Twitterpated

All of the things that I want to say
Just aren't coming out right
I'm tripping on words, you got my head spinning
I don't know where to go from here

X

Gaara rolled onto his side and stared at the alarm clock sitting on his desk.

4:34 a.m.

Sighing, he kicked off his blankets and sat up. Apparently, sleep wasn't happening. He quietly sidled over to his closet and removed a black Mr. Coffee from the box it had been sitting in since he had brought it over from the apartment. After successfully finding some filters and his treasured French roast, he set up the appliance with as little noise as possible. He had noticed that Neji wasn't much of a light sleeper, so he wasn't too worried. He made a trip to the communal kitchen for water, proceeding to measure out a good six cups worth of ground coffee. By the time he found his semi-clean travel mug, enough had been brewed to fill it. He screwed on the lid, taking a long sip. The bitterness of the black coffee helped ease away the lingering traces of sleep.

It wasn't unusual for him to wake up at strange hours. It was, however, unusual for him to get zero sleep at all. He hadn't even been able to manage a thirty minute nap. He was, he supposed, still filled with adrenaline from the night before.

After the kiss and subsequent hugging, Gaara had awkwardly stated that he was tired and needed to sleep. He then proceeded to climb into his bed and pretend to be asleep for the next hour and a half while Neji paced the room and prepared himself for bed.

Neji had seemed to fall asleep easily, making Gaara feel even more disgruntled. He turned in his desk chair to watch the Hyuga sleep, noting how his long hair seemed to splay out around him. It was.. cute, and he had to force himself to stop being a creeper and look away.

Desperate for a distraction, he found his phone and flipped it open to find a good two dozen texts from Haku, all inquiring about the evening's events post-abandonment. Sighing, he quickly compiled a brief message and hit send. Not ten minutes later, his phone began buzzing and he hurriedly shuffled into the hallway.

"You could have given me a warning before calling. I didn't think you'd still be awake," He growled into the phone's microphone.

"I put you on a special ringtone in case you fiiiiiiiinally messaged me back. And how am I not supposed to call when you say, 'we kissed'? You kissed? Details, Gaara – no, Zabuza, I will not be quiet – and I want them now."

Leaning against a wall, Gaara recounted what had happened with as little embellishment as possible. He was not surprised to hear Haku's dramatic, drawn out sigh.

"Really, Gaara? You kiss, he holds you in an intimate lover's embrace and then you say 'I have to sleep'? What is wrong with you?"

Frowning, Gaara felt his face become warm. "It was awkward," He mumbled, suddenly annoyed at himself as well. He doubted he had ruined things, but he didn't know how he would face Neji now. He had never had to worry about this stuff before. He and Naruto had been best friends, and then a relationship just somehow happened. The thought of Naruto made him pause, Haku's manic rambling not quite reaching his ears. Nothing concerning Naruto had occurred to him since the incident. He slowly slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. Was he even ready to move on? Was it just a pity kiss? Or was he rebounding on Neji? The day before he had been miserable over Naruto, and now he was worrying about how to make sure Neji still liked him.

"Haku – Haku, shut up, dammit." When he finally heard silence on the other line, he continued. "Do you think I'm moving too fast?"

For once, his friend paused before responding. "Gaara, no. You have to date to move on," He advised. "You told Neji what happened with Naruto, so it's not like he's clueless. He knows what he's getting himself into."

"I guess." Gaara glanced over to Neji to make sure he was still asleep. "I'm going to sleep now. We can talk later." He hung up after a quick goodbye and began thinking about Neji.

Neji had saved him from drunken oblivion, offered him a home, helped him move, comforted him.. and what had he done for Neji? Gaara suddenly realized that he had been embarrassingly ungrateful. Further, did all of this mean that Neji had liked him since the beginning...? Or was the Hyuga just ridiculously nice to everyone? His frown gradually dissolved into a set line of determination, and he began cleaning the room as quietly and thoroughly as possible. There wasn't a terrible amount to clean since both inhabitants were already quite well-kept, but Gaara swept, dusted, and rubbed out stains nonetheless. He took out the trash, put away laundry, and organized his desk until it was as nice as Neji's. By the time he finished, it was almost seven, and he sprinted across campus to the Starbucks they had visited the night before to acquire an assortment of overpriced breakfast foods.

When he returned, Neji was sitting up in bed, staring at the (mostly) impeccably clean room with an expression of mixed confusion and surprise. The brunette turned to look at him as the door clicked shut, a smile beginning to creep onto his face. Gaara awkwardly clutched the brown paper bag in both hands.

"Hi."

"Hello," Neji greeted. He gestured toward the bag. "Is that for me?"

Gaara didn't respond, simply holding the bag out. Neji's smile deepened and he stood, walking over to take the offered treats.

"If this is how you react after I kiss you, I might have to do it every day," Neji teasingly threatened as he peered into the bag, removing a pumpkin scone. When he returned his glance to the redhead, he found that Gaara's face had taken on a look of horror.

"Kidding, Gaara." He spoke slowly, pausing before stepping forward and placing a soft kiss on Gaara's lips. "I really don't expect you to clean every night," He whispered.

Neji's breath on his mouth. Neji's lips on his mouth. Again! Gaara didn't know what to do, so he mumbled "okay" and Neji retreated to his desk, munching the scone.

"So.." Gaara drawled out the word to be excessively long, still standing in his same place. Neji turned to look at him, quirking a brow. "You're gay." Haku had been right. As usual.

Neji nodded. "You too," He commented, trying to disguise his amusement. When Gaara seemed at a loss for words yet again, he sighed. "Do you want to go on a date tonight?" There. If the kiss(es) hadn't made his feelings obvious, this certainly did. Neji felt so much more comfortable now that Gaara had not rejected his advances.

Gaara shifted his weight back and forth between legs, doing his best to think quickly. Did he like Neji? Did he want to go out with Neji? Did he enjoy kissing Neji? "Yes," He stated firmly, moving to sit on Neji's bed. "We could go to that sushi place." He silently praised himself for regaining his composure.

"Okay." Neji smiled, and Gaara felt his body tingle in a way it hadn't done in months.

They spent the next hour finishing breakfast, then Neji excused himself for a shower. Gaara immediately pulled out his phone to text Haku.

Date tonight.

Only a minute passed before he received a response.

OMG! how? what are you going to wear? ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE SEX?

Gaara rolled his eyes, composing a response – I don't know, clothes, and no – before standing and walking to his closet. He surveyed his array of black items before picking out a faded shirt and corduroy pants. He was in the middle of changing when he heard the doorknob turning. In a fit of panic, he quickly shut himself in his closet.

Neji entered the room, surprised to find Gaara gone. He had only showered for ten minutes. Shrugging, he proceeded to begin his post-shower routine... of 2 hours.

Luckily, the closet was spacious.

"So you like sushi?"

Neji had ordered an assortment of sashimi, while Gaara opted for two exotic sounding rolls.

The redhead shrugged. "I like the rice, mostly." He grabbed a pair of chopsticks, snapping them apart and rubbing off any splinters. "Have you ever been to Japan?"

"No." Neji seemed pleased that Gaara had remembered. "My dad died when I was little, and my mother never wanted to leave. But I'd like to, someday."

Gaara froze in his de-splintering. "My dad's dead too," He said quietly. "And my mom.. I grew up with my brother and sister." Recomposing, he placed the chopsticks on the table and leaned into the booth's cushion. "Who did not like me very much," He added with a wry smile.

"That must have been hard for you." Neji's brows had come together in worry. Gaara simply shrugged again.

"You too."

The conversation didn't pick up until after the food arrived, when they began discussing favorite films, books, and the like. Gaara bashed Neji's love of romance novels, but they discovered a mutual fondness for science fiction.

They shared a hot chocolate on the way home. It was nearing the holidays and the weather had become brutal lately. When Gaara grunted under his breath that it was too cold, Neji had grabbed him at the waist and pulled him close. In his surprise, Gaara managed to spill the steaming hot chocolate all over himself. He promptly scowled and poured some on Neji as well (who was, thankfully, not wearing white).

When Neji looked down in shock, Gaara took advantage of his distraction and kissed him. He refused to be the submissive one in their relationship. Or, so he thought, until Neji pushed him against the brick wall of a campus building and began doing miraculous things with his tongue.

The intensity followed to their room, with the cup of hot chocolate abandoned at some point during their remaining journey. Gaara found himself loving Neji's lips, and how he tasted so deliciously different from Naruto. Neji also seemed to enjoy biting and sucking Gaara's neck, which he had never experienced before but certainly did not complain about. They were soon against yet another wall, next to their beds, and Neji had pressed his hips so roughly against Gaara's that the redhead emitted the softest, quietest moan. Their kissing continued, but they now found their hands wandering to the tops of each other's pants. Neji's hand felt so good when it wrapped around him. When things became so fervent that their kiss finally broke, Gaara opened his eyes to find Neji staring back at him. Pale, opal irises so different from the blue he was used to.

"Stop," He muttered, pulling his own hands away from Neji and using them to push the Hyuga back. When Neji looked like a hurt puppy, he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Sorry. I just..." He gestured helplessly. He wasn't good with communication.

"It's okay," Neji said finally, reaching for Gaara's hand with his best reassuring smile. Gaara squeezed Neji's hand, then let go and awkwardly buttoned up his pants.

Amused, Neji did the same and suggested they watch a movie in bed. After agreeing on Blade Runner, they proceeded to almost-cuddle and mock Harrison Ford for the rest of the evening.