Broke Straight Guys

Broke Straight Guys

Hello all. I hope you've been well. Yes, I know I'm a bit late and I have yet to master the art of italicizing things

I haven't been very good at responding to my AFF comments, so I'll try to make up for it a bit now...

Carousel- I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.
Tanishaa- Well... Here's the update. XD
alice- If you've seen BSG anywhere other than here or ffnet, let me know, because I'm fairly sure I haven't posted it anywhere else. But yes, it was originally just a oneshot, but I got a bunch of reviews asking me to continue it.
Sneakyfox- Hahaha, yeah. Time passes pretty quickly.

0o0

The L Word

0o0

Uncertainty and nervousness filled the pit of his stomach with butterflies and snakes that alternated fluttering and coiling to twist his innards into a wretched knot. Cramps were already forming in his gut. He couldn't help it though, it was a strange new place that he wasn't exactly keen on going to, but did so because he'd been asked to. God forbid that someone he worked with caught him here. Getting his sexuality questioned more than it already did was the last thing he needed. So what if he never hollered at the hotties who occasionally graced the sidewalk near one of their sites? He was there to work, not pick up girls. Apparently having work ethic translates into 'gay'. The guys were nice, but they treated his deep interest in focusing completely on his work like it was a Rubik's Cube with twenty sides: confusing and not worth the time to bother trying to solve it. They joked less about it recently because sometimes Tenten would show up to take him out to lunch or walk him home, but then the lewd comments would start and he wanted to drive them all to the nearest cliff and heave them over. Getting defensive wouldn't solve anything because the last guy who'd worked there tried to stop them from harassing his little sister ending up quitting out of frustration. Nothing changed with them.

Standing in the doorway, Naruto was woefully out of place as his friend greeted everyone with smiles and salutations. He was a puppy thrust into a room full of cats that looked serene and cuddly, but would slash him up at the drop of a hat. There was no proper protection from the sass of the fabulous staff and their equally fabulous clientele. For the next hour or so, he was prepared to hear remarks on his hair, clothes, style, and orientation for the sake of a friend. Or maybe he'd just get hit on some more like the last time he'd been to one of 'Gaara's places'.

Salons were most definitely not his thing.

A man with platinum blonde hair pulled back into an extremely manly ponytail came out and hugged Gaara enthusiastically. "Gaara, it's been way too long. I've missed you like Romeo missed Juliet."

"That's nice to hear Kimimaro, but I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't kill myself for you, no matter how well you manage my hair."

"Little Gaara's gone and got himself an attitude, I see. I approve." Kimimaro disengaged himself and took notice of the other client, face lighting up like he was a kid on Christmas day. "Oh, you cheeky monkey! You went and got yourself a boyfriend without telling anyone! So, who's the stud?"

"Uh… You mean me?" Naruto scratched his ear, wondering if he'd heard correctly. The guy was looking at him, so he just wanted to make sure. He didn't mind the stud part, but that other one he couldn't leave unchecked.

"Adorable! He's cute and dumb! He's a keeper."

"Excuse me?" Someone did not just call him dumb in front of his face. Sure, his school career was mediocre, but he wasn't dumb!

Gaara promptly set himself to the task of carefully defusing the situation before Naruto went off in a rage and started punching people. "Kimi, I do have a new boyfriend, but that's not him."

"Thanks for defending my intelligence there, buddy." But as usual in these scenarios, Naruto found himself cast aside like so much garbage.

"You know I frown upon cheating, Gaara." Kimimaro folded his arms to further enhance his disapproval.

"He's just a friend."

"And I'm the Queen of England. You expect me to believe that you keep a hottie like this on hand and you haven't had him in the sack."

"I like women," Naruto offered. His opinion must count for something, right?

"Of course you do." Kimimaro dismissed him casually.

"I do!"

"Your lips don't lie, dear."

"Are you saying I've got a gay mouth?"

"It's not a bad thing. It matches all the other gay parts of you."

Before the muscular man could leap on the stylist and beat him silly, Gaara stepped between them and tried to make peace. "Naruto, this is Kimimaro. Kimimaro, Naruto. He's a hundred percent straight and totally not my boyfriend."

Kimimaro seemed disappointed. "That's a crying shame and a waste of a good body. I can think of a dozen of boys who run around about these parts who would dig you. Have you ever considered playing both sides of the field? A real man would let himself be open to any option available."

"No thanks. I have always liked and will always like lady parts, thank you very much." Though he wasn't happy about it, he offered his hand to Kimimaro.

"Sorry, but I have to decline. You look like you'd crush my hand without trying."

"Huh?" He wasn't that buff, was he?

"Brittle bones. Mild form, but I'd rather not take any chances." Kimimaro turned back to Gaara. "So, what would you like today?"

"Give both of us the full treatment."

Naruto quickly took Gaara aside and whispered, "I don't think—actually, I'm pretty sure I can't afford this."

Gaara blinked. He hadn't really thought about the financial aspect of this outing. "Don't worry. I asked you to come. I'll cover it."

"Are you sure? I could pay for like, half…" Naruto made the tentative deal with hesitation. This place looked expensive.

"It's okay. I got it." What was a few more hours of overtime between friends?

"Have I told you that you're awesome? Because you are."

Gaara felt himself blush. "It's no big deal."

"I'll pay you back for this somehow," Naruto promised. Figuring out how he intended to do that would be the hard part. He'd racked up a few major IOUs on Gaara, plus there were a couple for Sasuke and one for Kiba too... When he got home, he'd have to make a list and start working on it.

"That's not necessary."

"I know it's not, but I'm going to." Promises were made to be kept. That was what his mother always said. Speaking of which, that reminded him that he needed to call his mother as well. It'd been at least two months since the last time they'd talked.

"Are you two finished whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears? I'd like to stay on schedule and I've got three more people coming in this afternoon."

"Sorry." Gaara hurried to Kimimaro's sink and took a seat. Naruto filled the empty chair beside him.

"Hello there," said the man operating the station. "I'm Raoul and I'll be in charge of doing you today."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Naruto."

"I'm sure it'll be a pleasure working with you."

Gaara watched Raoul's eyes dart to the blonde's package and scowled. Who the hell did he think he was to be checking out someone like Naruto? Even if Naruto did swing that way, he was totally out of that guy's league. Naruto had a heart that was as beautiful as his body. Naruto was the guy who would take you out to dinner and a movie and not expect to get laid in return. Kimimaro was right, it was a crying shame that Naruto wasn't gay or, at the very least, bisexual. Gaara figured that given the fact that he had an awesome boyfriend he shouldn't be thinking about such things, but it was the truth. A little manslut like Raoul didn't deserve Naruto.

"Is this too hot for you?" Raoul asked, spraying a bit of water on Naruto's head.

"No."

Raoul let the water run a bit longer. "This?"

"No."

The water ran directly down the drain for moments longer. Raoul sprayed it on Naruto, shifting his stance so that his crotch was resting delicately on the blonde's shoulder. Gaara clenched the arms of the chair, wanting nothing more than to strangle the stylist.

"How about this? Too hot for you?"

"Yes!" Naruto said promptly, wanting very much to not have someone else's testes on any part of him.

"Fine." Raoul shifted back to his normal position, thwarted by yet another customer.

Kimimaro was glad to see Gaara finally relaxed and asked, "So, what's this new boyfriend of yours like? Is he really black?"

"Matsuri called you already." Figures. She liked to gossip with his other friends without letting him know. That meant that punk had been jerking him and Naruto around when he knew that they weren't together. Kimimaro would be getting a very small tip this time indeed.

Kimimaro looked offended. "What do you mean 'already'? As I hear it, you've been on four dates with him! You should've been the one to tell me! I barely got anything aside from the bare bones from her, anyway."

"I guess I should've mentioned that I had a boyfriend." Kimimaro won there. But was his dating life something so fascinating that it had to be analyzed by everyone he knew or had ever met? He certainly didn't think so.

"So, is he?"

"Yes." What was so hard to comprehend about him being with a black man?

"I'm so glad you're expanding your horizons. You know what they say. 'Once you go black, you never go back.'"

"If someone tells me that one more time, I'm going to drop them in the ocean without a raft."

"How about 'the darker the berry, the sweeter the juice'?"

"You're pushing it."

"How sweet is his juice?" Kimimaro grinned, knowing that Gaara hated questions like this.

"I don't know!" Gaara closed his eyes, trying to block him out.

"Come on, I won't tell anyone."

"You know I've never slept with any of my boyfriends up to this point, what makes you think that's changed?"

"Your new dating MO, for starters. Usually those guys play it strictly on the down-low. How'd you get the panther caged?"

"He's not caged or on the down-low and it's not an MO, I just like him a lot!" Gaara shot Naruto a desperate 'help me' look.

"So!" Naruto interjected as Raoul worked his head into a thick lather. "Why did you want me here? I assume it wasn't just to get my hair done."

"It's not. I wanted to talk."

Naruto strained his eyes trying to roll them around to see if they were in the same area. The building was wide and open with at least twenty people hanging around doing one thing or another. "And this was the best place for that?"

"I have to get ready. You'd look kinda stupid standing over me and having a discussion." Gaara smiled to himself. "Not much more than usual, though."

The words took a second to register. "Why you—"

"I'm just messing with you."

"Have you and Sasuke been hanging out around my back? You're starting to sound like him."

"About Sasuke, you're telling me the truth about… you know?"

"I swear to God and everything else holy that it was not like that." After the 'incident', Naruto called Gaara up and very calmly explained it to him. He had taken it better than he'd thought. "But if you wanted to talk, couldn't you have picked someplace a little more… private?"

"Consider me deaf." Kimimaro piped up from the sidelines. "And Raoul can't hear you either. As soon as he gets rejected, he cranks up the Shania Twain and doesn't give a damn about anything."

"…Okay?" The man did indeed have his earbuds in and Naruto could hear the slight twangy strains of 'Feel Like a Woman' drifting from them. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I don't really know… I'm just so nervous about tonight."

"Why's that?"

"I invited Bee over to my place to have dinner. I keep thinking that everything has to be absolutely perfect and I keep wondering if he'll like the food and all these other things. I wanted your advice. You're better at this sort of thing than I am."

Naruto didn't think so, but he was honored nonetheless. "What are you cooking?"

"Lemon rosemary shrimp and vegetable souvlaki. They're basically fancy shrimp kebabs. Then I was planning on making some honeydew aqua fresca to drink."

"Save me some?"

"If there are leftovers."

"Awesome. There's no reason he shouldn't like your cooking. You cook almost as good as my mom."

"Thanks." Gaara was giddy from the praise for a few blissful seconds. "But I've got a bigger problem…"

"Oh?"

Gaara's eyes went to the ceiling, focusing on one particular fleck in a tile. "What if he doesn't like me? I'm so scared that he'll end things the second we finish."

Naruto choked on his laughter. Raoul gave him the evil eye as the blonde shook where he sat, gasping for air.

"What?" Gaara didn't see what was so funny.

Naruto wiped a tear from his eye, still giggling. "You obviously aren't thinking of the same Killerbee I am. I went on a run with him yesterday and all he could talk about was you and this dinner. For an hour and a half straight it was 'I've never dated anyone like Gaara before, what should I wear, what if I make a total idiot of myself, should I kiss him when he answers the door, should I get my teeth bleached?' In all the time I've known him, I've never seen him that freaked out. He's always been a cool cucumber."

"He really said those things?" It had to be some cruel joke.

"Yep. Actually, it started to get kinda annoying. You can only take so much 'Gaara's the best'. Even if you are." Naruto chuckled. "The guy is head over heels for you."

"You're saying that so I don't feel bad, aren't you?"

It wasn't like he hadn't had it happen to him before. He would develop a crush on a guy and Tenten and Matsuri would convince him that the guy was completely bananas about him and entice him into confessing his undying love to the poor sap. He had a consistent record of getting rejected, with the exception of Sai which turned out so absolutely well in the end. Taking romantic advice from friends made him nervous, but he desperately wanted to trust Naruto on this. Was it wishful thinking to want someone to like him as much as Naruto claimed Killerbee did?

"I don't believe in lying, Gaara."

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Little, insignificant white lies were okay, like 'sure I'll take out the trash today' or 'no, that doesn't make you look fat'. Those were helpful lies. But if he lied about people, then things could go very badly. Gaara was his friend, he didn't want to hurt him.

"You don't give yourself nearly enough credit, man."

"How do you always know what to say?" Gaara reached out to gently touch Naruto's arm to show that he appreciated it, hesitating halfway. Naruto clasped his hand firmly in one of his own, tinting Gaara's cheeks pink. The redhead looked away shyly. "Tenten's a lucky girl. I'm jealous."

"Are you insinuating that you'd like to take her place?"

Gaara yanked his hand away from Naruto with a slight pout. "You think you're so cute, don't you?"

"I must be. You keep taking me to these gay places and guys won't stop hitting on me."

Kimimaro reached over and pinched Naruto's nose as hard as he could. "This is not a 'gay place' as you so rudely called it. We cater to all clientele."

"Sheesh, sorry… What happened to 'consider me deaf'?" Naruto grumbled, rubbing the water from the stylist's hand off his face. "So anyway, it's no big deal, you know? He's into you."

"If you say so."

"Don't crap on your own cake, bro. What's wrong?"

While Gaara squirmed in his seat, wondering why God didn't take mercy on him and let him be devoured by the earth, Kimimaro answered for him. "Gaara's dating history is full of dicks increasingly centered on themselves and their massive egos who liked trying to destroy his self-esteem. Sai was the closest one to actually doing it."

"That's the creepy stalker guy we saw when we got coffee the first time, right?"

"Yeah." Gaara could barely hear himself.

"What'd he do that was so bad?"

Kimimaro was quick to fill in the blank to spare Gaara the pain of saying it. "He hated Gaara's cooking. Said it was crap."

Naruto shot up straight in his seat, suds and water pouring down the back of his neck as he gaped at the two of them. "You're joking. There's someone capable of hating your food?"

Gaara said nothing. Kimimaro's look spoke volumes.

"That's it, I'm definitely going to kill him. There is obviously something horribly wrong with his tastebuds and brain and he needs to be put out of his misery. I bet he thinks kicking puppies is fun too." Naruto looked absolutely murderous. "If it wasn't illegal, I'd kidnap you and lock you in my apartment and force you to make me all the delicious meals I want!"

"You do that already."

Ever since Naruto had first experienced the mouth-orgasm that was Gaara's cuisine, he semi-bullied the redhead into coming over and cooking for him at least twice a week. Sasuke, after having undergone a force-feeding from Naruto, was an obstinate believer as well. If anything, he was worse than his roommate, voicing his desires by calling him at any given time and talking to him like a phone-sex operator. He'd made the mistake of checking his voice messages when his brother came to visit and the two of them got an earful of: 'I want your beef stew, Gaara… I want to feel it dripping down my throat all hot and tasty… The meat—god, that meat!—it's so juicy and tender I could eat it all day long. I need it, Gaara. I need it to make me full and satisfied. I want it so bad, Gaara. Give it to me, Gaara…'

Explaining that 'beef stew' was not some weird gay sex code for something Gaara didn't dare fathom and that the heavy-breathing caller was his friend's roommate and not a boyfriend took about an hour and even then he wasn't sure that Kankuro believed him. Once he'd made Sasuke a rhubarb pie to get him to stop calling, but that served to only worsen things. The brunette referred to it as their dirty little secret, which increased the flow of the calls from once or twice a week to about every other day.

Gaara wondered if he should tell Naruto about the peculiar harassment. Further deliberation made him realize what a horrible idea that would be. They'd start tag-teaming him. One to call to place the order, the other to abduct him after he was finished with work. Sasuke would handcuff him to the stove—Gaara wished he didn't know that Sasuke had a pair of handcuffs in the first place—while Naruto would pull out the recipe they wanted and read it aloud to him. They would mysteriously have handlebar moustaches that they would stroke as they laughed evilly, saying 'cook faster, kitchen wench!'

"Gaara? Are you listening to me?"

Thoughts of being kidnapped still danced in his head. He didn't have the slightest shred of doubt that they'd do that given the chance. "Yeah, yeah, my food's good and Killerbee likes me. I got it. I'll see you under the dryers."

Kimimaro escorted the redhead away and Naruto was soon to follow, giving the two of them a hint more of the privacy they'd wanted in the first place.

"I've actually got something else on my mind…"

"And that is?"

"…"

Naruto leaned in closer. Gaara's words had been muffled by the dryers. "What was that?"

"What if he wants to do it?"

"As in, sex?" Honestly, Naruto didn't want to think about gay sex right now. But for Gaara's sake, he could stand to suffer the topic for a while.

"Yeah."

"…Do you want to?"

"I like him a lot, but I'm nervous. What if he wants to try something I've never done before? What if I screw up? I'm not that experienced."

Naruto's face burned bright enough to attract insects, unwillingly remembering their session. The situation had fast become more awkward than the time he'd found that massive playlist of Backstreet Boys on Sasuke's mp3 player. "I have a feeling that you'll manage fine, experience or not."

Gaara felt like dying of shame. He tried many times to put the incident behind him with only minor success. Now it had brought itself to the forefront of his mind yet again. "Why couldn't we have met under better circumstances?"

"Dunno. God has a twisted sense of humor." But how twisted? Gaara wasn't hurting for money like he'd been. What was the point of him being there?

"I promise I won't feel the need to tell you the details if we do go all the way."

"Thanks, buddy."

Still the question lingered unasked.

I0I0I0I0I

The whole process took about an hour when everything was said and done, finishing—to Naruto's horror—with a mani-pedi. He'd had to beg the woman who was doing it to spare his calluses. They were vital for work, though the building season was finally winding down. Without them his hands would be chafed and loaded with splinters. Gaara seemed disappointed that Naruto wouldn't give in to the treatment in its entirety, but it was soon forgotten in his excitement. Killerbee called and said that he was going to drop by since he was in the area. Sure enough, the man tapped on the window of the shop moments after and Gaara struggled to pay the bill then walk out calmly when he wanted to sprint into his boyfriend's arms. They embraced tenderly, Gaara burying his nose deep into the folds of the coat Killerbee wore to take in his rich musky smell. Kimimaro crooned at the sight and Naruto ignored it, waiting for the clear coat to dry so he could leave and perhaps say hi to his sparring partner before he had to go to his evening job.

"I missed you," whispered Killerbee, pressing his lips gently to Gaara's forehead, then his mouth. "It feels like it's been an eternity since we've been together."

With their combined schedules, dates were on a strictly hit-or-miss basis. On days when they did allow room for dalliances, Killerbee ended up getting stuck writing a paper for class or Gaara got snatched up by Naruto and Sasuke to go partying or cook or something else ridiculous. But this time they would be guaranteed a night to themselves. Their cell phones would be off and nothing would be there to distract them aside from one another.

"You look awesome. Can't wait to see you tonight."

"Thanks. Me neither." Gaara sighed as Killerbee rubbed circles on his back. "Finally, we'll get some alone time. No annoying friends, no stupid double dates… Just us."

"You didn't like the double dates?"

"It was awkward. Tenten and Naruto are nice, but a bit obnoxious when they're put together."

Killerbee breathed relief. "Thank goodness, I thought I was the only one who felt that way."

"Hey, Rashid! It's you, isn't it?"

Killerbee looked back at who had spoken. "Zetsu? What are you doing out here?"

"Going to the Fresh Market. It's right down the street." He tried to see who was squished in the other man's arms. "Who's that you've got there?"

"You've never met Gaara, have you?"

"No, I haven't."

"Well then, I should introduce you. Gaara, this is my roommate Zetsu."

Killerbee turned him around to bring them face to face. Upon seeing the other man, he jumped slightly in his boyfriend's arms. Shame washed over him immediately for having done so and it didn't go unnoticed.

"It's okay. I'm pretty much used to it by now." Zetsu stuck out his hand and Gaara shook it, stunned silent.

Half of Zetsu's face was a light pinkish color that gave it the appearance of being recently scrubbed hard. The other half was a bruised black-purple that he couldn't keep his eyes off of.

"It's a birthmark. Used to cover my entire face, but I got some surgery a couple weeks ago to remove part of it. They said that I could've done it all at once, but I wanted to do it in two sessions so it'll heal quicker."

Gaara realized that his vocal cords hadn't regained their full functioning capabilities. He nodded dumbly.

Zetsu smiled, finding Gaara's reaction to him to be one of the more entertaining ones. Definitely better than simple but rude 'gross!' or the completely pointless 'dude, your face is purple!' as if he didn't already know. He especially liked that there was no pity for him in those green eyes, simply curiosity. "You can stop shaking my hand now."

"Sorry." Gaara let go of him quickly. Zetsu had to think him a moron for his idiotic behavior.

"I like him. He's nicer than the last one."

"I agree." Killerbee moved out of the way of a pedestrian, keeping one arm around Gaara's shoulder.

"Where are you two headed?"

"I've got errands." Killerbee looked to Gaara. "You?"

"Getting things finalized for dinner. I have to go pick up some shrimp."

"Mmm, we're having shrimp? I thought you Christians weren't supposed to eat them."

"Never said I was a Christian." True, he'd been baptized at birth, but that didn't mean his family had ever been particularly deep into religion. Sundays had always been for cleaning and football, not worship.

"If you're going shopping, do you want to come with me?" Zetsu asked, seeking Killerbee's approval.

"Is that alright with you?" Gaara didn't mind getting to know Zetsu better. He might learn more about his significant other while they were at it.

"Is there a reason it wouldn't be?"

"I've fallen madly in love with him and I'm leaving with him to have passionate sex with him in your bed," Gaara said, completely deadpan.

"Then perhaps I shouldn't let you go. I changed my sheets this morning and I'd like to not have to do it again so soon."

"I'll see you tonight." Gaara stood on his tiptoes and kissed Killerbee.

"Bye. Please don't sleep with Zetsu."

"I don't think you have to worry about that." Zetsu laughed sheepishly. "With a handsome guy like you to call his? I haven't got a chance."

"I wouldn't say that. You've got beautiful eyes." Gaara gave Zetsu a small smile. It was true, they were the perfect mixture of brown and green to make a golden hazel hue. They were warm and inviting, a color that made him feel safe.

Zetsu's lighter half went dark red. "Thanks…"

"Shall we?"

"Yeah. Bye, Rashid."

"Rashid?" That was the second time Zetsu had said that. "Bee, is your real name Rashid?"

Killerbee looked slightly pained. "Unfortunately, yes. Goodbye, Gaara."

He quickly departed and the two men made the trek to the store.

It wasn't until Zetsu was sifting through a bin of early oranges when Gaara finally asked, "What did he mean by 'unfortunately'?"

"Rashid hates his name. He lets me call him that because I've never known him as anything else. All his professors and classmates call him Rashid because it's more professional and people won't take Dr. Killerbee seriously. I think he's upset now that you know because he thinks you'll call him Rashid and he really wants someone close to him to refer to him the way he wishes everyone did."

Gaara didn't mind calling him Killerbee, but he was still saddened. "It's a shame. I like that name."

"Mmhm." Zetsu checked one orange, determining its ripeness. "So, you're studying massage?"

"Yeah. I figured that it's good on its own, but it could also be a good foundation for physical therapy. I've been thinking about that lately as a career option."

"Oh? Nice. It's cool that you want to help people. I just futz around with plants all day."

"Botanist?"

"Yes indeed."

"Interesting." Aside from Killerbee, he'd never been so close to a scientist before. On his side of campus there tended to be a bunch of hippy types and the occasional pre-med student who'd taken a wrong turn. Science was so highly specialized that he found it amazing that anyone could devote their lives to the study of one thing.

"If you ever want something for your place, I'd be happy to get it for you. We've got a top-notch greenhouse set up with dozens upon dozens of species."

"Really?"

"Sure. Got anything in mind?"

"I've never had a plant before, so I'm thinking something easy to start with. Like a cactus."

Zetsu grimaced. "Sorry, it's just that I hear that a lot. Cacti are a bit fussy. People have a tendency to overwater them and that's no good at all."

"You can overwater a cactus?"

"Yes. People are always surprised to hear that. How about some violets? I think they're a good starter plant."

"You're the expert, not me." Gaara deferred to his judgment.

"Give me a couple of days and I'll have Rashid bring them to you."

"Awesome. My boyfriend's going to give me flowers from his roommate. It's everything I ever wanted."

Zetsu had nothing to say, so he blushed. Gaara was as nice as Rashid had said. He only hoped that everything went well between the two of them. They were such a cute couple.

I0I0I0I0I

Stress shouldn't be a problem for Gaara. He knew practically everything there was to know about relaxation techniques. Yet no matter what he did, his stress seemed only to increase. Rubbing his neck, deep breaths, light exercise… Nothing helped. It was maddening. Gaara was cleaned from the inside out—he'd decided to buy more enemas and used one in the off-chance that Killerbee wanted to take him to bed tonight—but somehow it didn't seem like it was enough. The food was prepared already and he had his things for the drinks in the fridge. He hoped that Killerbee found the place. He was on the outskirts of the city, so perhaps he wasn't familiar with the area. What if he got lost? Worse, what if he didn't show up at all? Gaara was just about to call him when the knock at the door came. He answered it, feeling as flustered as he had on their first date.

"How are you? Did you find my house okay? You didn't get lost, did you?" Gaara couldn't help but babble.

"No, I used MapQuest. It wasn't difficult at all. I sort of wish you didn't live so far from the subway line. I walked longer than I expected. Sorry if I'm late."

How stupid! He'd forgotten that the nearest subway station was almost twelve blocks away. "You're not late. I should've gone to pick you up from the station."

"I don't mind. It's nice out tonight." Killerbee slipped off his shoes as he stepped inside. From behind him he flourished a petite bouquet of six red roses. "For you. I wanted to get a dozen, but store-bought roses are obscenely expensive and Zetsu said that the greenhouse supervisors would kill him if he touched a single petal on any of theirs."

"They're great!" No one had ever bought him roses before, unless you counted those cheap chocolate ones with tinfoil wrapping you could buy for a dollar a piece. Sai had showered him with those. "I'll put them in a vase."

Killerbee wrung his hands as Gaara hunted for a vase, finding one in the cabinets above the fridge. The redhead strained to reach, raised on tiptoes, but couldn't do more than open the cabinet and stir up some dust-bunnies. Giving up on that one, he instead walked over to the other side of the kitchen and bent down to dig through the cabinet beneath the sink. Killerbee licked his lips nervously. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the tight butt in those jeans, but he had to lest he be caught staring. Gaara might get the wrong impression. Well, it wouldn't be technically wrong, but if he wasn't careful Gaara could think that he was only after one thing tonight. Still… Gaara sure had a nice ass.

Getting his mind off sex was his first priority. "Like I said, it's not that bad outside. If you wanted, we could go for a walk."

Gaara filled the vase with water and put the roses in it. He decided to set it on the counter, as there wasn't really anywhere else where it could be without getting in the way. "I'd have to think about it."

"You didn't have something else planned, did you?" Killerbee hoped that Gaara said yes. He didn't want to go on a walk in the middle of the night. There were better, more interesting ways of getting exercise around this time.

"No, nothing. Let me take your coat. Have a seat, the food's ready."

Gaara hurriedly fixed the drinks and sat down. With a fair deal of nervousness on both their ends, they began to talk. The conversation picked up speed and within half an hour, they couldn't be more comfortable with one another. Silences added to the scene instead of detracting as it would with most others. So this was what it was like to be with someone you truly liked.

Topics began with the weather and soon got more personal, sharing anecdotes and discussing what a pain siblings could be and things that had happened at work or school since they'd been able to sit down and really talk. Dinner eventually vanished from their plates and they spoke over the empty remnants before Gaara cleared the table. Preferences to hand-wash the dishes immediately was overruled by the desire to be with Killerbee and he loaded them into the dishwasher instead. From the kitchen they made their way to the couch, exchanging softly daring touches where they could. A brush of fingers against an arm, a brevite caress of foot against foot, they accepted it all without expecting or asking for more. Every second passed like a minute. It was heaven.

Killerbee was the first to look at a clock and he regretted having done so straight away. "It's starting to get late."

Having managed to bring the biologist down to a reclining position on the couch, Gaara gave himself a dose of courage. He was scared out of his mind and more nervous than the time in second grade when he'd had a solo in the school musical. He crawled up his boyfriend's torso and kissed him. "You don't have to leave…"

Killerbee's eyes widened in mild surprise at the sudden boldness and grew more startled still when Gaara took off his glasses and set them on the end-table a few inches away. So had Gaara been thinking the same things he'd been struggling to keep down the entire evening? Taking the lead seemed a bit out of character for him, but what did he care? He was reaping the benefits. The redhead dipped down again for another kiss, maneuvering Killerbee's hands to grip his bottom snugly. For once, having someone's hands on his ass felt good.

Killerbee didn't need his hazed vision to see how far Gaara was willing to go and with a slight moan, he parted his lips and let his tongue enter his lover's mouth. They moved on pure instinct and surrendered to blind sensation, both praying this was reality and not a dreamworld fantasy. Having finally gotten the expected response, Gaara slowly rubbed his groin against Killerbee as their tongues' entwinement grew deeper. He could feel Killerbee's cock swelling in his khaki slacks to match his own growing bulge. Appreciating the friction, Killerbee squeezed Gaara's ass, wanting to see the naked perfection of it. Preparing it would take some time, he knew that Gaara couldn't take all of him without serious preparation, but it would be worth it a million times over to be inside him.

Hands antsy from remaining in the same place, Killerbee slipped them down the back of Gaara's pants to cup the supple cheeks, stroking and stimulating them with his big fingers but never teasing that puckered hole. It wasn't quite time for that yet. With Killerbee kneading his ass and their tongues dancing, Gaara was blissed out. Every inhibition he'd ever had was gone. Hormones in control, he graduated from rubbing to full on humping, savoring each roll of the hips that mashed their dicks together. Killerbee reciprocated the new movement with vigor. Why did they still have their clothes on? He'd have to fix that.

He pulled one hand out of Gaara's pants to stroke up his creamy chest instead, stroking a pebbled nipple with his thumb. The redhead drew back, mouth buzzing with sensation and wet with saliva.

"Mmmmn, Bee…" Gaara felt his body shake for a second as Killerbee dropped the hand in his pants lower to stroke the back of his balls. Realizing the position he put himself in, he promptly felt bashful again. "…I mean, you can stay if you want…"

Killerbee felt drunk on Gaara, cloudy mind full of nothing but desire. He longed to bury his cock in Gaara's sweet ass and make him cry out his name in the throes of pleasure. He craved to suck Gaara's dick dry of every drop of sperm he had. He yearned to paint Gaara's insides white with his jizz until he could take no more. He wanted more things than he could possibly ask of the redhead. Did he want to stay? That man had no idea what he was doing to him!

"There is nothing more I'd like than to stay here, Gaara." With his statement he heard Gaara's breath speed up and his cock flared with heat at the thought of taking Gaara back to the bedroom. "But I can't."

"Why?"

"I know what'll happen if I stay here for much longer." His penis throbbed woefully, begging for a few minutes more. "And I don't want that. Not like this."

Gaara was absolutely stunned. The few times he'd gotten close to doing it, he'd always been the one to cut things off.

"Oh, please don't make that face. I'm doing this because I want our first time to be special."

Killerbee sat up and commanded his hands to stop their lecherous purposes so he could hold his lover tight to him. He closed his eyes and took in every inch of Gaara with his other senses. The redhead smelled like sweat and shrimp and when Killerbee pressed his mouth to his neck, it tasted about the same. Keening his ears gave him the opportunity to listen to the life within Gaara, pumping and flowing in a natural symphony. His mind emptied itself and the torrents of hormones calmed. Lust subdued, he stroked Gaara's spine, feeling the individual ridges of each vertebrae. How could one person be more perfect than this?

"Bee?" Gaara's voice was tremulous, uncertain. Killerbee's beard tickled his neck, scratching it gently as the man nuzzled him.

"You are so beautiful, Gaara."

Gaara's heart felt painfully heavy and swollen full. Why did it hurt so much? And why was he glad that it hurt?

"I have never cared about any of my lovers more than I care about you. I think…" Killerbee drew back slightly to look at those hypnotic green eyes. "I think I love you."

Gaara thought that his heart had erupted. With the shamelessness of a child, he began to sob into Killerbee's shoulder. He wasn't even sure why he was crying, but he did know that he was profoundly moved by those simple words. Until now, none of his significant others who'd said that to him meant it as wholeheartedly as this man sitting here had. He could tell he was dedicated to his words by the way he gazed at him. Killerbee looked at him as if he was something to be treasured eternally, someone worthy of devotion. Naruto had been telling the truth. When was the last time he'd ever been this happy?

"Me too…" He managed past the lump in his throat. "I…"

"Allah be praised." Gaara heard Killerbee murmur. He knew he wasn't intended to hear it, but he was pleased that he had. "I promise you, we'll share a bed if that's what you want. Just not right now. I need some time to plan."

Gaara nodded acquiescence.

"I have to go. I have class tomorrow."

"Okay…" Gaara pulled back, wiping his eyes. "Sorry if I messed up your shirt."

"Nothing a quick wash won't fix." Killerbee brushed away the concerns easily. "Besides, a gift of moisture is the best one you can give."

"What?"

Killerbee put his glasses back on with a sheepish smile. "I guess you've never read Dune. Silly me. I'll loan it to you sometime."

"What is it, fantasy or something?"

"Sci-fi, actually." Gaara thought he must have winced, because Killerbee quickly added, "But it's a really good book, I promise. I'm not such a dork that I arbitrarily read anything that takes place in space."

"If you say so," Gaara teased.

"Hey!" Killerbee squeezed him breathless in a final hug, then kissed his forehead. "Goodbye, Gaara. Until next time."

"Bye…"

Acting solely on impulse, Gaara ran for his phone as soon as the door closed at Killerbee's back. In one of their regular three-way calls, Gaara relayed the evening's events for his two closest friends, saving the confession for last. Though his reward was a series of deafening squeals that left his ears ringing until morning, he couldn't be happier. Real love, he decided as he brushed his teeth before heading to bed, was truly one of the greatest things in the world.

0o0

Some KiraGaa citrus fluff for those who are so inclined.

Oh, so I recently watched an English dubbed episode of Naruto: Shippuden because the whim struck me. It was one that had the opening 'Distance' and I was wondering something. Why did they edit the part with Naruto and Sasuke holding their blades at each other's throats, but left Sasuke getting snake raped in all its brilliant glory? Seriously, they didn't even darken the crotch area at all. I found this rather strange.

Until next time…

~YamiTenshi~