Gaara knew this request meant something different.
Naruto would live in Sunagakure for six months. He would have a job for the entire duration. This wasn't one of their little vacations where he'd take off work and spend time with the blonde. This was more serious than that.
If Gaara wanted to make this work, he would have to take it seriously. This would be the greatest test of their relationship. To see if they could actually live in the same place.
Last time they kind of did it. Gaara lived with Naruto in a small studio apartment. They ate together, slept together, even bathed together once, and didn't spend a lot of time like they usually did. They were both too busy for that.
So now Gaara had this conundrum. Does he set up an apartment for Naruto, like he would any other Leaf shinobi doing the same job. Or does he invite Naruto to live with him? Both had their pros and cons.
Naruto wouldn't make a request like this if something wasn't going on in his village. He went to a funeral, so someone obviously died. He might need someone on his-
"You're going to wear a hole in that carpet if you keep pacing like that." Kankuro told him.
Gaara stopped in his tracks, "Oh."
"What's got you doing marathons in your office?"
"Naruto."
"Tch. Right. Of course. Look, I know you like him, but-"
"He's going to live here." Gaara cut him off before he was given the 'there's more fish in the sea' talk.
"What? How did you swing that?"
"Just for six months. He's taking over a part time teaching position."
"And that's a good thing right?"
"I belive so… I just don't know what to do."
"You want to be with him long-term right?"
Gaara nodded.
"Then take it slow. There's no need to rush things. You can mess up a lot of shit by going in too fast." he said with a surprising amount of wisdom.
"Yeah. You're right."
"Of course I'm right." Kankuro smiled, "I'm your big brother, I'm always right."
The Kazekage would set up an apartment for Naruto. The same way he would for all the Leaf shinobi in that position. They could work on developing their relationship in time. Giving Naruto space in the beginning might be the best choice for them to grow.
Gaara was doing more than he would for any average Leaf shinobi in this position. Kankuro said it was fine to pamper his 'omega friend.' Which was quickly corrected to 'boyfriend' and the embarrassment of that conversation.
All that led him to an Omega Store in Sunagakure with his sister, as his brother 'wouldn't be much help with this dynamic shit.' The people in the store seemed to ignore him. It differed from the way he was ignored as a child. This seemed to have a veil of privacy attached to it.
"What should I get him?" The last time Gaara bought Naruto anything from a store like this it didn't go over 100% how he planned.
"Fuck if I know, I'm dating a beta." Temari said. She was also an alpha like him, and he was hoping for more guidance than that.
"Oh…"
She sighed, and said, "What does he like?"
"I'm not too sure, I left before I could see what he really gravitated towards." Gaara thought of the only thing he saw Naruto constantly ensure was in his nest, the scarf. That wasn't enough to go on.
"So, you've already done this. Why do you need my help?"
"It didn't go well last time."
"He rejected it?"
"Not exactly."
"Okay… Cryptic much?"
"Naruto, he has issues in his past that make it hard for him to open up… You know about his mark."
"Yeah. Things with you and Naruto always seem so hard… It's worth it right?"
"I believe so."
"Okay," Temari picked up what was probably a random blanket and said, "What about this?"
"It looks nice." It was similar in fabric choice to one of his scarves.
They spent time going down each aisle. Settling on just a few more items. More structural pillows than anything else. They got three of them. Gaara also chose a few more sheets than blankets to deal with the heat. Then one thick blanket to deal with the chilly nights.
The two also stopped by a grocery store to make sure Naruto had enough food for the first week. It took a while to process checks. He wanted to make sure his omega could eat well in the meantime.
Gaara then remembered the plants in Naruto's room. They shared that in common. He made sure to stop by the greenhouse to get something that could survive in the apartment.
"Your instinct's going haywire, isn't it?" Temari asked.
"Is it obvious?"
She laughed, "don't worry, when I started dating Shikamaru I did the same thing."
"I thought you said he was a beta."
"He is. So he didn't know what to do with all that." She shrugged, "Luckily he's smart enough to know it was what it was. Or I think I'd feel rejected and it would have all stopped before it started."
"Gaara!" Naruto ran up to him waving.
Naruto was as subtle as a rasengan.
Gaara smiled, hand going straight to Naruto's lower back, "Hi."
Gaara wasn't that subtle either.
"So! Ummm… what do I do? Do I get into it the first day or what?"
"No, I think you start in a few days. They want you to get adjusted first. I heard their last Leaf shinobi passed out from dehydration."
"I didn't know you signed me up for such a dangerous job." Naruto joked.
"You'll be fine." Gaara walked forward, "Let me show you where you'll work."
"It's the school on Main and 6th, right?" Naruto had visited several times. He probably knows certain areas better than Gaara with how much he was able to explore over the years.
"Right. I should still introduce you to them, anyway."
Gaara took him to the school on main and 6th. Where Naruto learned, it was not customary for the Kazekage to introduce new teachers. His new coworkers would obviously talk about him now.
They gave him a lesson plan to follow. And by follow, it's more like learn it in a night, then teach it the next day. It wouldn't be that hard. He's only part time, and it's mostly for supplementary learning.
Naruto's supposed to teach some of the stuff he learned in school… which was why this probably was not a good job for him. Luckily Iruka gave him some pointers before he left. He had to show the others he wasn't just there because of nepotism.
His coworkers seemed nice though. Naruto was already invited to their next Friday hangouts. Apparently they do that for everyone, and not just people who were close friends with the Kazekage. So that's hopeful.
"This is where you'll be living." Gaara stopped in front of the apartment complex closest to the school grounds.
"I'm not going to live with you?" Naruto asked.
"Um…" Gaara looked around, "let's talk about that inside."
"Okay." Naruto's smile flattened.
They went upstairs, Naruto trailed slightly behind. Looking at each door number and wondering who's inside. What type of lives they live. How different his own life really would be here. He might have moved hundreds of miles away, to be in the same studio apartment with another man who wouldn't acknowledge him in the streets.
Gaara smiled as he opened the door to apartment 409. It was a modest one bedroom. Something Naruto could entertain in without it feeling cramped. It had pleasant views of the city. Walking distance of the market, his job, and more importantly Gaara's apartment.
"Do you like it?"
"It's nice." It was nicer than what he had at Konoha.
"Good. Let me show you around." Gaara took time to establish Naruto into the apartment.
There wasn't much you couldn't already see from the doorway. He made sure there was food ready, he had necessary toiletries, and it was cozy for Naruto. The tour ended in the bedroom.
"I know it didn't go over that well last time, but I also got you more nesting material. I scented it." Gaara frowned, "What's wrong?"
Naruto asked again, "Why aren't we living together?"
"I want to be with you for a very long time, Naruto. That's why I think this is the best situation for us, for now."
"You didn't ask me if that's what I wanted." Naruto took a step back.
"I didn't have time." Gaara sat down on the bed, "Naruto, I had a week to prepare for all of this. On top of my very busy job. I think I did the best with what I had to go off of."
"If you didn't want me here, you didn't have to go through all the trouble."
Maybe Gaara didn't want to be as serious as it seemed. Naruto might have been too forward with his request and Gaara was just being polite.
"I want you here. That's why this was no trouble for me."
"I mean, I appreciate this all," Naruto knew it must have been a lot of work, he sat down, "It just feels like our relationship is taking a step back."
"I don't think so. I believe this is forward." Gaara moved closer to Naruto wrapping his arm around the other's midsection.
"I don't know…"
"My brother made a good point when I spoke to him about this."
"Kankuro?" He side eyed him.
"Yeah," Gaara let him know, "I want you to feel comfortable get established here in your own right. Not under my shadow. That way, if you come here again, after six months, you have more than just me here waiting for you."
"That does sound nice." This could be a good place to start over, without his negative past tying him down.
"I don't want to be the only thing you have in Sunagakure. I want my Village to feel like a second home to you." Gaara opened up, "I'm afraid if you live with me right away, we might jeopardize what we could have."
"I don't want that either. I guess this wasn't a bad idea. Plus, the views kinda nice." Naruto fell deeper into Gaara's embrace.
"They are. And we're not that far away from each other."
"Yeah… I guess I'm just going to miss sharing a bed with you."
"We can still do that." Gaara pulled him back onto the bed. Their backs now flush with the mattress. Naruto looking up at the ceiling, Gaara looking at Naruto.
"Yeah?" Naruto's gaze fell onto Gaara's lips.
Gaara kissed his temple, "Besides, I was planning on staying the first couple of nights for you to get adjusted."
"Why didn't you say that first?"
Gaara laughed.
"I like your laugh." Naruto blurted out.
"Really?"
"Yeah, It's really deep. And I don't know, it just sounds nice. Warm."
"What else?" He doesn't know what compelled him to ask. Maybe it was to get an insight of what someone like Naruto was doing with him.
"Ugh, don't get a big head if I tell you, okay?"
"I won't."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"I guess, I like how nice you are. You're also like, really smart, but, like, in a detailed oriented way. You're strong. I like your hair, it's so red. And maybe you're really hot, I don't know. This is weird, I don't think I've ever done this before." Naruto had the biggest blush grow with each word he said. Some of those things didn't make sense to Gaara. Almost felt like a lie.
"Oh."
"Oh? That's it?" Naruto rolled his eyes, "What about me? What do you like about me?"
Gaara could go on for hours, "Everything."
"Lame. That's not an answer. I gave details."
