HELLO! --- If you're reading this, please be sure to check out my new, ongoing Erwin x Levi fanfiction! This fanfiction is a collaboration between me and a good friend of mine! Thank you for your support!

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It really wasn't a dream? Seriously? But---they weren't even on the rope to a solid friendship yet---completely flew the coop and bypassed the friend zone entirely. It was like reading a romance novel, skipping the build, then scampering right over to the proposal. The fact that he had legitimate sex wasn't what wrangled his brain, it was fact that he had it with Gaara. Of the Sand. The Kazekage. To imagine a guy like him dancing under the bed sheets was like insulting Tsunadae, then walking out on two legs... impossible.

"Gaara!"

The holler thrashed against the walls with such exhilarating power, and as the word came darting back and smacking the jinchuriki in the face, Naruto grew deathly pale. His ignorance was recognized, though snatching back that word of his now was a solid no; it had already flown into slumbering ears.

This was when Naruto knew he had fucked himself.

"Do you realize that this is the first time I've actually slept in years?"

"I'm sorry it's just that---"

"Years."

"Ramen."

"... what?"

"Ramen can really put ya to bed, y'know? Also sends ya into a nice, savory, noodely dream world... though maybe that last part's just me---"

"It's just you. All of it's just you."

"Thought so... you really haven't lived."

"I've died. Does that count?"

Naruto leaned his weight against the wooden door frame, brows nitting together while arms folded simultaneously.

"Don't bring that up."

Though it happened several months ago, it felt as though it was just yesterday that he had nearly lost his friend. The Akatsuki... what they did was unforgivable. Harming the lives of countless innocents just to get their hands on some power was pure evil. Naruto---to this day---drowned in nothing but guilt... the guilt that Gaara's death was his fault because he didn't make it in time. Gaara survived, and he was overjoyed, of course, but---what if Chiyo hadn't been able to save him? What then? It was hard for Naruto to imagine a world without Gaara in it; it just wouldn't be the same.

"You know..." Gaara sat up. He brought a hand to rest upon his tigh, turning it for eyes to meet his palm, "...often times... I can't help but wonder what would've happened if I wasn't revived that day."

"What are you talking about?"

"Someone else---worthy---would've undoubtedly taken over the Hidden Sand Village. Someone who could've lead the people to greatness and prosperity."

"But you're doing that now. We've all done things in our lives that we regret, but we can't let those things justify who we are as a person."

With his arms unfolding, Naruto made his way over to the redhead, taking a seat beside him with a warm smile; his hand slid onto his, fingers clasping around the other's. The blonde had felt the same before---like he was nothing more than a pest---a burden.

Needless to say, Gaara wasn't sure how to react, hues just peered down at the leaf ninja's hand in his.

"You know what I've realized Gaara?"

"What?"

"It's impossible to please everyone. Everyone has their own image of perfection and their own opinion of what's right and what's wrong, so what might be right in someone's eyes might be wrong in someone else's. Worrying about pleasing everyone is just a waste of your time and energy, and if you ask me... you're the greatest Kazekage ever; no one could possibly replace you."

Gaara was never good with heart felt conversations, or rather, he never knew what to say or how to respond. Whether he showed it or not, Gaara appreciated the fool's words. While it was true he had support and people who cared for him now, no one legitimately took the time to take a seat and chat up a storm with him---or try to anyways. Naruto... he was always checking up on him, and no matter the mission or situation he was always there---ready to lend a hand. Gaara didn't understand why Naruto cared, but he did.

"Thank you," the redhead later uttered, hues connecting with the blonde's.

"It's... nice to have someone like you around."

"Really?!"

"Yeah."

"See, I knew you'd come around Gaara! You seem all iron on the outside, but you're really just a big softy on the inside!"

"Don't make me change my mind."

Naruto's lips pursed, fixing his posture and waving his hands about.

"Alright, alright... but---it's true to an extent. You can be really nice and friendly when you wanna be."

"Yeah, and then you ruin it."

"I'm soooorry!" the Leaf ninja groaned loudly, whipping around and mosseying over to his luggage. Hands sifted through his things before pulling out a bag stuffed with chopsticks and bowls of instant ramen.

He grinned.

"Dinning cheap right here."

"Ramen is gross," Gaara butted in, collecting himself and rising to his feet.

Frankly, Gaara preferred broiled gizzards and yokan. There was just something about the texture of ramen that didn't seem to settle well with him... perhaps he had just gotten a hold of the wrong kind, but he seriously doubted instant ramen would taste any better.

Naruto ripped off the seal to one of the bowls, snatching a pair of chopsticks from the bag and bouncing over to the bathroom sink in excitement. Waiting for the water to heat up, he briefly turned to face his companion.

"Are you sure you don't want one? I've got like---ten, so there's plenty," he questioned before turning back to the sink and filling up his bowl.

"It's gross. It's way too salty for my liking."

.......

....

"You didn't have a problem with salt last night," the Leaf ninja breathed to himself, stirring the noodles.

"What?"

The stirring intensifies.

"Nothing---"

Gaara just rolled his eyes, stepping over to the mirror and gawking at himself, appendages leisurely brushing over a brow bone.

"Hey Naruto---"

"Err, yeah Gaara?"

Silence.

"...why don't I have eyebrows?"

.......

....

"Uuuuh..."

His stirring slowed considerably.

"Well..."

How to respond...

"Maybe they fell off?"

"Fell off?"

"Yeah I mean---maybe you have a brow condition or somethin'."

"I never looked at it that way before."

"Wait a second, here---"

Shuffling over to his bag with ramen in one hand, Naruto fished for some tape with the other. Finally collecting his prize, he made his way to the Sand ninja with a grin.

He sat down his bowl, plucking a noodle from it and then attaching it to Gaara's absent eyebrow before repeating the step once more to the other.

Taking a step back, he then formed a picture frame with his thumbs and index fingers, basking in the glory of his magnificent work.

"Brows. On. Fleek."

Needless to say, Gaara was not amused.

Squinting into the mirror, he heavily judged his companion's work with a grimace.

"Please never dabble in makeovers. I look worse than Rock Lee."

"Whaaaat? They're gorgeous!"

"Naruto. They look like dough colored pubes."

"No. Ya just have to look at'em from the right angle. To me they look great on you!"

A hand patted Gaara's shoulder, resting upon it as Naruto stared at the noodle brows for extra conformation; though, as soon as sapphires accidentally met with sea greens... he froze. For some reason his throat went dry---feeling himself being sucked in by that dour gaze.

"Um... but yeah."

He removed his hand, gaze averting.

"What is it?" Gaara questioned.

"Err---well... I mean---"

Naruto awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, gaze refusing to rekindle its relationship with the Kazekage's.

"Spit it out."

"About uh... about last night---"

"We fucked."

Naruto paled, lips parting. He wasn't expecting such a straightforward awnser---

"W-Why didn't you tell me about it then?"

"What do you mean 'tell' you about it?"

"I mean why didn't you tell me we did it?"

"Naruto, you weren't drunk. You know what happened last night, so why would I need to tell you about it?"

"No... I just meant that---"

"You didn't believe it happend?"

"Well... no actually, I didn't. I never even imagined that you'd---"

"Do such a thing?"

Gaara's stone cold gaze locked with Naruto's.

He took a step forward.

"I felt like it," he responded simply. "I'm a man you know. My sex drive exists."

Who was this guy, and what had he done to Gaara?

Naruto was at a loss for words, his friend's bluntness trampling him considerably.

"You're not embarrassed, are you?" the redhead commented, closing the gap between himself and the Nine Tailed.

"What? Who? Me? Ahaha! No way!"

Pinocchio was a better liar than Naruto was.

"Hm... really?" Gaara probed, fingers snaking up to hook underneath the blonde's chin. He gave a half-assed grin, leaning in for lips to ever so slightly brush against the male's ear.

"You were definitely embarrassed last night---me inside of you."

The words went straight into Naruto's ear, causing a shiver to shoot down his spine; he could feel the adrenaline starting to rush through his veins.

Gaara was like an animal, he could sense every emotion the teen gave off...

...and how dangerous that was.