49Sardonic Abstinence
"I'm getting sick and tired of your shit, Gaara!"
The redhead resisted the urge to roll his eyes to the ceiling. He'd taken a week off— laziness did that to you—even after he'd gotten his wallet back. He just went home and crashed in a near endless bout of slumber, sleeping off the day he had to endure with Naruto.
He saw the blonde three times in the past week of his "vacation" at the café... It was usually an exchange amicable smiles—or rather it was the blonde beaming at him all the time with those white teeth and chattering away whenever Gaara had the chance to visit the café. That had been tiring for the redhead…and weird. He'd never actually had anyone to speak to outside of his job.
But even so, the fact remained that Gaara found his wallet...and still didn't go back to work.
Until now.
"Do you know who walked in here? Do you know who freaking came in here yesterday? Stephanie Blake—that's who! And you know the only person who I had left here to screw her? Fuckin' Choji from the virgins department —Choji! And where the fuck were you, huh? On a freaking impromptuvacation—!"
"Boss." A fully clothed Ino, as the redhead dully noted, interjected from her spot on chair in front of the director's desk. "He took a vacation— so what? I take vacations all the time—"
"Yeah— to scrape your fuckin' vagina, you fuckin' whorehog!"
Even Gaara couldn't laugh at that, no matter how much he hated the woman. He turned his head to look at her. Her attire was strange for a work day. A long brown skirt with a black dress shirt (that hid her cleavage) to match. Hmm. Maybe she was going to work in the Virgins department today?
"I'm sorry." the redhead said then, to his boss, because it was really the only good lie he could think of.
"Oh, you're sorry?" Gaara watched, with interest, as the boss's face became red. "Stephanie, fucking, Blake! We could have gotten our first real hardcore ebony in this god forsaken department, but instead you decided to take a fucking vacation!"
Gaara blinked away the spit that flew into his eyes with his boss's screaming. Then he sighed. He supposed this was the part where he would get fired. The redhead ran a hand through his hair. It would probably be for the best. Being a porn star wasn't the healthiest habit anyway...All those risks...and diseases...blondes. Gaara smiled. Yeah, it would probably be better to get fired from this place now, then have, say, an STD, later. Hell, maybe he could find himself a job at a certain café…
Gaara was pushed out of his thoughts when the director suddenly threw something against the wall. Gaara didn't bother holding in his chuckle now. It was just so funny seeing a little fat man angry like that. What he had thrown at the wall was a small snow globe. Inside it was a woman, nude, in a fetal position. The glass didn't break against the wall, which made the old man's anger even funnier.
"What the hell is so damn funny?" he yelled, red in the face.
Gaara shrugged his shoulder a bit. Ino sucked her teeth behind him, "Gaara," she hissed. Gaara didn't smile at her despite their mutual understanding. They both knew what was going to happen next.
"You know what—?" the director started angrily.
You're fired, Gaara thought idly.
"I'm transferring you!"
…
….
Gaara blinked up at the old man. "You're transferring me?" he asked softly.
"Exactly." The old man said, with a smirk, glad to replace the smugly apathetic look on the redhead's face with confusion. "I'm transferring you."
Gaara took a moment to digest this before he asked, "to a different department?"
"No, to a different country—of course, a different department you dumbass." The director spat. "I don't know where yet. It depends on what mood I'm in later on."
Gaara blinked very slowly then, because so many things were running through his head. He was never really in any specific department. His boss just put him where he wanted to, whether it was the bookworms, the blondes, the busties, or the teacher's pets. People who belonged to specific departments were doomed to be with the same kind of woman their entire career, he supposed. Maybe that was his punishment? No variety?
Gaara crossed his arms over his chest. He could deal with that.
"Imagine all the places I could send you, Gaara…." The director said lowly, obviously trying to milk some sort of horrified reaction from the redhead. "Just imagine…I could send you to BDSM."
Gaara laughed. Of course. The "big girl" department. That wasn't anything he couldn't handle.
"I could send you to M.MILF."
Gaara had to wince a bit at that. He didn't think he'd enjoy having anything up a mother's body. Much less a mature one.
"Or…"the old man said with a nasty smile, "Maybe I could send you to the BC-Boys."
The redhead had to pause at that. The bi-curious department? Then he rolled his eyes. "You might as well fire me." He said lightly.
The director laughed. "I'll figure out where you're going tomorrow. In the meantime, head to room ten. You're doing another 'home alone' clip. It's with Kandi. You know how she is—fifty minute woman." He laughed, horribly, at his own joke before wagging an index finger at the redhead. "I hope you've remembered your lines."
Gaara stared at his boss for a moment. No, he didn't remember his lines. But then he shrugged his shoulders, pushed himself off the wall he'd been leaning on and walked out of the room to head to his trailer.
Damn it, he thought with mild annoyance. He didn't realize how much he'd been hoping to get fired until now. He didn't know why he didn't just up and quit. It would be simple enough.
The redhead sighed when he entered his trailer. Someone had been in there recently, he realized, because it wasn't in the mess he'd left it in before. Hmm.
Sighing, he took the plain shirt he'd worn off, ready to replace it with the workman's shirt he always had to use for "home alone" takes.
He perked up an ear when he heard a knock at his door. "Come in," he called out lowly, hoping in the back of his mind that the person outside wouldn't hear him and go away.
No such luck. The door opened then, and Ino came into the trailer with an unusually timid smile on her face. Gaara raised an eyebrow. The only time Ino had ever had the audacity to come into Gaara's trailer was when he'd first started in the business three years ago. She'd wanted to introduce him the "old fashioned" way she wanted to call it. Gaara had refused her hospitality.
So he couldn't help but wonder what she wanted now, especially with that face. "Gaara…" she started softly. "I have something...something to tell you…"
Gaara paused with the sleeve he was trying to put on and gave the blonde his full attention. "What is it?" he asked when she didn't continue right away.
Ino gave him a smile and shook his head. "Maybe you should sit down for this…" she said with a small laugh.
Gaara made a big deal of looking around his trailer when he knew there were no chairs. Then he looked up at Ino and raised an eyebrow.
Ino laughed again, albeit nervously, and crossed skinny arms over her chest. "Well…" she started lightly.
Gaara narrowed his eyes. "Well?"
The blonde closed her eyes then, and took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant." She said softly.
"….Wha—"
Gaara stiffened then, and so intensely that he could swear he ripped a stitch in the shirt. Ino stared back at him with sad eyes and immediately the redhead knew that whatever else she had to say probably wasn't going to be—
"I don't know if I—"
"Are you keeping it?" Gaara cut her off then, because that was the most important question.
Ino looked at him for a long time before she nodded her head despairingly. "Yes." She said, tears glistening in her eyes. "I am keeping it…"
There was more silence, and Gaara found his eyes settling on the woman's stomach. How many times had he…?
"Why are you telling me this?" he asked, though he thought he knew the answer.
Ino shook her head. "I-I-I don't know if it's yours." She whispered then. "But I know it's someone from the department. I've already told everyone it might have been…but…" she paused then, to look pleadingly at the redhead. "I have a feeling it'll be yours." She said softly.
Gaara shut his eyes. He couldn't quite place what he was feeling right now. "Why…are you keeping it?" he couldn't really think of any other question right now.
Ino looked at him with a pained expression. "I've told you before, Gaara. I've always wanted a kid—"
"But why now?" Gaara didn't know where the growl in his voice was coming from.
"Because the doctor—!" Ino paused then, trying to keep her frustration in check. "…because the doctor said that if I…if I aborted one more time then…" she shut her eyes. "I wouldn't be able to have kids again…"
Gaara said nothing. He didn't know if he was glaring or not, but the blonde was avoiding his eyes.
"So…" she continued. "There's a chance that the baby won't even live…" she said, tears falling freely now. "Or it…might be born with…complications—"
"Get rid of it." There. Gaara had settled into his resolve. "Get rid of it. If there's a possibility that it'll be messed up—"
"It's already been three months, Gaara!" Ino cried. "I'd be…it would be murder…" she trailed off and looked up to face the redhead at last. He had a look of dull disbelief, but she knew that he was feeling much more on the inside. "I…" she continued. "If it's yours…can you promise me that—"
"No." Gaara looked away from her quickly. "Get rid of it; it isn't even alive yet—"
"I don't want to get rid of her!"
Gaara blinked. Her? Then he growled a sound so feral and frustrated that Ino widened her eyes in surprise. "Fine." He said viciously. "Keep it. But it's your own damn fault that you're still pregnant. I have no reason to help you—"
"Gaara, please—be reasonable—!"
"I am being reasonable." He spat harshly. "You can't just come into my trailer and decide to change my life like this—"
"But, Gaara—"
"The kid could be anyone's, Yamanaka. Don't speak to me again until you know for sure it's mine." He shoved passed her then, work shirt still on, with absolutely no intentions of going back inside the studio to work.
"Wow. You look like crap."
Gaara took the cup of coffee from the blonde quickly and turned away from him. "Stop. I'm not in the mood." He said tiredly before taking a sip of his coffee. The blonde never failed to give the redhead his coffee when he came to the café anymore. Gaara didn't even have to order anymore.
"Well you're never in the mood, Gaara." The blonde said sitting in front of the redhead.
Gaara looked at him for a moment with a raised eyebrow before looking back out the window. He had to admit that he and the blonde had gotten a little closer since he visited his house. He couldn't deny that he really didn't mind Naruto casually getting comfortable around him as much as he should have. Today was a little different, though.
"I mean it, Naruto." He said lowly.
The blonde smirked at him. "You called me by my first name." he said softly. "This must be serious."
Gaara glared at him. "Uzumaki," he growled. "I'm not in the mood."
Naruto stared at him for several moments before he dropped his smile. "Tell me about it." He asked quietly.
"No." Gaara answered immediately, glaring at the blonde one last time before he turned to the window again.
Naruto frowned. "Come on," he pleaded lightly. "It's not okay to close in on yourself when you're having problems. Studies say that if a person never—"
"Please, Naruto." Gaara said exasperated and for once not amused with Naruto's constant allusion to his studies. "I just…" he sighed then. "I'll tell you later…" he trailed off and glared outside but he could feel Naruto's smile.
"Later…?" the blonde asked slowly. "Like…tonight? My place?"
Gaara looked at the blonde. "What?"
Naruto beamed at him. "Look at you. You've got bags under your eyes, you're super pale—I think you need company tonight."
Gaara blinked at the blonde. Then he laughed and shook his head. "Uzumaki Naruto…" he said not looking at the blonde, experimenting with the name. The he shut his eyes. "Whatever. Okay."
Naruto grabbed the hand that wasn't gripping the handle of the coffee cup and squeezed it. "Awesome." He said with a shine in his eyes.
Gaara looked at the tan hands wrapping around his own and cleared his throat. Naruto laughed at him. "Right," Naruto said slowly, pulling away. "I've got to get back to my shift anyway." He stood up from the table, and dusted off the hideous green apron he wore over his clothes. "Come back at five." He said nodded to the redhead. "It's when my shift ends."
The redhead didn't say anything to him, only nodded his head and looked back out the window. He heard Naruto laugh before footsteps indicated him going back into the kitchen.
The redhead didn't see him again for the rest of the time he stayed at the café.
"Look who's decided to join us."
Gaara shut his eyes, silently thanking the gods that it was only his boss and not Ino in the head office.
"Sorry." He lied lightly. "Something came up."
Surprisingly, the director didn't say anything right away. He only eyed the redhead with a tight frown. "Ino quit today. Do you have anything to do with that?"
Gaara swallowed carefully. "Why would I have anything to do with it?"
"Because I saw her follow you out to your trailer."
Gaara narrowed his eyes.
The director smirked at him. "So…do you know anything?"
"Ino's pregnant."
The director's face fell. "W-well she should get rid of it."
"She said she's keeping it." Gaara said quietly.
There was silence between the two men before the director smirked. "Is it yours?"
Gaara never felt an urge so strong to scream, but he let out a huffed breath instead. "No." he grounded out. "She doesn't know for sure." he corrected himself while shutting his eyes. "It could be anyone's."
The director's face tightened then. "Is that so…?" he said lightly.
Gaara scowled at him. "It could be yours." He spat.
The director laughed. "I never touched that woman."
Liar. Gaara's eyes narrowed for a long moment, and a rumble in his stomach was urging him to just throw something at this man already, but he pushed the feeling down. "Whatever, old man."
The two stared at each other for what seemed like forever, before the director clapped his hands. "It's obvious you had a lot on your mind." He said with a nasty smile. "So I've forgiven you. Besides," He said lowly. "I've already arranged for your new department."
Gaara's mouth twitched. Shit.
"You'll be working at—"
"Stop." The redhead said shaking his head. He ran his hand through his hair and blew out a sigh. "I quit."
The director's eyes went wide. "You quit? You can't quit!" he sputtered angrily. "I didn't get to tell you your new—"
"I don't want to know." The redhead said pushing himself off the wall. "I quit." He stated heading for the door.
The old man stood up from his desk angrily. "Yeah? And where the hell are you gonna go? This industry is all you know, Gaara—or did you forget that? Did you forget that I was the one who took you in when no one else did! When no one would hire a fucking retard—"
Gaara turned around so quickly the director jumped a few feet back. Gaara didn't know what his face looked like, but it was enough for the old man to look back at him with wide fearful eyes. Gaara pointed an angry finger at the old man without knowing what he would do with it. Then he paused.
Why the hell was he pointing? Why the hell was he so angry?
Like someone splashed cold water on him, Gaara stepped back and blinked. What the hell was he doing? He shook his head and made his way out of the office.
It when he was at the entrance door to the building that the director called out. "You can't quit! You're fired!"
The redhead rolled his eyes and stepped outside into the cold air before he did something else he didn't understand.
Before he came here, he had walked around the city a few times. He didn't know what he wanted to do there when he came, but now he knew. He wanted to quit. He wanted to get out of there once and for all. He had wanted to for a long time, but today…the whole thing with Ino…it was the last straw.
Gaara ran another hand through his hair. Now what? It was only a quarter to three. What was he supposed to do until then? He supposed he could go home. But it would be a hassle to go home and then to come back just an hour later.
Gaara sighed another long sigh. Too much was going on today. Maybe he could just crash at the café and wait until Naruto got out? He would look like a bum, but it was the only plan he could come up with when his head was so jumbled up with all these thoughts.
With his ill formatted plan he made his way to the café. When he arrived he saw Naruto, smiling as always, bending down to take the order of an elderly woman. When the blonde looked up and saw him, he did a double take and his smile faltered. Then his mouth twitched upwards a bit, trying to form a smile but not sure if he should.
Gaara didn't bother nodding to him. Instead he made his way to the back of the table and collapsed there. It took several minutes of shut eye before the blonde's voice whispered at him.
"You really look terrible, Gaara…" he said quietly. When the redhead looked up, he saw the blonde leaning over him. At the moment he didn't even have the energy to shoo the tall man away. Instead he grunted something incoherent before putting his head back down. Naruto was silent above him for several moments before he spoke again. "Alright, I'm going to try to leave my shift a little earlier, alright?" he said. Now Gaara could hear his voice a little closer to his ear. "Don't move, alright?"
If they weren't already closed, Gaara would have rolled his eyes. He heard Naruto's footsteps walking away and inwardly sighed. He didn't know why he was suddenly so tired. Well, he knew, per se, but he didn't know why today's events were affecting his body so much. Of course it wasn't everyday you learned you were the possible father of the child to a woman you'd quite nearly despised for the past few years. And it wasn't everyday that an anger so deep inside you rumbled up out of nowhere.
Gaara frowned inwardly. He'd never been angry the way he was with the director before. Well… at least he couldn't remember ever being angry…Gaara sighed. Whatever. He couldn't continue to think about it. He had to do what he always did when something bothered him. Let things pass him by, relax, and sleep. And he was so tired…the rest would do him well.
"Gaara."
Said redhead blinked his eyes open. He was met with darkness. Blinking into it tiredly, he finally looked up from the crook of his arms. Naruto was leaning over him again only without the apron. He wore a look of concern, Gaara supposed, if the way his eyebrows furrowed was any indication.
"Hi." The redhead said lamely.
Naruto frowned at him. "What the hell happened, Gaara?"
Gaara shut his eyes. He opened them again several moments later and looked up at the blonde. "I quit today."
Naruto blinked down at him. Then he laughed unsurely. "That's…good?"
Gaara smiled despite himself. "Yeah, it's good." He stood up from his spot on the table then, and wiped the crud that formed in his eyes. "How long have I been out?"
The blonde smiled at him a gestured towards outside. It was getting dark. "It's already five." He said. "I was going to leave a little earlier, but when I came back out you were sound asleep." He smirked down at the redhead.
Gaara glared up at him.
"Ha ha, now there's the Gaara I know…" he said smiling down at the redhead.
Gaara shook his head, releasing the glare he had on Naruto. "Whatever. Let's go." He made his way to the doors of the café, noticing idly that he felt a lot better now. Maybe all he had needed was a bit of sleep.
When they stepped outside, Naruto took the lead and led them to his car. It looked strangely dark and luminous in the night time, Gaara thought as they approached it. If possible, it seemed even more sophisticatedly luxurious—like the bat mobile or something.
Naruto surprised the redhead by opening the door for him. Gaara glared at the blonde before he stepped inside the car and waited for the idiot to get into the car himself. When Naruto did, he started the car and pulled out of the parking spot with ease.
"So," he started as they drove down the road. "Are you going to tell me what happened today?"
Gaara shut his eyes. "I rather not talk about it." He didn't have to look at the blonde to see his frown.
"Come on, Gaara. Tell me. You looked really…" the redhead heard him pause, and he turned to look at him. Naruto wasn't looking at him; he was looking ahead at the road with a small thoughtful frown, "you looked really bad today, Gaara."
Gaara blinked and looked away from the blonde. "I didn't look that bad…" he mumbled lamely.
Naruto laughed. "Uh, yeah you did. Did someone…kick your puppy or something?"
"Or something." Gaara replied lightly. He saw Naruto's hands shuffle a bit on the wheel.
"Hmm." He said quietly. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. It'll leave more time for us to have fun at my apartment." He smiled then, and Gaara didn't have to look to see it.
Gaara blinked. He'd pretty much followed the motions of the day without really thinking about it. And it was only now that the facts of the moment were hitting him. He was going to Naruto's house. Gaara's eyes widened fractionally. He was going to Naruto's house. The redhead inclined his towards the blonde for a moment. Why the hell was he going to this man's house? He contemplated asking the blonde, but he decided against it when he remembered that he'd practically walked into Naruto's invitation to hang with him this evening. Gaara shut his eyes despairingly. He'd been so desperate for the blonde to go away that he'd accepted this stupid invitation.
But of course…there was that tugging in the back of Gaara's head that told him he really didn't want to be alone on this night. Gaara sighed. He also remembered promising Naruto that he'd tell him what happened. At the thought of today's events the redhead tightened a hold of the arms he'd crossed.
Gods, it made him so angry. He was a—well, he didn't know for sure yet, but there was a possibility that he would become a…a…
The redhead shivered lightly. What the hell was he going to do when—if—Ino came to him a few months from now asking for a paternity test. Gaara leaned his head against the car chair's head rest and let another despairing sigh. Damn it, he thought.
"There goes that look again," Naruto said, easing the redhead out of his thoughts.
Gaara didn't roll his eyes or glare at him. He only shook his head silently and let the comment pass. He was so…screwed, wasn't he? And he was fired too. What the hell was he going to do for money? The mysterious checks he'd been getting from god knew who wouldn't be enough for the duplex he was living in.
Gaara uncrossed his arms and put his face in hands for a moment. What the hell was he going to do?
"Gaara." The blonde called lightly.
Gaara didn't look up.
"Talk to me."
Gaara sighed into his hands and looked up. "Later." He said softly. He supposed it wouldn't be a big deal to tell Naruto. He couldn't say the blonde was a stranger anymore. He was, in a sad way, the only person Gaara had to talk to. He'd never made any friends since he left the hospital, and frankly, he didn't try.
The rest of the time in the car passed in silence. Gaara was grateful for that, and he allowed himself a little shut eye. He'd forgotten how close to the café Naruto's apartment was, because in no time at all, the blonde was parking in front of the familiar tall building. Gaara wondered how he could do that—park right in front of a building like that. He decided not to ask, and stepped out of the car when Naruto did.
Naruto smiled at him as they walked towards the entrance and the redhead looked away with a frown. They made their way to the elevator, and this time, when it opened, people didn't come out and push Gaara to the side like last time. They stepped into the elevator, and again the redhead was baffled by the flower vase in the corner, and the chandelier lights.
"You must be pretty top-notch if you live in a place like this…"he mumbled.
Naruto turned to face him. "What was that?"
Gaara turned away. "Nothing."
They arrived at Naruto's floor then, they walked out of the elevator. When they reached the blonde's apartment, he opened it quickly, and gestured for the redhead to step inside before him. Gaara glared at this, but stepped inside none-the-less.
Again, he found himself eyeing his surroundings with widened eyes. If he thought there were too many books scattered everywhere before…
Gaara shook his head. There were three times as many books all over the place now, and papers all over the place.
"Don't mind the mess." The blonde said as he lay his coat on a nearby couch. He held out a hand to get Gaara's coat. Gaara hesitated before he gave it to him. Naruto smirked at him, and took Gaara's coat to another room. "This place isn't dirty," the blonde continued, "just messy."
Gaara put his hands into his pockets. When he looked around, he realized the picture of the man kissing Naruto was on a shelf on the other side of the room. He narrowed his eyes at it. "Why is your house so messy anyway…" he asked idly.
He heard shuffling from whatever room Naruto disappeared into. "I told you before," he called. "The university asks a lot of me." He came back into the room then. "And this week I had a test." He finished.
Gaara eyes him bored eyes. "What university?"
Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Ah, you know. It doesn't really matter the specific university, especially when your school partners with almost every school in the city."
Gaara raised an eyebrow. "Well what school did you get accepted to?"
Naruto laughed. "University of Konohakagure."
Gaara looked at him for a long time. "You got accepted into the number one school in the country." It wasn't a question.
Naruto shrugged his shoulders and laughed. "Why do you look so skeptical?"
He has the audacity to look sheepish, Gaara thought to himself before he shook his head and continued to look around the house. He really couldn't pay that much attention to it though. The name Konohakagure rung in his head. He never looked it up before, but for some reason he knew it existed, and he knew it was the best. He also felt connected to it somehow. But he couldn't remember how.
"Why don't you sit?" he heard Naruto say. Then the blonde fell onto the couch behind him. Gaara raised an eyebrow when he saw that no dust particles flew out of the couch when he did. Finally he shrugged and took a seat beside the blonde.
"Not so hard now, is it?" Naruto said. Gaara didn't have to turn to see the smile on his lips. "So…about what happened today—"
"How'd you get into Konohakagure?"
The blonde responded with a laugh. "I took the admissions tests, got a high score, and was accepted." He replied, amused.
Gaara nodded idly, not really caring for the answer. It was just that the name was still ringing in his head, and he couldn't remember from where he heard it before. He couldn't remember how it related to his life.
"Gaara?"
Gaara looked quickly, "What?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes at him "You look like you're thinking hard about something…"
Gaara shook his head. "It's nothing, T-tell me more about yourself." The redhead only said it to distract the blonde, but he regretted it a moment later when he saw Naruto's smile.
"I'll tell you what," he started. "I answer one of your questions….and you answer one of mine. How's that?"
Gaara scoffed softly and shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever."
"Good. It's my turn to ask."
"Wha—"
"Why'd you look the way you did today?"
Gaara shut his eyes. "I hardly feel comfortable talking to a total stranger." He replied lowly.
Naruto had the audacity to look genuinely offended for a moment. Then he chuckled. "So you go to stranger's houses like this often? What kind of person would do that…I wonder…" he trailed off and put a hand casually onto the armrest.
Gaara glared at him lazily before shaking his head. "If you must know…" he started slowly. "There's this girl…"
"Well now. This sounds interesting."
Gaara tried to smile jokingly, but failed. "She…says that I might be…" he looked up to face Naruto then. "that I might be the father of her kid."
The smile that had been on Naruto's face instantly dropped. "What?"
Gaara did laugh then. "Yeah…", but the laugh died off tragically towards the end.
"You aren't going to cry are you?"
Gaara turned to the blonde with a glare. "A situation like this hardly deserves tears." The redhead said shaking his head.
Naruto laughed lightly before he put a hand on Gaara's back. "I would offer my congratulations, but I don't think you really want this kid." He said lightly.
Gaara found the warm hand on his back oddly comforting. He relaxed. "Whatever."
"If the kid's yours…are you going to…you know…take care of it?"
The redhead shrugged his shoulders. "Let's just hope it's not mine."
"Who's the mother?"
"Yamanaka."
"Does she…you know…work in that place?"
Gaara sighed. "She quit today." He leaned into the back of the couch then, hardly noticing that he was crushing Naruto's hand and the blonde was moving closer.
"Were you guy's friends?"
"No." Gaara replied with a lazy shake of his head.
"So it wasn't like…a friendly get together gone to far."
"The only time she and I ever got "together" was in front of the camera. I don't know how she handles herself outside of work." Gaara sighed when Naruto began to rub circles on his back. "She even said that it might be born with complications because of how many times she aborted."
"Doesn't the industry give its workers some sort of…insurance benefits when stuff like this happens?"
Gaara shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't know. I never thought to look up things like that when I left the hospital."
"Hospital? You were in the hospital?"
Gaara froze. "I—" then he shook his head. "It's nothing."
"No, tell me." Naruto said, moving closer still.
No." Gaara said with another shake of his head. It doesn't—"
"Tell me, Gaara—"
Gaara sat up straight and glared at him. "How many questions have you asked already?" he asked angrily. He suddenly took noticed to how close he and the blonde were, and made a move to move away, but Naruto closed a hand on his arm. Gaara growled at him. "What are y—"
"Twelve," the blonde said.
Gaara blinked. "What?"
"I asked twelve questions." He said again. "Now you can ask twelve too."
Gaara put in a look of disbelief. He tried again to pull away from the blonde, but Naruto held tight. Gaara didn't want to ask how Naruto knew that he'd asked twelve questions, so instead he relaxed, but moved further away from Naruto on the couch. "Are you this comfortable with every straight guy you meet." He asked looking away.
That chuckle. "Only the one's I like.", the blonde replied softly, and finally, he let go of Gaara. Instead of standing up and bolting out of the apartment like he'd wanted to, Gaara stayed, but he still didn't look at Naruto.
"You don't even know me." He whispered.
There was a movement, and Gaara thought the blonde shrugged.
Gaara closed his eyes. "How did you know that you asked twelve questions?" he didn't really know what he should ask the blonde, especially since he had twelve chances. He figured he'd use them all until he figured something good to ask.
"I brain keeps track of things like that." The blonde responded lightly.
Gaara turned to him. "Like—without your consent, or something?"
Naruto smiled. "Not without consent. More like…unconsciously."
"Oh." Gaara replied lamely. He looked around the messy room then, and narrowed his eyes at the pile of papers. "What was your last paper about…?" he asked softly.
"The way modern science has changed the definitions behind effects of psychochemistry in women." Naruto said, just as softly.
Gaara turned to him and raised an eyebrow. Naruto smiled at him. The redhead turned away again and continued to look around the room.
"How'd you get to live in a fancy place like this?" he asked.
Another laugh. "My grandmother's pretty rich."
Ah, Gaara thought idly. "What's your grandmother like?"
"Dangerous." Another laugh.
Gaara turned to face Naruto with a raised eyebrow. "How so?"
Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "She just is." He said, laying one elbow on the couch so he could look more casual.
Gaara squinted his eyes at him for a few more moments before he looked away again. "When did you get accepted to Hertfordshire?"
"Four years ago."
Gaara turned to him. "You're a senior?"
"There's no such thing as "senior" in Konohakagure." The blonde said shaking his head with mock sadness. "That title gets you nowhere."
"Do you…like it?"
"What? School?" a laugh. "I suppose."
Gaara sighed and continued to look around the room. He was getting bored now. He wondered why he agreed to come here in the first place. "Did your grandmother buy you that car?" he asked absentmindedly.
For the first time, the blonde didn't answer with a laugh. "No."
Gaara turned to look at him. Naruto was looking ahead, with a ghost of a smile on his face, as if there had been one there before but now it went away.
"Who did?" Gaara asked.
The blonde brought his hands together and turned away from Gaara completely. "It was Sasuke's."
Gaara narrowed his eyes. Sasuke? Then his eyes fell on the picture. Oh. There was silence between the two for a moment, but then Gaara pressed on. "Sasuke…what was he like?" he asked soflty.
Naruto turned to him quickly, sat up straight and smiled. "I'd love to answer that," he started, "but you've used up your twelve questions."
Gaara blinked. "What?"
Naruto shrugged his shoulders playfully. "It's the truth. Now," he said turning to face the redhead fully. "It's my turn. We'll ask one at a time from now on."
"But—"
Naruto held up a hand to interrupt him. "It's my turn, Gaara." He said chastisingly. Then he smiled at the redhead. Gaara glared at him. "So, Gaara. Do you have a boyfriend?"
Gaara couldn't believe he was walking with this idiot today. It was a Saturday morning, for Pete's sake. He was usually asleep at this time, especially since he didn't have a job anymore, but Naruto had insisted that the date had to be today.
Yes, he said date. He'd lost a bet with the blonde yesterday, and…needless to say it was either the date, or something even more embarrassin. Said blonde was chattering away noisily beside him, talking about God knew what. They'd been walking for at least ten minutes, but Naruto had insisted they walked because "finding a parking spot [was] impossible" in the city.
"…—hell, maybe you'll find a job in this place." The blonde was saying. "But I think I'd much rather have you working at my café." He finished, nudging Gaara a bit.
Gaara let himself be nudged and rolled his eyes.
"Gaara, are you even listening to me?"
"No." he said bluntly.
The blonde laughed at him. "Ah, shucks. I made a few pretty good jokes during that rant to."
Gaara laughed, because the blonde sounded genuinely disappointed.
"Here we are."
Gaara stopped walking, and stared up at the place, but Naruto dragged him inside before he could completely read the sign.
They stepped into a large restaurant looking place, much fancier than the coffee shop Naruto worked in. There were people being waited at tables and there was a large bar. Gaara narrowed his eyes when Naruto pulled them towards the bar.
"I figured you wouldn't appreciate it if I took you to a proper dinner-date, so I decided to take you to the best impromptu burger place in the city."
They took a seat in front of the bar, and Naruto began looking around for a bartender. Gaara took the time to really take in his surroundings. The place was too fancy for his taste. He enjoyed the lazy sophistication of Quelquefois. This place screamed too much effort.
"Temari!" Naruto yelled from beside him, and Gaara winced. Why the hell did this guy have to be so loud. A women, blonde, the redhead noted with a small twitch, walked towards them. She was beautiful, he supposed. She didn't look like the women he worked—er—used to work with. She walked up to Naruto with a smirk on her face. "Well, well, well," she started, completely ignoring Gaara. "When was the last time you decided to drop by?"
Naruto chuckled at her and batted his eyelashes, flirting the way he always was. "Too long." He answered. "I have a date."
Temari laughed. "really, now," she said turning to face Gaara. "I didn't know you—" The she stopped. And then she stared. Gaara stared back at her with a raised eyebrow. "I-I-I didn't—" the women blinked again. "I—"
Naruto laughed besides her. "What's up, Tem? He's cuter than Sasuke, isn't he?"
Gaara punched the blonde on the shoulder. Why was he acting as if they were—
"You two…" Temari started slowly, "a-are together?"
Another laugh from the blonde, and a glare from the redhead. "Nope." He chirped.
The woman only continued to stare at Gaara. Naruto waved a hand in her face. "Temariii," he sang.
The woman blinked and looked at the blonde as if she'd forgotten where she was. "I—" she shook her head. "Can I take your order?"
Naruto smiled at her. "The usual. For me and him."
"R-right." She nodded her head quickly, and walked away, but not before taking one last look at Gaara.
"I think she likes you." Naruto said, turning to smile at Gaara with a hand on his chin.
Gaara didn't look at him. Instead he watched the women disappear behind a flap in the bar, then come back out with a brown haired man, slightly muscular, and point at him.
"Wow." Naruto said lightly. "She didn't showcase Sasuke like that when I brought him here."
Gaara wasn't paying attention. "Why does she keep staring me…" Gaara mumbled uncomfortably.
Naruto turned to him with another smile. "It's not often a young handsome guy such as yourself enters such a place." He gestured around the restaurant. Indeed, there were mostly older men here. "Although I admit it is kind of weird…She's got a boyfriend." Naruto laughed then.
Gaara didn't share the humor. Instead continued to look at the corner where the women—Temari, was it?—was speaking to that brown haired man in a tight huddle.
Gaara had a feeling the blonde woman wasn't just "showcasing" him, but that wasn't what bothered him. What bothered him was another feeling.
The feeling that he had seen this woman before.
End of chapter
Author's Notes
7,700 words!
Haha. Well this update only took a couple of years, ; ). Now let's see what I can do about Virgin Flesh~
Read & Review, and curse me for taking so long. I deserve it, haha
Later~