

'Yes.'

"No." The redhead said curtly, ignoring his interfering brain.

"Why not?" The blonde asked, letting his roommate lowering him onto the bed carefully before kicking his own shoes off with a proud grin.

"Not really my thing," Gaara muttered, deciding it best not to try and undress the blonde. Naruto would just have to deal with sleeping in his clothes for one night.

"I don't think that's true." Naruto boldly claimed, his smile fading as he analysed his roommate's expression with a look that Gaara couldn't work out. Curiosity? Whatever it was, Gaara didn't like it. He felt like he was being judged. "I think it is your thing."

"How do you work that out?" Gaara asked, trying not to sound angry or bitter as he reached over to switch on his bedside lamp. He didn't like the conversation and wanted nothing more than for Naruto to shut up and go to sleep, but his own curiosity wouldn't just let the conversation die yet. Even as he slipped into his own bed, not bothering to get undressed, and rested his head on a pillow, he was still eager to hear his roommate's ludicrous response.

"I think you just need to find someone you trust enough," Naruto murmured softly, falling back to rest on his bed with a sleepy look about him. It was rather sweet. "Someone you can trust to look after you…and love you…"

"Go to sleep." Gaara muttered, voice slightly croaky with an unknown emotion. He didn't like this. He didn't like what Naruto did to him. He didn't like the way his heart was slightly aching. Loneliness and isolation had never bothered him before, he'd simply grown used to it. But Naruto…Naruto made him yearn for something more. Naruto made him want the kind of relationship he'd always written off as unimportant.

"Do you trust me?"

…

The question was simple and innocent enough…but it carried a weight with it which crushed Gaara's heart beneath it. The deeper meaning behind it echoed throughout the dimly lit room and unsettled both the drunk blonde and his brooding roommate. This was a conversation that needed to end. It just had to…before things reached an area Gaara wasn't prepared for.

"Naruto…" the redhead began in warning, his heartbeat starting to pick up in pace. This was a bad idea.

"If not, I'll find a way to make you trust me." Naruto said bluntly, blue eyes shimmering in the dim light. "I'll make you trust me and I promise it won't hurt one bit. It'll be all good."

"Naruto…" Gaara hissed slightly louder, starting to panic. The last thing he wanted was to have a panic attack because of a conversation like this. That would be humiliating…degrading…devastating.

"I can't wait until then…" Naruto whispered, nuzzling his pillow as sleep began to overtake him. "I'm gonna show you what it's like to be loved…"

"Just stop, Naruto." The redhead murmured pleadingly, feeling more vulnerable than he ever had before. "You're drunk. You don't feel that way. Just stop."

"I promise…" the blonde replied, unfazed by his roommate's plea. "I'll make you feel good…in every way…"

'You can't, you goddamn idiot.' Gaara cursed inwardly, watching as Naruto faded into his dreams across the room from him. And if a tear slid down the redhead's cheek…who would know? Sometimes it was okay for a heart to crack. Sometimes it was okay to feel something…

A/N: Well, how was that? I quite liked the last scene, if I'm honest. How did Naruto go from dirty talk to implying he has romantic feelings for Gaara in such a short amount of time?

Anyway, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to hearing your opinions of this chapter.

Thanks, everyone.