𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐎 (𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐒)

Gym Classes

       Gaara wasn't exactly sure what drew him to the bull-cut green sweatsuit wearing dork, but it was obviously enough to make him sign up for the same gym class at the end of their Sophomore year. Which, two weeks into his Junior year, he began to regret. And whenever mentioned by Ten-ten or Neji, he adamantly refused that he did in fact regret it. Lee's schedule mainly revolved around the three gym classes he took. His zero period was strength and conditioning, his first period was "runner's club" as Gaara and Naruto liked to joke. His second third and fourth were core based required classes, like geometry, basic chemistry and U.S. History. Gaara has agreed to take Lee's fifth period gym glass, because it was his only open period. Lo-and-behold, it's mixed martial arts conditioning. And it's complete hell.
    Itachi Uchiha is in that class. He's spoken to Gaara maybe twice, but he practically made Gaara go into cardiac arrest with his rumbling baritone that somehow comes out of that lean weasel's chest. Itachi and Lee are actually good friends and Lee is always talking about how great he is. Which makes Gaara slightly envious of the older boy. Gaara has spent hours of silence in the Uchiha's presence which is greatly preferable than his whiny(and horny) younger brother Sasuke, or his older "cousin" Shisui. Ten-ten's nickname for the Uchiha trio is: Pretty deadly, Deadly Pretty, and C(all of the above). Shisui is pretty deadly, at least when he's drunk, Sasuke is deadly pretty and Itachi is C(all of the above). When Gaara first told her and Temari(his older sister) that he thought Lee was better looking than Itachi, at least in the body department, Temari became instantly concerned that he had a fever and Ten-ten asked him what he'd been smoking, to which he avidly responded nothing because if Lee found out he would have been devastated.
Lee being unpopular among their peers was an understatement, he had friends mainly because Itachi, Sasuke and Naruto were all popular and for whatever reason Itachi and Naruto had both taken a strong liking to the unconventional jock, while Sasuke was obligated to like him because he was his brother's and his boyfriend's friend. It's not that Lee wasn't smart, he was, he really was. He was just so dyslexic he had, on multiple occasions, asked Gaara and Itachi both how to spell the word chair. Lee was just an over-enthusiastic geek who knew the words to more Twenty One Pilots songs than even Gaara himself. Lee received tutoring on the daily from both Gaara and Itachi, who both participated in the Advanced program at their high school. While ironically enough, Lee is top of their year in their schools athletic program, and he is third best in the entire school. Beat only by Kakashi Hatake, and Kakashi's boyfriend Obito Uchiha.
It's because Gaara has an incredibly secret, and long-harbored crush on his dear friend that he sits patiently waiting for him outside the weight room, with earbuds in, listening to a playlist Lee made for him and looking over his Calculus homework from the night before. A large warm calloused hand rests on his shoulder and the body it belongs to follows to sit beside the small ginger.
"How was conditioning?" He asks, closing his notebook, and taking one earbud out to show his friend that he has his full attention.
"Good! As always. Gai-sensei has a new technique for gaining muscle mass that we're going to try!" The over-excited 6'2" boy is practically bouncing with excitement and clapping his hands at the mere thought of this. Gaara merely raises an eyebrow, he's seen Lee shirtless once, and he's pretty sure that any sixteen year old with a full eight-pack, complete with arms as toned as Captain America's, doesn't need to work on gaining more muscle mass.
"Doesn't that seem a little excessive? You're already the third strongest person in the School. Behind those two freaks," Gaara jabs a thumb at the said couple walking by.
"Hey!" The tall dark haired Uchiha exclaims, wrapping two long arms around his slender boyfriend, faking hurt at Gaara's words, "My boyfriend's not a freak!"
"You would know, wouldn't you Uncle?" a deep voice, like gravel and whiskey comes from behind the Hatake and Uchiha. Gaara jumps about a foot in the air, as he finally notices the tall long haired weasel standing in the doorway to the weight-room. He's shirtless, and appears to have zero shame about this fact. Sweat drips down neck, and slides over his collarbone and the dark metal necklace he always wears.
"Ahhh, Itachi. If you keep that up, Kakashi's gonna leave me for you." Obito, is clinging to a perpetually bored Kakashi, who looks at Gaara pleading for help. In response, all Gaara can do is shrug. Itachi simply pats Obito condescendingly on the head as he passes by, which somehow isn't ruined by the fact that Itachi has to reach up a solid seven inches to reach the top of his relative's head. To add insult to injury he remarks,
"Obito, if I had wanted to date Kakashi. I would have already done so," Itachi then gave them each a smile, and a casual wave. Kakashi wrapped his arms around his now clingy boyfriend scowling at Itachi's back, and absentmindedly kissed the mop of raven black hair.
"Come on, let's go shower," Kakashi smiled underneath his mask, and nodded goodbye to the two boys sitting by the door. Gaara noticed as he turned back to Lee, that he had put the ginger's other earbud in and was now scrolling through Gaara's phone that only the two of them knew the passcode to. Gaara froze at the familiarity of the moment, how relaxed and complete he felt with Lee. How he didn't feel this way with anyone else. Lee looked up from Gaara's phone to find himself staring into seafoam eyes, lined with dark eyeliner and dark circles to match. Lee smiled at him, not his usual ones that were full of teeth with his eyes squeezed shut, but a soft one that rolled over his lips in the most natural way.
Gaara smiled back, a rare real smile, pale lips curling in response to his friends. Lee reached out instinctively to push a lock of hair behind Gaara's ear, and then leaned in. Looking very seriously into Gaara's eyes.
"Gaara?" Lee was hesitant, and careful. Trying to find the best way to phrase his next words.
"Yeah?" Gaara swallowed thickly, doing his best not to show his anxiety at the larger boy's close proximity.
"I just thought you should know... I've had the biggest crush on you for a while now. You're so youthful, and such a beautiful soul that I've fallen victim to your wicked tricks." Lee smiled as he said this, a deep blush settling into Gaara's face.
"I-i like you too Lee," Gaara blushed even harder, and to avoid eye contact he buried his face into his crush's neck. Lee simply hummed contentedly, and threaded his fingers in curly red hair.