-Chapter 4: Cute-

Chapter Rating: T
Published: 5th August 2014
Last Updated: -

Gaara straightens his formal white robes, the fabric all a mess and beginning to bunch up in places it shouldn't, thanks to Lee's desperate hands, as if that might help. If he's to judge the situation just from the look Lee is sending him -one of sheer horror- then, in the face of his sister's rage, appearing respectable isn't about to make her forget what had just happened. And it doesn't – she's still coming full force.

As bad as he feels for the leaf ninja, finally being able to think about what had happened gives the red head's thoughts some clarity, and to be honest, he really does hope Temari leaves a mark on that man. Lee needs to be punished for his disrespect and he deserves nothing less than a few bruises.

After all, that man had the nerve to kiss him, the Kazekage, in a room full of not just his own subjects, but representatives from other nations. No doubt the other Kage will hear word of this -rumours spread fast- but what will result, the sand ninja can only guess. Not that any blame rests on Lee for that part. Relationships between two men may not be commonplace, instead, looked upon with disgust, but his leadership is in no way affected by who he kisses, nor who kisses him.

Though, Gaara does have to admit that had Lee been more subtle… perhaps had he kissed the red head in private… the situation would be much different. Not to mention, they'd probably still be kissing.

No, the Kazekage knows that he wouldn't be the least annoyed with the leaf ninja if he hadn't embarrassed him so profusely. After all, Gaara's been waiting for that man to make a move for quite some time. But here? The Kazekage supposes that he set this situation up, tried to gain the taijutsu master's attention with sugar coated words and fluttering eyelashes, but he never thought that Lee would respond to that, or whatever he did to earn that kiss. Not when he'd been so oblivious before, ignoring his hints since… whenever this sick fascination began.

"Don't worry…" The red head eventually gives in and send the leaf ninja a concerned gaze, "I won't let her lay a single hand on you…" Gaara's not sure what he can do to stop his sister, especially when she sets her mind to something, but at the very least the lies give Lee some hope.

In an instant, the blond is standing before the two and, with a huff and an irritated scowl painted on her face, Gaara now understands Lee's fear. Up close, Temari is scary. Of course, he's completely unfazed by her anger, having seen it many times before, but the man besides him is shaking where he stands, a rare sight that amuses the red head.

Who would have thought that Lee could be intimidated so easily? Gaara wonders how the man would react to his own fury.

"T-temari-san!" The leaf ninja stammers, and the red head finds his fumbling amusing as he tries to spit out a coherent sentence, "It… It is not what you think!" That amusement slips away quickly as the Kazekage hears Lee's words, and he instantly sends the leaf ninja a dejected stare and Lee suddenly freezes up, "Gaara… No… I… amsosorry!"

"Bullshit," Temari's voice is firm and the anger burning in her eyes make it very clear that she is fully prepared to rip the leaf ninja's throat out before he can lie again; not to mention that her brother's expression isn't helping, "Do you have any idea what you just did! You kissed the Kazekage. Everyone is staring and heaven knows what they'll say about this! Not to mention, what the hell are you doing kissing my brother!?" Gaara stops glaring at Lee and instead directs his malice towards his sister.

"I like Lee-san," Gaara is blunt and he speaks simply so his sister fully understands, before he crosses his arms over his chest and lets his frown dissipate, a staunch expression replacing it, "I've no concern about what others will say about us, none of it matters, and to be honest, nor do I care what you have to say about Lee."

"But the other villages will care…" The blond spits, her brow furrowed in frustration, "While you're Kazekage, your actions reflect on the village. If this gets out, and it will, do you think anyone will take you seriously?"

"Well, that's their problem, of which I doubt it's the only. They'll take me seriously when I destroy them," Gaara is calm and rather proud of his claims, but he's angry at his sister nonetheless, "I don't understand why a few rumours about my sexuality should define my leadership. If someone makes the mistake of underestimating me, they'll learn the hard way that they were wrong. I'm used to having to prove myself and being damned, why would this be any different?"

While Gaara understands his sister's concern, he had to admit that it gets on his nerves. He can be naïve, sure, but he's certainly more than capable of taking care of himself. Especially when it comes to Lee, because the Kazekage trusts that leaf ninja, right now more than anyone else, and despite his annoying habits, Gaara does think of him as a truly valuable friend. Well, more than just a friend.

The young Kage isn't exactly sure when the green beast had ruthlessly clawed his way into his barren chest cavity, or when such a foreign sense of attachment had absorbed him whole, but it now seems too late to push him away. That man has infected him with this disgusting disease and Gaara has simply let it go too far, and he admits that he allowed it willingly. While he should be repulsed, the red head instead has no desire to expel Lee. In fact, he quite likes having a special place in his heart reserved for the man. A rather large part, too.

He should have known this would happen. His shameful fascination with the leaf ninja has turned to something much more. Gaara is attached to Lee and, as he has discovered, he is rather possessive of those he cares for; so few real attachments would make anyone this way. But of course, the former Jinchūriki isn't capable of loving, but this is the closest he will ever to get to love - real love too, not just a lie - and though he steers clear of the word, he knows how deep his feelings really reach.

"You're just lucky the councilmen are drunk…" The blond replies in a stern and reprimanding tone, "And you…" Suddenly she directs that severity onto Lee with an irritated glare, "Take care of my brother and… and you two had better leave. I'll take care of this mess."

"O-of course!" The leaf ninja falters as the Kunoichi turns her back on the duo, and the moment she is out of sight he lets out a loud sigh of relief, even going as far as to wipe away the sweat on his brow. He isn't dead. Yet.

It takes a few moments, but the leaf ninja eventually gains the courage to speak again, and a bright smile illuminates his features as if nothing had happened.

"Gaara…?" He begins hesitantly, the first sign that something is wrong, and the red head instantly shifts his gaze to meet Lee's own, "If your sister is not going to kill me… are you…?" As frightened as the poor leaf ninja is, Gaara can't help but let a small chuckle escape past his lips. He does, however, blame himself for the man's doubts; he's always so volatile, the poor leaf ninja can't predict how he might feel anymore. Not that he'll stop any time soon.

"No, Lee-san…" The Kazekage responds as the smallest of smiles overcomes his expression, "You're going to live, trust me." He chuckles again, and the taijutsu master seems fascinated by the sound before quickly turning his attention back to the sand ninja.

"So... you enjoyed that…?" The leaf ninja begins and, though he tries to focus anywhere else, his gaze falls on Gaara's lips instantly. The red head catches where Lee's focus has drifted, before he rolls his eyes at how obvious the man is being with his intentions.

"Yes…" The change in the sand ninja is almost quick enough to miss as a pink blush blooms on his cheeks, but soon enough his gaze hardens and he's suddenly serious, "But, if you ever lay your hands on me in public again, I swear to the holy spirits of this desert that I will chop them off. Both of them."

"O-okay, Gaara…" Lee automatically clenches his fists at the very thought of losing his precious weapons and he admires how intimidating the Kazekage really can be. Compared to his sister, the red head is much more frightening. With Gaara, it's impossible to tell if he's bluffing. The leaf ninja refuses to believe his instinctive fear of the sand ninja is anything deeper.

"Relax, I was… joking, I think it is called…? I'd never…" Gaara sighs in frustration, though he is absolutely amused by the taijutsu master's reaction and manages to let yet another snicker pass from his tongue, "I do have to ask… What are your intentions, Lee? Why did you kiss me…? Unless… we're going to presume the obvious?"

"Oh…" The leaf ninja begins awkwardly, rubbing his neck nervously as he tries to come up with a better answer than the one tugging at his mind, "Ah, I love you? And your lips looked nice? Um… I do not think it was really complicated, more… impulse… and I wholeheartedly expected you to kill me…" Gaara is giving him one of those looks again, and the leaf ninja can feel the onslaught of questions already. After all, he'd just let that word slip.

"How do you say that so freely…?" Gaara asks, shaking his head at the silly man before him; surprise, surprise, he's actually rather calm, "Five minutes ago you were absolutely smitten with Sakura. So, I think you have an ulterior motive, but I may be wrong. I hope I'm wrong…" Well, paint the leaf ninja surprised; is the sand ninja… flirting?

It's not that it's unappealing, no, far from it, just that Lee finds the sight of Gaara being so forward a little surprising. It's inconceivable to imagine the red head acting like this - a pointed finger pressed against his chest, slowly making its way downwards to caress Lee's firm muscles, and the hints of a playful smile on his lips – but here he is.

"But then you got all cute on me…" Lee muses, more to himself than to the red head, "Oh… well, you're both cuties, but you actually… like me? It's hard to explain, but you can take my word for it. I love you! Not that I have forgotten Sakura-san… but I can if you want to… make this official…?" The poor leaf ninja is absolutely flustered.

Lee has always had the habit of getting attached to things too quickly; it seems his impulsiveness also extends to his affections. Gaara lets a dismayed sigh escape from his lips.

"I can't…" The red head breaths and a frown twists his expression, his once disheartened tone contorting to one dripping with hints of hostility, "I've no desire to hurt you… again…" The Kazekage's gaze flicks upwards, meeting the leaf ninja's own puzzled stare, before he quickly turns away in disgrace, " I'm a very different person than what I pretend to be, Lee, and I am warning you… don't get too close to me. The people I love always end up dying because of me and… I will not let that happen to you, no matter how you taint my heart…"

Worry flickers in Lee's eyes and he takes a step towards the red head in an attempt to console him, only for Gaara to back away, purposely keeping the distance between them. The taijutsu master should have known things wouldn't have been as easy as he'd like; Gaara is difficult at best, but at the worst of times… a real challenge. However much he likes the prospect of that -challenges are wonderful things even if they come wrapped in an impetuous red headed bundle- Lee just never figured the Kazekage would purposely isolate himself out of… what, fear? Concern? Or is the young Kage that overwhelmed by this unfamiliar feeling plaguing his heart that it drives him away?

"No, no… You are speaking utter nonsense!" Lee exclaims as he shoves his hand towards the red head, an offering, and his eyes beg the sand ninja to take it, "You cannot… continue to push people away. Trust me, if I died, it would be for you, not because of you. And… you have nothing to be afraid of Gaara, if that is how you feel…"

"You say that like it's a good thing…" Gaara sighs and stares the leaf ninja straight in the eye, as if daring him to put that hand any closer; Lee is much more interested by the red head's lovely aqua depths, but for some reason they're much more detached and emotionless than he is used to, "I was a fool to believe I was capable of loving you…"

"If it bothers you so much, then I simply refuse to die!" The green beast swears.

One of his hands lays flat against his chest, and the look in his eyes tells the red head he's completely serious. Idiot.

"I love you and I will not stop loving you anytime soon, so, I am sincerely sorry, but you will have to put up with me," Lee continues, determined expression contorting his face, "I do not abandon the people I care for, no matter how insignificant the bond we share may be right now," A single tear runs down Lee's cheek and he wipes it away with a bandaged hand before more can follow, "All you have to do is take my hand, Gaara. Listen to your heart for once, instead of that silly head of yours."

Gaara stares at the leaf ninja silently, a pained expression written on his face, before he takes that hand before him roughly and, before Lee even has time to anticipate the action, embraces the green man before him. As he wraps his arms around Lee's waist, he stuffs his face in the fabric of the taijutsu master's jacket and refuses to ever look up, anxious eyes starting to water.

That stupid, stupid leaf ninja and his stupid, stupid mushy words. Why on earth does that man have to be so… so ignorant? The Kazekage hates Lee and his naïve nature, but at the same time he loves him and that annoying persistence of his.

"You idiot…" Gaara mumbles through Lee's chest, tears littering his eyes, "I'm only going to hurt you and you don't even care. I knew you wouldn't…" The red head squeezes tighter and the taijutsu master can only stare at the tearful mess before him.

"Love does things to you, Gaara…" The leaf ninja hums after a few moments, as he hugs the red head back, encircling the other man's lithe frame with his bandaged arms, "Come on, I think we should take your sister's advice and leave. Can we go to your house?"

Gaara looks up from his rather comfortable position against Lee's chest with wet eyes.

"No, you were an idiot before…" He states matter-of-factly as a smile cracks on his lips and the sand ninja finally frees the taijutsu master from his tight embrace, "But you are right, not to mention, this is how rumours start." Lee gives the Kazekage a smug grin, and the red head knows what to expect.

"But they not just rumours, are they, Gaara-kun?" The leaf ninja asks slyly and as the red head pulls away he makes sure their hands remain entwined, only to receive a skeptical gaze from the young Kage, "When will your siblings be home, Gaara-kun?"

"My absence means they will have to remain here for the entire evening…" The Kazekage answers and guilt floods him when he realizes that his siblings will be stuck here covering for him, "After the mess we made… they'll have a lot of cleaning up to do. But on the bright side, we'll have the house to ourselves. And that means we can… kiss, Lee-kun?" Gaara looks up at Lee with an expectant stare.

"Oh, good! We can watch movies! What mo-" Lee begins, before his excited smile disappears and his face suddenly drains of colour, "Oh… Or we could just kiss, yes…" He hears the red head chuckle under his breath and is surprised at the sudden shift in mood.

At the leaf ninja's sudden silence, Gaara decides to begin their departure. Pulling Lee along with him, the duo head towards the exit. The taijutsu master lets the red head tug him along, even when he realizes their moving; if he wants to, he could easily escape the red head's hold. Well, he thinks. The Kazekage has such a strong grip for such a small looking man.

Lee begins to walk by the sand ninja's side now, but, of course, Gaara's hand remains tightly gripping his own. The sounds of hushed whispers fall upon the leaf ninja's eyes and he finds himself suddenly frowning at the spiteful words he manages to hear, leaving the mouths of strangers that know nothing about him. Eventually, he voices this concern to the young man beside him.

"Gaara…?" You do not think we are disgusting, do you…? What I did…?" The leaf ninja asks, sighing as his gaze lands on the floor out of shame.

"It's not as if you can get any weirder…" Gaara hums in answer and he doesn't seem to be paying much mind to the attention they've attracted; still, he knows what his guests are saying, "Besides, I already told you, I enjoyed our kiss. Other people are irrelevant." Lee slumps.

"Are you calling me a freak…?" The taijutsu master asks as a frown stains his expression.

"I meant it endearingly…" The sand ninja responds, and in an attempt to console Lee, continues, "You're certainly a freak, but you're my freak." He doesn't know if what he says will have any effect, he doesn't know if anything he says comes out the way he wants, but the red head tries. However, Lee smiles back and Gaara supposes that his words must have eased his pain somewhat.

"Oi! Gaara, bushy-brows!" Comes a familiar voice.

They only manage to take a few more steps before they're stopped by a certain leaf ninja, who, from the stare he's sending the new couple, hasn't been paying attention to anything other than the plate he's holding; typical. He's looking at Gaara and Lee's joined hands with a skeptical stare, whiskered face distorted in a look of confusion, before a sly grin soon replaces it.

"Uh, I was gonna ask if I could tag along, seeing as you were leaving and all, and this party's in the dumps, but… that would just be awkward…?" The blond laughs nervously, and Gaara only glares at him, more focused on leaving and having Lee to himself, "So… when did you two become an item?" Gaara's gaze only hardens.

"Just a few seconds ago!" The taijutsu master exclaims proudly, only for the red head to groan at his enthusiasm. If Naruto hasn't realized by now, he doesn't deserve an explanation. Not to mention, that blond can't keep his mouth shut – he might be able to convince Lee to keep hush about this -though Gaara knows he'll eventually let something slip- but the Uzumaki won't hesitate to tell all of Konoha.

"Wow…" Naruto trails off in awe, "How'd you manage that?" Gaara growls and wants to rip that dumbfounded expression off his friend's face. As if it's such a task to seduce the Kazekage. He knows he can be stubborn, but has he really gotten such a reputation? It's offensive, and the usually oblivious taijutsu master seems to pick up on the sand ninja's discomfort.

"I kissed him…?" Lee answers, confusion tainting his tone, "You make it sound as if it were impossible…" Naruto crosses his arms over his chest and just shakes his head.

"Those sand kunoichi over there disagree," At that the Uzumaki points in the general direction of a group of squealing teenagers that prefer to call themselves Gaara's fan club, "Then again, you got something they don't. Sandy-pants likes you." As obvious as the Kazekage's affections are at this point, his cheeks still flush with a gentle pink; he's still not used to liking someone, let alone other people making a deal out of it. Not to mention, Lee is staring at him.

"If Naruto knows… and he is stupider than I…" The leaf ninja trails off, before he continues softly in question, "How long have you liked me for, Gaara…?" Gaara is just glad that his taijutsu master isn't mad at him. He seems to know that the red head never had any intentions of declaring his feelings.

"A few weeks… months? I never realized what it was until recently…" The Kazekage answers with a displeased frown, before he looks up to meet the leaf ninja's gaze, noticing the surprise in his eyes, "I really don't care to talk about it." The last part is but a whisper from his lips.

"Y-you've had a crush on me all this time…?" Lee asks slowly and Gaara knows the reaction is justified; when had anyone else actually had a crush on the poor man, "Naruto-kun, why did you not tell me earlier!? You clearly knew…"

"Uh, bushy-brows, the red head would've killed me if I told you anything…" Naruto mutters, as if trying to hide his words from the Kazekage, "And I wasn't even sure… I mean, I suspected… but this is Gaara we're talking about, you know?" Of course the sand ninja still hears and huffs indignantly.

"Naruto, are you saying you couldn't even… fathom the idea of me liking Lee-kun?" The young Kage growls in annoyance, fed up with his friend's idiocy, "Uh, we had a discussion about this, unless you don't remember? I told you Lee was…" Gaara trails off, side eyeing the leaf ninja, "...attractive. More than that. I'm not going to repeat it to you, because I don't remember most of it myself and what I do remember is rather embarrassing."

"Oh, yeah…" The leaf ninja trails off awkwardly, "Yeah, but I thought you just had the hots for him, not… romantic feelings, you know?"

"Oh…" Lee whispers to himself, somehow having figured out what the two Jinchūriki are talking about, blushing madly as he tries to imagine what Gaara's so reluctant to say, "Gaara, do you…? Think I'm… hot?"

The red head freezes.

"Ah, yes, Lee-kun…" He murmurs softly, turning on his heels to face the taijutsu master, "Of course I do… But I think we should leave… Uh, the Uzumaki is annoying me… And, sweetheart, I don't like getting all flustered over this… If you want to ask me about that, you can do so when we are alone. I'd be glad to talk about it…" The poor sand ninja sulks and lowers his head, "I've had enough embarrassment for one day…"

Gaara storms straight past Lee, and the leaf ninja keeps his concerned gaze on the suddenly infuriated red head.

"Look what you did…" The leaf ninja mutters softly under his breath, and he quickly goes after the Kazekage. He can't just let his new boyfriend walk off, and while Lee doesn't want to lay all the blame on his friend, Naruto had said some rather inconsiderate things and had he listened to the red head's warnings, he might have still been by the taijutsu master's side. It isn't often that the Kazekage loses his cool and he's certainly hard to deal with when he does; Naruto, being his friend, should have known by now how to handle the red head.

Naruto looks dumbfounded at the duo as the taijutsu master chases after the Kazekage and while Lee knows it is rude to leave in the middle of a conversation, Gaara's feelings are more important to him than etiquette right now.

He nears the Kazekage and slows down, wrapping an arm around the shorter man's shoulders.

"Are you okay…?" Lee asks out of genuine worry, his voice calm and considered for once. Gaara tries to shrug his arm off, but to no avail. The leaf ninja isn't letting him get away that easy.

Gaara stares up at Lee, at first silent in refusal to answer, but soon, as the leaf ninja continues to stare at him with that questioning stare, he gives up and sighs. His answer is nothing more than a malicious snarl anyway.

"Remind me to never bother talking to that blond imbecile again…"

This time Gaara manages to push Lee away completely, and as the leaf ninja's arm falls back to his side, he gives the red head a concerned stare. The Kazekage notices, quickly avoiding the taijutsu master's gaze.

"I'm fine, Lee…" He mutters and no matter how much of a bad mood he's in, Gaara doesn't want the other man to worry; still, that look doesn't stop, "I used to… like Naruto. He's been a jerk about it since he found out..." The red head quiets before he continues, "Lee… I'm not hard to seduce, am I…? Is that why no one ever tries? Am I intimidating?"

"Oh," The leaf ninja murmurs, "All he does is stare at Sasuke-kun's ass. He has no reason to act like that. Maybe he is jealous of us, huh? Or, maybe, he's trying to hide something…" Lee offers and the sand ninja just stares.

"Really…? Gaara asks, "I thought he was obsessed with that Uchiha, but…" He trails off, before staring at the leaf ninja expectantly; Lee gets the idea.

"And no, I do not believe him at all. You are not in the slightest intimidating – you are far too cute to be!" Lee answers and he's not lying, "You have a habit of pushing people away, but… Naruto-kun does not deserve you in the least!" Gaara smiles back and he suddenly feels better – Lee certainly does have a way with words.

"I'm not cute…" The red head mutters defiantly, arms crossed over his chest and Lee resists the urge to snicker; he just looks cuter like that.

"If I cannot call you cute, what am I meant to call you?" Lee asks, pouting as he tries to think of alternatives already, "That is not fair…" Gaara stops walking and, facing the leaf ninja, places a hand on his shoulder.

"Too bad. No pet names, ever." He states firmly, but Lee isn't having any of that, quickly piping up with a list of replacements.

"What about baby? Sugar? Sweetheart, darling? Even just Gaa-chan will do! I need a cute name to go with that cute face of yours…" The spandex clad man practically begs the Kazekage, "If I cannot call you cute, how else can I sum up your puffy cheeks, your gorgeous smile, lovely eyes and swaying hips. You are too adorable to not have a pet name." He gets louder as he goes, and the sand ninja eventually growls; his hips do not sway, but everyone in the ballroom must mistakenly think so now.

Gaara gives in, if just to shut the leaf ninja up.

"I'm not a child, and I'm certainly not sweet, so I suppose… you may call me Gaa-chan," The Kazekage mutters reluctantly and he's annoyed that he has to even entertain the idea, "Darling and beloved are fine also. It's not like I can be more embarrassed at this point…" A blush adorns his cheeks and the read head starts walking again. Lee salutes him.

"Of course, Kazekage-sama!" He exclaims before he begins to follow the sand ninja, a lopsided grin on his lips, "And youcan call me anything you like, darling…"

The comment is not missed and the red head has to resist saying something snark. He ponders where that man comes up with such stupid things to say, but the red head simply goes back to ignoring him.