Embers of a Burning Sky

Chapter Fourteen

   

The tears surprise Gaara more than they surprise Naruto as he breaks down, still encased in strong arms. Naruto backs away slightly but continues to hold him as he sobs and hiccups and sniffles. It takes a full minute of calming before Gaara can even speak;
"I—I" he begins, fingers gripping Naruto's shirt tightly, frightened as Naruto moves back to look him in the eyes. His name leaves Gaara's mouth, broken, but he pulls back in, understanding.
"It's so warm," Gaara says, "Warm and safe. This. Your love"
Naruto pets his hair gently, patiently.
"I have never known love." He admits, "Until now. I don't know how to give it, to return it."
Naruto smiles softly, but Gaara cannot see it.
"I want to love you."
Naruto plants a gentle kiss on Gaara's forehead;
"You already love me." He chuckles, "Even I can tell."

Gaara is quiet.

"You do so much for everyone Gaara, but you treat me like I'm special. You're the only person who treats me with so much value."
There's a broken little laugh against this collar that has Naruto looking down at Gaara's tired face. He waits until Gaara speaks.
"Temari had told me that I treated you with more than respect, I never understood what she had meant."

* * *

Gaara wakes up in a warm embrace; Naruto's strong arms holding him tightly against his chest. This time, he doesn't try to crawl out of the embrace, doesn't pry away the possessive hands. This time, he burrows a little deeper into the hold.
Beside him, Naruto huffs a tired breath and rolls himself over onto his back: heaving Gaara up onto his chest with ease. For a split second Gaara thinks that this might become a morning routine for them, this cuddling. The feeling of roaming hands makes gooseflesh erupt over his skin.
"Morning."
Naruto's voice is deeper in the morning; a low gravel hum that Gaara can feel as he rests atop the other shinobi. He hides his smile in his shoulder and hums in response.

The sun peaks through the cracks between the wood and the window frame, but all Gaara can focus on is the feeling of Naruto's hands: large and warm where they hold his hips, callused thumbs rubbing up and down against his sensitive skin. Time is meaningless to him until there's a light knock and he hears the sound of his sister's voice through the door:
"Gaara, are you awake?"
Naruto shifts himself up into a sitting position and pulls Gaara down to lay between his thighs, pulling the blanket up and covering him with it as he answers,
"We're up."
Temari tries the handle and finds it locked.
"Okay, well, we have about one hour to get ready before we head back to Sunagakure. I'll come back to let you know when we leave."
Gaara can hear her walk away.

Naruto lays back down on the bed, hands gently rubbing through Gaara's short hair.
"We should get up," Gaara says, his eyes falling closed at the sensation. Naruto nods;
"Yep."
Naruto curls his larger body around Gaara's under the blanket.
"We need to go home."
"Yep."
Rough hands curve around Gaara's waist and dig down into the v of his hipbones, tugging him back against himself.
"Naruto..."
Gaara's warning sounds more like a whine.
"Gaara."
The sensation of the graveled voice against the back of his neck turns Gaara to jelly and he can't keep in the quiet moan as Naruto rolls over and pins him against the mattress.

Initially, the solid weight against his back was a comfort, but when Naruto starts pressing open-mouthed kisses against his neck; trailing down to the collar of his shirt and back up to his hairline it becomes something a little more. He's pressing the back of his hand against his lips in an attempt to keep his moans quiet; both out of embarrassment and worry of waking Nara after yesterday's trauma.
"Gaara..."
He can only hiccup in response as Naruto bites down and sucks a gentle hickey into the base of his neck. Gaara's back arches with the sensation and Naruto quickly pins him back to the bed with a teasing growl.

Hands slide up his shirt, hooking under the hem and dragging it up with his hands. Gaara's face is on fire, his fingers catching the small amount of drool dripping down the corner of his mouth.
"Naruto?" his voice is quiet, almost a whimper, and the other boy reacts immediately by moving to lay beside him.
Naruto takes Gaara's face in his hands and maneuvers it until they're kissing; wet and hot and heavy.
Naruto groans against his lips and sea-green eyes flutter open:
"I want to touch you..." Naruto pleads, his calloused fingers twitching where they rested against his shoulder. Gaara nods slowly, reaching up to pull Naruto into another solid kiss.

Naruto's deft fingers follow the curve of his ribs up to his shoulders and gently peel the shirt over Gaara's head, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake and Naruto's shirt is quick to join it on the floor. Gaara's hand is pressed up against his mouth again as his hands slide down to his waist and over his hips; dipping down to grab a handful of his ass.
Gaara's gasp makes Naruto's fingers tighten, and he hefts him even closer.
He's about to pull the loose sleeping pants down Gaara's pale legs when a sneeze startles them both still. Gaara's head snaps around and he's already turning to the crib just steps away, his hands running through his hair in a sort of grounding gesture. Naruto presses his face into the mattress in disappointment; groaning into the soft material as Gaara pulls Nara out of the crib and carries the toddler around the room on his hip. He props his head on his elbow and watches his little family; stares as Gaara moves around the room in a gentle waltz-like step, cooing to the baby as he gathers their things and prepares for the journey back to Suna, albeit still a flustered mess.

After a moment, he pulls himself out of bed and reaches out to catch Gaara by the waist and pull him over, hugging him and Nara from behind. He presses a kiss to Gaara's cheek, and another to the hickey on the back of his neck before taking their son and wandering into the bathroom to change.

(Edited 8-31-2021 bu HanayuK)