Love Me Like XO, Kill Me Like XO {LeeGaa}

Week Four {part two}

Happy Valentine's Day everyone~!

The baozi was steaming in Gaara's grip and he inhaled the scent of warm dough: each bite was a pleasant infusion of succulent pork and vegetables, a splash of tangy ginger, filling him with a warmth that he couldn't compare to any other food that he had tried. He let out a soft sigh, savouring the taste that lingered on his tongue. "This is so good."

"Isn't it?" Lee grinned, chewing on his own steamed bun. "I've been getting baozi from the same place for years, now. My Mum used to make them for me all the time."

Gaara tilted his head at him, making sure Lee knew he was listening. "Were you two close?"

Lee nodded, "I was extremely lucky that I had such caring parents. My Mum and Dad meant the absolute world to me. They still do, I suppose." He paused, frowning. "I kind of wish that I'd treasured their love a little bit more. You don't realise how much you're going to miss someone until they're gone forever."

The redhead felt his heart sink at Lee's cruelly true words: his mouth opened to ask of his parents' whereabouts, but he decided that the question would probably upset Lee. He glanced down at the baozi in his hands, then looked back up at the older man. "I guess I sort of understand," he started, "my brother, Kankuro, and I- we never really talked that much growing up unless we were complaining about our Father. Now he lives far away, and I really miss him. We speak over Skype as often as we can."

"Did he leave to pursue a career?"

"Not exactly. My Father kicked him out."

"Your Dad sounds more and more lovely the more you talk about him." Lee raised a thick eyebrow and Gaara gave him a tight smile.

"Trust me, if he knew that-" he glanced down at their fingers, still laced together, and cleared his throat shyly, "if he knew that this was going on, he'd drown us both with the angry sweat from his brow alone."

Lee grinned cheerfully. "I'm a good swimmer."

Shaking his head, Gaara swung their entwined hands absent-mindedly and took the final bite from his steamed bun. They'd been waiting outside the gallery for about half an hour now, and the museum had yet to open. "Do you regret deciding to go early now?"

"Nah- it just means we'll get to be the first in."

"But it's cold."

"Eh? Gaara, it's literally just turned October." Lee laughed.

"Look, I hate the cold, alright?" He huffed.

"Ah, so you're a sunny beach kind of guy?"

"I'm a stay in bed and hope nobody bothers me kind of guy." Gaara rolled his eyes when Lee's chuckles grew louder. "It's getting a little more difficult to spend days hiding in my room, though, I have so many responsibilities now I'm surprised I could make space for this."

"What kinds of things are you doing?"

"Well, since I'm the only son left in the house, it's my obligation to take over as mayor and follow in my Father's footsteps. This means that I'm doing a whole lot of classes, studying, and meetings with my Dad's coworkers that I absolutely hate."

"Sounds like you've kind of been forced into that aspiration." Lee said slowly.

Gaara blinked at the floor thoughtfully, thinking it through. "When I was younger, I wanted to be an artist. Or play the violin in a world-renowned orchestra."

"Your Dad wouldn't allow it?"

"Never." Gaara paused. "At first I really hated all this training to take over a job that my Father abuses. But then it began to appeal to me," he looked over at Lee, a warm hue of determination swelling in his turquoise irises, "because if I could become Suna's mayor, I could fix all the problems that he created. I could turn Suna into a united city." He frowned. "People tend to brush over ideas such as community cohesion, religious pluralism, LGBT rights as well- but without equality, other political issues seem to magnify to the public."