The two eventually made it back to Naruto's apartment. Gaara led him through the city blocks, up the many stairs, and finally through the doors, to Naruto's nest. The omega jumped right in, and enjoyed himself fully within its sheets.
"Are you coming in, love?"
Gaara who still waited to be invited, "Yeah."
"You're so silly." Naruto moved over to give him more space.
Arms wrap around Gaara's body in a quick attack. Naruto had trapped him in their nest and had no intentions of letting him go. Gaara was his and would be forever.
"I'm glad," Naruto kissed him, "you're here with me."
He said that as if he was not the one that traveled hundreds of miles to be with Gaara.
"Me, too."
Naruto tucked his head into Gaara's shoulder. A soft yawn takes over Naruto's face. Gaara's arm holds him tight. His mind was occupied by earlier conversations. They lay like that for a while. Naruto's breathing evens out but he doesn't fall asleep.
"Can't sleep?" Naruto mumbled out.
"No," but that wasn't abnormal for Gaara.
"Why not?"
There was the obvious answer, but Gaara said, "I didn't know it was like that for you growing up…"
"It wasn't that bad."
"You don't have to be strong right now." Gaara reminded him, "It's just us."
He wasn't sure what was worse. Being completely alone or having everyone who loves you want to murder you. Gaara often wished he didn't have a family when he was younger. He'd want them all to die.
In reality, Gaara knew that's not what he really wanted or they would actually be dead. He wanted their love and it was always out of reach. When his father realized killing him wasn't an option, they worked out some sort of appeasement ritual.
Gaara never had to worry about anything. He didn't think of bills. He always had the best toys to make up for the fact that no one wanted to play with him. When he started training, it was always the best teachers. Adults were the only ones that could be manipulated enough to spend time with him. They were compensated well enough.
But to be alone.
Truly alone.
How could a child live like that?
How could Naruto?
Naruto sighed and asked, "Can I talk about Sasuke?"
"Yes," Gaara noticed that Naruto had stopped his Sasuke talk awhile ago. At first he assumed it was just because Naruto was over the other alpha, but it seems more likely it was for Gaara's own sake. Another appeasement ritual.
"When his family died… they put him in the apartment across the street from mine. It was in the nicer block, ya' know?" Naruto fidgeted with the fringe of a blanket.
Gaara nodded, blonde strands tickled his face, "Yeah?"
"So I would look into his apartment- not in a creepy way! But like in the my window overlooked his balcony sort of way." he added on, shaking his head, "I wanted to be his friend so badly. I would do such crazy things to try to get his attention. I was so stupid."
"I don't think you were stupid."
"You don't know the stupid stuff I used to do." Naruto laughed it off.
"Fair enough."
"It didn't matter what I did though… he always ignored me."
Gaara had learned by now the best thing to do was nod along, Naruto would say what he had to say eventually.
"I wanted to teach him how to be alone… that way, ya' know, all my years of living like that could be worth something… it would be worth it if I could have helped someone. Not feel the way I -" Tears start to fall.
The sand reacts without his control, swirling up around them. Solidifying in chunks. A perfect round ball. Protect.
It's not a physical attack, but it's all Gaara knows how to do. He feels like a lost child reaching out for the first time. This time however someone was reaching back.
"But Sa-hic-suke would rather be-hic-alone than ac-hic-cept my help." Naruto gasps up air in between his sobs.
Gaara holds his omega close, "It's not too late."
"You did-hic-didn't see how he was -hic-last time… I think he's act-hic-ually serious."
"If anyone could get through to him, it's you." He feels compelled to say this.
"You re-hic-ally think-hic- so?"
It hurts to say, "Yeah."
"I hope -hic-so." Naruto's breath evened out a bit, but still not stable, "You don't know how close that could have been me. I'm lucky to have found the old-perv… Instead of someone else who wanted to take advantage of my loneliness."
Gaara couldn't imagine Naruto going down the same road he, or yes, Uchiha Sasuke, did, but he understood the loneliness, "I'm glad no one took advantage of you like that."
"They almost did… Ya' know, how I said tonight we graduate differently in Konoha, that was kinda a lie."
"Hm?"
"There was a teacher, who -fucking-lied to me. They promised if I could steal a Forbidden Scroll and learn one of its techniques that would be like, an instant A. And I would pass the class. And I would be a ninja."
"So you did it?"
"Yeah," Naruto blushed a bit, "The Shadow Clone Technique. Learned it in one night… I was so proud of myself."
"It's impressive to learn something like that in one night."
"I thought so. So when Iruka-sensei found me in the woods. I thought he'd be so happy. I confessed to stealing it, and wanted to show him my new technique so badly." Naruto frowned, "He let me know there was no such test."
"Oh."
"Yeah. Turns out Mizuki-sensei just lied to me so I would steal the scroll for him. I would have been kicked out of the village or worse if anyone but Iruka-sensei found me." One person changed Naruto's life so drastically.
"I'm glad he found you."
"Mizuki-sensei tried to kill us both once we found out… He tried to kill Iruka-sensei… I got so mad. I didn't care what happened to me, but I didn't want anything to happen to Iruka-sensei." Naruto always cared more about other people than himself.
"So you stopped him." Gaara knew that's how the story must have ended. Otherwise Naruto wouldn't be in his arms tonight.
"Yeah, I stopped him. I used my Shadow Clones and beat him up a million times over. That showed him." Naruto's voice was full of pride.
"And that's how you became a shinobi?"
"Iruka-sensei let me wear his headband… and that was probably the greatest moment of my life. I felt so seen."
"Good." Gaara knew he deserved that.
"Yeah…" Naruto's story didn't seem to go anywhere. It was just a very emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.
Gaara was just along for the ride, "What was the point of all that?"
"Oh, right. Being alone sucked, I hated it, but I don't want it to be my whole life. I made friends. I have people who care about me. I have you." Naruto gave Gaara's shoulder a kiss, "So don't worry about all that dumb stuff that happened to me back then. There's no point keeping yourself up like that."
"Okay." Gaara laughed a little while stroking Naruto's hair in rhythmic montios.
"Good. Now go to sleep, love. You have work in the morning." Naruto commanded.
