The sweet smell of orange blossoms perfumed the air, mixing with the fragrance of cinnamon, brown sugar and the heavenly scent of vanilla.

Through the appetizing, aromatic fog came the clanging sound of pots and pans, the careless clatter of used utensils into an already overflowing sink, the muffled mumbles, and the occasional heartfelt curse. It all combined to proclaim the on-going state of 'baking'. That answered the 'what' and since it was happening in the reddening light of the sunset, it also answered the 'when'.

Where was this baking coming from? The Hyuuga home.

The question to be pondered is: Who was doing the baking?

Don't you want to know?

- - - - -

A curious, shirtless, newly awakened Neji wanted to find out too. After all, it was happening in his house. So he crept downstairs and to the open doorway that led to the kitchen. There he got the surprise of his life. A very pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless.

What would you do if you saw a feared red-haired demon wearing a blue apron with a daisy print and a big clip-on bow in the back standing in your kitchen at five in the evening? Wouldn't you be surprised?

Gaara, his Gaara, was baking. And from the looks of it, he was baking cookies.

Gaara was making cookies.

Gaara was making cookies.

And, he noted when the strange vision turned to glare at him, wearing big strawberry oven mitts.

He wished he had a camera. No one would ever believe him.

"Stop staring."

"I think I'm dreaming." He murmured, slowly stepping into the room, eyes nailed to his lover. "This can't be real. Daises aren't you."

"It's your damn apron." came the gruff reply, before he received a hard bite on the neck, and then the younger stood back, not-quite-smirking. ""Still think you're dreaming?"

Neji's blood rose, or drained downwards, whichever is preferred. "Let me check…"

The brunette kissed hot and hard when he was aroused, and right now, he was very, very aroused. It had been, after all, fifteen whole minutes since he had woken up.

Dimly registering that he had pressed his prey up against the refrigerator, he took his chance. He slid one hand up Gaara's shirt to play with his nipple, the other cupping his ass to pull him closer…

The Sand-nin was the first to break away, gasping for breath. That was fine, his neck was in perfect range.

"Neji…stop…"

The elder mumbled a negative, pressing him firmly between a rock and a 'hard' place. The hand squeezing his ass let go, and Gaara had a second of lower body freedom before skilled fingers wrapped around him, caressing gently.

"You have to -oh- dammit, the window -nn- the window's wide-"

"If you keep talking, you'll bite your tongue." The jounin whispered huskily, pausing the long, firm strokes to rub his thumb over the head of his lover's cock.

"You h-horny bastard, let me go!"

"Such fire." He sucked on the lobe of the redhead's ear. "You made me this horny bastard the first time you had sex with me."

"You were this horny the -ha- first time around…and the second -uhn- and the third…"

Neji pulled away from his demon's neck with a wet 'pop', leaving a bright red hicky to adorn the rosy skin. "But you love me though, don't you?"

There was a pause, though heavy, breathless gasps still hung in the air. Then, a barely audible "Hn".

Neji smiled wistfully, hidden by his lover's neck, and made to pull away, but two shy hands, now minus the strawberry mitts, caught him around the waist, and two green eyes looked up at him with a mix of something like an annoyed glare and a beseeching gaze.

There was another kiss, long and soft and gentle and warm and tender, and it took a turn for the hotter when Neji gasped at the feel of a hand slowly but firmly stroking him there.

"Gaara?" he said questioningly.

The redhead, as always when confronted with a question he'd rather not answer but was felt compelled to, looked away. "I want…I want to come."

"Then why are you touching me?"

"Because I… Do you always have to ask all these embarrassing questions?" The question would have been heated, if it weren't for the fact that a man's ire is lessened, if not indeed non-existent, when another handsome, desirable man is standing in front of him, languidly pumping his erection.

"Mhmm." The daisy print apron fluttered down between them, followed by Gaara's shirt. "Why are you touching me?"

"Because I want us to come together." came the soft whisper.

The brunette smiled gleefully, hiding it once more by biting down on the junction between neck and shoulder, Gaara's erogenous zone.

He loved this about Gaara; how he gave in after fighting it all the way, how he came up with unintentionally sweet ideas on his own, how he would always, always, try to please him, but on his own terms…it was all endearing, but what he loved the most was how Gaara responded so fervently to him, like he trying to get all he could from even the simplest caress, or the most chaste kiss, how he arched up under his touch, how he moaned into his kiss, how he would, when touched along his most sensitive spots, rock his hips unconsciously, close his eyes and throw his head back, biting his lip so he wouldn't scream, just like he was doing right now, rocking blissfully against his hand, pushing against his own erection.

And when Neji knelt on the cold tiled floor to take him into his mouth, his knees went weak, so the elder had to press him even harder against the enamel door of the refrigerator, and pulled one leg over his shoulder, hooking it around the back of his neck as he licked and sucked and pumped just so he could see the expression on Gaara's face.

And Gaara came like that, with his hands clenched in dark hair, urging him on with moans and cries while Neji took him deep into his throat and swallowed, prolonging his lover's pleasure, all the while looking up into his face, seeing the fleeting expressions of stunned shock, surprise, and then, pure bliss.

The brunette stood and kissed his gasping partner. Gaara opened his mouth immediately, seeking the taste of his seed on his lover's tongue. They stood like that, tongues stroking, teasing, pushing against each other. All of a sudden, the redhead was the dominant one, and Neji found himself butt-naked, boxers thrown somewhere he didn't really care about right now, front pressed against the door still warm from his demon's body, and said demon's still raging erection pressing into his lower back.

Thank gods for demon metabolism, his treacherous mind purred.

"Didn't I say we were to come together, Hyuuga?" The redhead growled.

Neji nodded, biting his lip to keep from moaning. Gaara was moving against him, his cock sliding over the sensitive nub of his entrance again and again, while his own erection was held in a grip so tight it was painful yet still pleasurable.

He was so caught up in the different sensations that he nearly missed the words murmured thoughtfully in his ear. "You've been a bad boy, Hyuuga. You know you should be punished, don't you?"

"Yes…please…" He whispered desperately as the grip on his heat loosened. "Punish me…" Gods, how he wanted it.

"Pets should beg for what they want." Gaara mused, raking his nails over his lover's pale skin. "Beg me, Hyuuga."

"Please…" he murmured.

The grip returned, twice as hard, and nails dug viciously into his chest. "What?"

"Ah…gods, please…please, punish me…" He panted, raising his voice.

"Do you want it?" came the heated whisper, fingers stroking over the red crescents he had left, while the other slid around to probe at the puckered entrance.

Words couldn't come out fast enough, and they tumbled out rapidly from Neji's mouth in his haste to say them. "Yes yes I want it, I want all of it, gods please please please Gaara punish me, punish m--" The rest were lost as he threw his head back and screamed.

The redhead fucked him with two, then three, dry fingers, and all through it his pet moaned. Every pump, every twist, every thing was painful ecstasy and he wanted more. Gaara's other hand found its way down to his erection and he moaned anew, forehead resting on the cool refrigerator door as he watched with half-lidded eyes. There were long, fast strokes, alternating with short, circular twists, then nails leaving red streaks all the way to the weeping head, then back to the fast strokes and on and on, done in such a way that he could not figure out how long one would last and what the next one would be and he couldn't move his hips in time to it because the rhythm was so different from the one in his ass, and it was really frustrating but at the same time really arousing, and he was getting really close and…and… he wanted Gaara…

His head rolled back onto his lover's shoulder, biting his lip harder when the redhead added another finger and brushed against his sweet spot. Gods. "Gaara…" he breathed. "I want you inside…please, fuck me…Gaara…please…koi…"

His lover stiffened, and all movement stopped. "What…?"

"Koi…" The brunette's face turned to him, mentally berating himself for an idiot. "Koi."

"What do you mean?"

"Idiot." Neji swallowed, accidentally squeezing the fingers still inside him, making him moan the next sentence. "I love you."

"Oh." All emotion had suddenly fled from his voice. He withdrew his fingers slowly, ignoring the whimpers. Resting his forehead against the nape of the Hyuuga's neck, he murmured softly. "You love…me?"

Putting his own forehead to cool enamel, Neji wondered whether he could bash his head open on it, pry his brain out with a crowbar, cut it up and then examine each and every piece to find out why the hell he had said those words. On the other hand maybe he should wait the five seconds it would take for Gaara to come to his senses and rip him to shreds. It would save him from buying a new refrigerator, plus wear and tear on the crowbar.

He was so busy wondering whether he was insane that he didn't feel warm hands on his hips, or even the slight stretching of his ass until Gaara was fully in him.

"What are you…?"

"Shhh, pet."

Gaara was still damp from his earlier ministrations, but not wet enough to let it slide in easily. Neji grit his teeth against the heat of pleasure. "You should stop…"

For all the times for the redhead to stop listening to him, it had to be now. One hand grazed up his thigh to his nipples, rubbing them back to hardness, while the other resumed stroking him.

"Gaara, stop…" he pleaded, not wanting to feel anything, not wanting to feel this…

"Shut up, Hyuuga." The tone was low, menacing, and Neji cursed his traitorous body for pushing against the heat behind him.

This was bad. This was horrible. He never wanted this to happen. That night at the hotel…that was different, he'd been drunk, it didn't

count, what he'd felt didn't count because it wasn't right for him to fall in love, he didn't want to fall in love, he had to stop it… but how did you stop love? It wasn't possible, was it? But he never meant to fall for Gaara, with his lonely, dangerous boy who was younger than him but more powerful, this sad boy with beautiful eyes, who begged to be wanted, needed, loved…

And he did. He never meant to but he did. He loved Gaara.

Gaara with eyes that saw everything, with lips that kissed every pain away, with slender hands that molded his soul, with the body that felt so right against him, inside him like he was now, moving thrusting gripping taking plundering so good so hot…

He loved it. He loved him. He loved Gaara.

But Gaara didn't love him.

Gaara would do this, do him, fuck him, fuck him hot and hard until he came, until his very essence was milked from him and then he would leave and take it with him, leave behind a cold house that was, for five month, their home, leave behind memories, leave behind a shell of a person, an unfeeling shell, a nothing that answered to the name 'Hyuuga Neji'.

No, never. He had lost his father, he would not lose Gaara. A life without love is not a life but merely a cold, continuing existence. No, he would not die of a cold heart. He would have a life. He would have Gaara. Gaara would never leave.

He would say he was kidding, said it in the heat of the moment, got carried away, never meant it seriously. He would say that and smile, dammit, so he could keep his Gaara. He would ignore the fact that other lovers did not excite him like this, never turned him on like this, never gotten him so hard so fast with just a bite, with just a kiss, a moan, no, he wasn't going to say any of that. He wasn't going to say that Gaara was the only one he had ever played this type of game with, that he was the only one Neji kissed so frequently and with such fervor, that he was the only one he had ever touched with such desire, that he was the only one he ever let dominate him, master him, fuck him. He would never say that.

Because now was not the time, not when Gaara was fisting his cock roughly, not when he was turned to face his one true love, whose face was emotionless as a stone, not when that mouth was sucking hard on his neck, not when those fingers twisted and pulled at his over-sensitive nipples, not when he was being slammed repeatedly into the door with the force of furious thrusts that made him scream in rapture.

As if the scream had pressed a different button, Gaara slid his hands down to the brunette's thighs, digging his nails in and pulling him up. Neji reacted instinctively, hooking his leg around the taller one's waist and locking his arms around his head, putting his neck in the range of Gaara's teeth.

The bite and the rough thrust came simultaneously. Neji nearly blacked out from sensory overload

Then he felt hands stretching him wide open, and then two fingers sliding in, then two more, all while Gaara was fucking him with power that was usually only found when you press a button marked 'Overdrive' on a supersonic jet.

It hurt so badly. It hurt a lot.

And then, Pain took its leave and made way for Pleasure, with a capital P.

He wanted more, a lot more. "Harder…" He wanted all the pain and pleasure Gaara could give him, and then some. "Harder, Gaara…"

The redhead changed position so he could slide deeper, and he slipped two fingers from each hand deep inside and he leaned forward until the brunette's back was flat against the door, holding him up by pressing against him, and then he got kissed, and he really learned the meaning of the word 'ravage', with his tongue sucked hard and bitten and he was still being fucked and it felt so good and his cock felt so hard inside him and he was being pounded into his refrigerator door…

And then Gaara slammed into his prostate with all the force of a ballistic meteor.

He swore his eyes crossed.

"Gaa…"

Gods, it felt amazing, so fucking amazing, so fucking unbelievable, and dammit, Gaara could make a fortune as a stripper, but he would have been a millionaire in five minutes if he worked the streets. But he was never going to let him Go, Gaara was his, it didn't matter if he didn't love him… sorry, ladies, this one's mine…

"Gaara…"

It was like a cold drink at the end of a desert, a beautiful scene to the blind, the strain of music to the deaf. It was like everything he had ever wanted, given to him in a single thrust over and over and over again until he thought he couldn't imagine anything more perfect until he opened his eyes and saw his beloved's face, stunning eyes closed, lips pink from kisses, blushing all over and sharing the same erotic pleasure.

"Gaara…"

Just concentrate on the feeling, the wonder feeling of being filled to the limit, of being pleasured with no restraints, it was pure heaven, his skin ran hot and cold at the same time, his heart wanted to beat out of his chest, his throat hurt and his voice was hoarse from screaming, but he couldn't help but scream because it felt so godsdamn good, so fucking good, and if he didn't scream, he'd explode into a million thousand pieces, but that was okay too, since Gaara was here, his Gaara, his beautiful, gorgeous, oh-so-fucking sexy Gaara, and he couldn't stop saying fuck, because that's what was happening, he was being fucked by his Gaara and it felt so godsdamn fucking good, and it was a wonder his brain hadn't shut down yet…so hard…so hot…good...want more…more…mmm Gaara…love Gaara…love this…so good….nn…ah…ah…fuck…fuck—

And from his already sore throat was torn a primal scream that coincided with an ominous crack, a scream that washed over the both of them, signaling his release, nearly an animal howl, a scream that was barely distinguishable as, "Gaara!"

When the hot, soft walls around him tightened even more, squeezing his fingers and his cock like a vice, Gaara couldn't bear any more and came, filling his lover with his seed. The only sound he made was a whisper, in contrast to the euphoric wail that made it completely inaudible, a soft, loving whisper of a name.

- - - - -

They had cleaned up in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Neji had found his boxers hanging half-outside the open window. When he peered out, the bushes rustled, then stilled, as if someone were trying very hard not to be spotted.

The brunette sighed and closed the window. Peeping-toms were the least of his problems.

The ballistic, long-lasting, heavy-duty drill, code named Gaara, had now turned back into a quiet househusband, taking a new tray out of the oven. He mumbled something about putting it in before a certain someone came to distract him, and thank the gods it hadn't been burnt while they were doing…other things.

Neji had the decency to blush, and while he watched his dri-lover slide the cookies onto a different tray and start on another batch, he summoned up the courage to say his 'I'm sorry I said I loved you' speech.

"Here, make yourself useful." The chuunin said, placing a humongous bowl brimming with cookies and a sheaf of paper bags in front of him. "They've already got names on them, so just pile them in and tie them up."

"Hey, isn't this the punch bowl?" His brain caught up with his ears and kicked them. "Names?"

"I've been here five months. Don't you think they all deserve a little something for staying in the same village as a monster like me?"

Neji stared at the naked back bustling in front of him. "You're not a monster."

"Just do it, quickly before they get too cold."

The brunette reached over to brush a kiss against the back of his lover's neck before he sat back down and began doing as ordered.

Five minutes later, he was as bored as hell, and he hadn't even had a cookie. Cookie…

"Don't you dare, Hyuuga." Gaara said firmly, not even turning around.

Something stirred inside of him when he heard that tone of voice saying his name. He stamped down on it furiously, but the redhead noticed.

"Sorry."

Neji brushed it off. "Why can't I have a cookie?"

"Those aren't for you."

"You mean you made the whole village cookies and you didn't make me any?"

"Not those cookies" Gaara stated determinedly, not giving into the wide, pleading pearl eyes.

"But I'm hungry. I haven't had dinner." His stomach growled on cue.

"You had something…" The chuunin mumbled.

Neji blinked and fought down his blush. "Um, so can I have a cookie now?"

"No."

"But there's a whole punch bowlful!"

"They're not for you."

"Are you just being mean to me because I said I loved you?"

Silence, like midnight at a haunted grave.

Once again, Neji wished he could just bash his head open, pry his brain out, mince it up and put each particle under intense scrutiny until he found out why, why, he kept saying such stupid ass things.

Gaara stilled once again, but he recovered faster than before. He walked, no, strode to the ruined refrigerator, flung the wrecked door wide open and grabbed a container even bigger than the damn punch bowl and thrust it into his face. "Here."

"Um…" Thermal, supersonic, I'll-kill-you-if-you-ask-me-anything glare. "Ah."

He took his box to the table, a few feet away from his homicidal dri-lover and opened it. Inside were more than enough cookies to satisfy a person with thirty-two sweet tooths. They were the same shape as the ones in the bowl, little flowers that reminded him of the now crumpled-up apron they had used to wipe themselves off. The difference was that these cookies had strange, misshapen, red blobs on them. They looked very much like…

"Are these supposed to be blood drops?" Please tell me they aren't real blood drops…

"No, you idiot." And yet again, when faced with a question he really would prefer not to answer, he turned away. And then mumbled something.

"What?"

Mumble, mumble.

"What?"

"I said, those are hearts, you moron! Hearts!" Gaara exploded, glaring straight at him with blazing green eyes. "They're hearts, you idiot, and I made them, and I iced them on and then I was going to throw them away because they don't look like hearts, but then I got caught up in the baking that I just stowed them in the damn refrigerator so I could throw them out later, but then you came in and sexually harassed me in front of the damn refrigerator and then you told me you loved me, and you're such a big idiot and I don't know why I love you back, but I do, so eat the damn cookies because if you don't, gods help me, I'll--!"

He got a sweet, sweet kiss, open-mouthed and yearning, sharing the cookie between them, and when it was all gone, it was just Neji and Gaara, kissing and touching and wanting and needing and loving…

The younger pried open his heavy eyes a while later, and snuggled back into his lover's chest. Somehow, during their kissing and touching and groping, they had ended on the floor. The brunette was still chewing a cookie, and Gaara, unthinkingly, licked the crumbs from his lips.

Neji smiled at him and pulled him down for another kiss. "You are too cute, you know that?"

"Whatever you say."

From the floor, Neji could see everything. He could see under the table into the hallway, he could see the light of the oven as it baked another batch of the orange-flavored sugar cookies, he could see the light spilling from the crack of the refrigerator, and that was a damn big crack, could he afford a new one on a jounin's salary, ah he'd think about that later, when Gaara wasn't stroking his stomach and when he wasn't arching up into it like some oversized cat… he could see into the dining room, and he could a bulging, black, plastic bag that was as tall as the table.

"Koi." He whispered, and was granted a dazzling smile. "What's with the bag?"

"Ah, that's Naruto's."

"Oh." Wait, Naruto…"You know what? We should go over to Naruto's for a minute."

"What? Why?" The redhead pouted sleepily. "I want to do…something else."

"It'll be quick, I promise." Neji said, patting his dri-dammit, lover on the head.

- - - - -

"Naruto? Sasuke?" Neji knocked on the door of the house. The door of the house next to theirs. The door of the house of their neighbors. "Open up."

There was a far-away yelp, then approaching footsteps and then a snarl from inside. "Who the hell are you and what the hell do you want?"

"It's Neji…and Gaara. We've got something for you."

Now there was a very near yelp, the thudding of heavier footsteps and the door was opened so hard it bounced off the wall. "Hi, guys!"

Neji was staring at an expanse of heaving damp chest when Gaara's foot stomped down on his, and as he yelped, politely handed over the giant cookie bag. "I was baking earlier and I was supposed to give them to you, but I got-we got sidetracked…

"Yeah, we heard." mumbled an almost inaudible voice. "The whole damn block heard."

"Sasuke, shut up!" Uke personalities face-off, trying to see who had the most embarrassing seme.

Naruto was really itching to get back inside, and Gaara could smell why, and they both knew what the other had been doing, and knew they were going to get back to it as soon as possible, with a promise to exchange information later. All that was done with one look.

And as Gaara dragged his whimpering Neji away, Naruto turned to the love of his life with blazing eyes and said in a low, dangerous purr, "What have I said about you keeping quiet, Uchiha?"