Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Sand In A Cage ❯ Chapter V - The Perfect Subject ( Chapter 6 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: The Caged Bird 
Aww...this one gets a little more personal with Gaara and Neji. Mainly because Neji agreed to be Gaara's "model"
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Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Romance / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.19.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.4K | Visits: 448 | Status: Completed
Aww...this one gets a little more personal with Gaara and Neji. Mainly because Neji agreed to be Gaara's "model"
>>
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Romance / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.19.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.4K | Visits: 448 | Status: Completed
Chapter V: The Perfect Subject
“Oh my god I can’t believe I’m staying the night at his house…what am I going to wear? How should I act? Will his family like me?…..wait….” he paused his pacing and sweat dropped. “I’m starting to sound like a woman…”
He turned to his wardrobe and opened it up to find something plain and non-feminine, though that was nearly impossible. His uncle made it clear that he wanted Neji to be the feminine one rather than his own daughters. oh the joys of being the only male of the family…he thought grumpily as he picked out the plainest thing he could find which was a pair of short spandex shorts with a long velvet black skirt the had a slit all the way up the left thigh, and a metallic maroon sleeveless midriff with a black half-cut zip-up vest which was currently unzipped and a pair of simple black and white-streaked Vans. He then threw some clothes into his backpack after emptying it, grabbed a few accessories, then headed downstairs.
“Where are you going?” came the ringing tone of his uncle. He turned to him.
“I’m going out for the night to stay with a friend…”
“Who? Is it someone I know?”
“Yes Hyuga-san…I’m going to stay at Uchiha’s…”
“Ah…the Uchihas…wealthy family…proper sons…” he exclaimed thoughtfully.
“Yes uncle…Uchiha asked me to stay the night and I agreed…I will be home no later than 10pm tomorrow night…” and before his uncle could question him further he was gone out the door.
He walked down the long path to the front gates where the Excursion was waiting. Once outside the gates he let out a breath of relief and got in.
“Thank you for coming to get me and for waiting outside…” he smiled to Tsunade.
“it’s no problem Neji-san…your uncle doesn’t take too kindly to our kids so I figured as much. I should be thanking you actually”
“for what?”
“For bringing my youngest out of that shell of his. When he first came here he was stoic and about as lively as a rock…” this made Neji laugh. “Seriously…he didn’t want to do anything and he didn’t want to have anything to do with anyone…you changed that and I thank you for it…”
“Well you shouldn’t really thank me Uzumaki-san…he’s changed me as much as I’ve changed him…”
“And I hope that you two continue to do so…” Tsunade nodded to her own words and smiled. “Let’s go home now I’ve got the boys watching over dinner…”
When they walked in the door they could hear arguing from the kitchen and went to find out what the commotion was. When they stopped in the doorway they each exchanged blank looks before snorting and bursting out with laughter.
“Moom! It was Gaara’s fault!” Kankuro stated instantly pointing a powdered finger at the little one.
“What no it was not! You started it!”
“Did not!”
“Did to!”
“Not!”
“Too!”
“You wanna take this outside!”
“You ain’t worth my time!”
“Enough you two before I throw you BOTH into the tub!”
“…..”
“…..̶ 1;
“Good boys…Neji”
The laughing boy coughed and smiled with a sweat drop. “uh hai?”
“would you be a dear and help these two dorks clean up the flour while I finish dinner?”
“Oh. Of course” he replied as he walked into the kitchen, doing his best to avoid the white powder that was everywhere and pulled out a mop as well as vacuum cleaner.
“What are you doing?” Kankuro lofted a brow as Neji plugged in the vacuum.
“Just watch…” was his only answer as he turned it on then took the hose and began sucking up all the flour.
“Whoa…that’s pretty smart…I never would have thought of that”
“Yeah…Hinata and Hanabi always attempt to cook but then they get into a fight and soon flour is everywhere…and since they’re so spoiled and lazy I usually have to clean it up…figured this’d be the fastest way…”
The two brothers watched him clean it up then gulped when Neji came at them with the vacuum.
“EEP! Ahahahaha stop that tickles damnit!” Kankuro squealed as Neji used the hose to suck all the flour off his clothes, then did the same to Gaara who was laughing at how weird it felt. Once he was finished their hair was standing on end, making them both look ridiculous.
“…that went by quicker than I expected…what are you a magician?” Tsunade asked as she walked back in ten minutes later.
He winked and held a finger up. “…maybe I am, but that’s a secret…”
The two just snickered. “mom can we help with dinner?” Gaara chirped as he looked around at the stuff that was set out for the meal.
“no…Kankuro already offered…and besides Gaara you have a guest…why don’t you focus on Neji and let us handle the food? You can show him where your room is and get him settled in…” with that she shooed the two out of the kitchen and closed the swinging door.
“what is for dinner?” Neji speculated as he was led down the hallway.
“I think tonight we’re having chicken odobo…a dish that dad picked up when he visited the Philippines during the war…”
“Oh…sounds good” he paused and tilted his head when Gaara pulled down the steps to his room.
“You live in the attic?”
He looked away a moment feeling a little stupid. “..Yeah. We don’t have enough rooms so they gave me the attic, but I don’t mind…I like the privacy” he explained as they went up into the room.
It was cleaner than it had been when he left it this morning but the busted canvases were in a small stack in the corner. “Wow. You’re room looks better than mine..”
“how so? I mean…you’re rich you should have the best room…”
The darker haired male shook his head. “…it’s not what I mean. yeah, I have the most luxurious stuff anyone could ever want…but it’s not the same…I wish I had a plain and simple room. Nothing lavish and extravagant. That’s what my cousins enjoy. I could care less about fame and money, I find it to be pointless if you are enjoying it alone…the life of a celebrity isn’t all glamour and parties…it’s hard work and generally you don’t get any credit for what you do. It goes to the manager, which happens to be my uncle” a sigh past his lips as he sat on the bed.
“Oh I see. That’s gotta be tough” his face was stern, folding his arms. “…sorry that you have to deal with that…but…you can come here whenever the fame is too much for you. You can be normal here, we don’t care…at least I don’t.”
That seemed to brighten Neji’s mood as he smiled and tilted his head to the side cutely. “thanks Gaara at least I know I can count on someone who doesn’t care about being friends with a ‘celebrity’.”
“heh…fame is overrated anyways…now, let’s get your clothes put away and such and then we’ll go downstairs for dinner” Gaara offered.
With a nod the senior stood and put his things in the two drawers that Gaara specified were empty and that he could use then the two of them went downstairs to eat. The food was delicious, courtesy of Kankuro’s master cooking skills (yes he cooks!) and Tsunade’s watchful monitoring. It was in the middle of dinner that Naruto and Sasuke came in followed by Yondaime, who was playing chauffer for the two on their date.
Neji was surprised to see the two with their arms around each other when they came in, thinking that Naruto’s parents would be ashamed or disgusted. Instead they acted as if they were a regular couple.
“Oooo chicken odobo! Mom why didn’t you say we were having that tonight? I would have come home earlier!” Naruto whined as he sat down after being handed a plate, passing one to his boyfriend as well who accepted.
“Sorry sweetie…I decided on it last minute and your cell hasn’t been turned on yet so I couldn’t get a hold of you…at least you came in the middle of dinner instead of an hour after…now you and Sasu-kun can join us for desert and help clean up…”
Naruto sweat dropped. “that’s not fair we didn’t make the mess…”
“Yes well you’re eating the food aren’t you?” she said with an evil smirk.
“….” the Kitsune pouted and ate his food.
That was when he noticed Neji sitting next to Gaara across from him and Sasuke and grinned. “well well…so he did show up!”
The two blinked. “huh?”
“Looks like you owe me Sasu-kuun” Naruto said with a smug look.
Sasuke grumbled. “…fine fine…next date I pay…” he muttered and took a drink of his soda.
The two other boys were so totally lost it wasn’t even funny. The blonde noted this and explained. “me and Sasuke”
“Sasuke and I dear..”
Mumble. “thank you mom…anyways…Sasuke and I were wagering the payment of our next date on whether or not Neji would actually come over to stay the night…and I won!”
“Wow that must be some big achievement for you Naruto…”
“Yes it is--you know…that’s not funny Kankuro…”
The older boy just snickered. Once dinner was finished they cleaned up then Tsunade handed them each a cone of ice cream, Sasuke and Naruto getting rocky road whereas Neji got strawberry with chocolate and Gaara asking for Vanilla with strawberry syrup, before letting them go for the rest of the night.
“Come on Naruto!” Sasuke called as he grabbed the other by the hand. They both paused when Yondaime spoke, not even looking up from his book as he sat in his recliner.
“No wild sex in the house Naruto…”
“e-Etto…d-dad!” he sweat dropped and blushed while Sasuke smirked.
“don’t worry Yondaime I promise it won’t get too out of control…”
“Sasuke!” Naruto gasped as he was dragged off by the cackling Uchiha prodigy.
“…..weird…and your family acts like this all the time?” the Hyuga questioned as they headed back up to Gaara’s room.
“You either Gaara…I hear an odd sounds coming from up their and I’ll ground you”
Gaara tweaked. “…riiight what do you take me for…” he stated as he closed the attic door behind Neji.
That comment made the older boy blush but he quickly shook that away as they came to his room. He stared for a few minutes before turning around when Gaara began to strip down, apparently having no shame when it came to changing on front of someone, unlike Neji who had this odd fear of being seen without clothes on. Once Gaara was in his black sweatpants and t-shirt Neji found it safe to turn back around.
“well?”
“well what?”
“are you going to change?”
That made the star sweat drop. “crap…I forgot to bring nightclothes…” he mumbled poking his fingers together with a pout.
Gaara couldn’t help but smile to himself at how adorable Neji looked when he did that before shaking his head. “don’t worry I’ll go steal some clothes from Naruto you’re about the same size as he is…be right back” with that he vanished down the steps and out of the attic for a few minutes, leaving Neji to get a better examination of his surroundings.
The place was simple, but to him it was like living in a palace. Compared to his expensive-looking picture perfect bedroom this place was dirty, it was plain, and it was peaceful. His attention then was caught by the small art studio. The stuff there was expensive, meaning that must have been the one thing that set Gaara apart from the family downstairs. The only thing he’d ever ask for was art supplies. He looked over the easel, which was bare, the paints having been capped and the brushes cleaned expertly. He tore his eyes from the setup when he heard the door and footsteps coming up the stairs.
“here you go…I had to wrestle him then have Sasuke order him to give me the clothes, but I’m sure it was worth it…” he joked as he handed Neji a simple pair of gray cotton shorts and a white button up t-shirt. Neji thanked him then paused in removing his clothes to blush and look over at Gaara.
“Not yet”
“what?” he gave him a confused look.
“you said you’d be my model remember?” Gaara reminded him as he set up his easel and paints.
He blinked. “…oh…right. Sorry it slipped my mind for the moment…” he rubbed the back of his head.
“that’s ok…um. Hmm” Gaara pondered for a few minutes, “I know” he snapped his fingers then set out his stool in front of the studio and put a cloth over it. “come here” he requested.
Neji did as he was asked and walked over to him before being sat down on the stool then Gaara walked over to his easel and lifted his brush, trying to figure out how he wanted to start this. When he looked to his subject however he frowned. “that’s not right…” he mumbled quietly.
“what’s not right?”
“the setting…” he answered before asking Neji to stand so he could move the stool to another location. He set it in front of a mural that he had painted on his wall a few weeks ago. It was black and red feathers from two different wings that had white ribbon wrapped around them. “that should do much better” he gave a firm nod before Neji sat back down.
He shifted his things so that he could work comfortably but that frown returned a few minutes later. “….could I ask a favor of you?” he inquired.
“um…sure”
“could you take your clothes off?”
That made his face light up and his eyes widen a bit. “w-what?”
“I’m sorry but it just…doesn’t look right with clothes…I can understand if you say no though I mean…it’s personal…”
He thought about this for a long time. Truth be told he had never removed a single article of clothing for any sort of photo shoot. He refused to take his clothes off for any purpose whether it be a simple shirt or his entire outfit.
“…I…suppose. For the sake of the art. I true artist knows what they need to make a masterpiece” he said slowly and stood. He took off his vest, handing it to Gaara, who in return handed him what looked to be a simple white cloth.
“you can use this…it would fit the portrait better…” he pointed out.
Neji nodded then wrapped his arms around his waist to grasp the edges of his shirt. He paused, his face going a scarlet color as he pulled it over the top of his head, handing it to Gaara with a shaky hand, then went to his skirt and removed that. After kicking off his shoes and taking off his socks he paused at his shorts, looking over at the redhead.
Gaara caught onto the apprehension and turned around for him. That made him feel a little better as he removed his last article of clothing and wrapped the cloth around his waist, then told Gaara he could turn back around and handed him the shorts. The youth had taken care to fold Neji’s clothes for him and set them on the dresser next to his nightclothes before approaching him.
“would you mind if I positioned you?” he got a shake of the head as he sat the older teen down on the stool once more. “could you place one foot on the floor…yeah like that and then put the other on the bar” he paused to look at him so far, the cloth having slid over the bent leg, revealing smooth pale flesh. “now…“ he took Neji’s hand and wrapped it around the edge of the stool, the other he had in a loose fist against his chest. He cocked his head to one side, pushing long brunette tresses back, then parted a small clump and pulled it over his shoulder to cascade over his chest. He tucked some behind Neji’s ear, fanning out his bangs on the right side, a small piece hanging over the right by itself.
“perfect…now if you would please hold that pose…” once he felt satisfied he moved back to his easel and lifted his brush and prepared the necessary colors, blending some to gather the right effect.
Neji’s heart was pounding in his chest the entire time. Feeling the other boy’s soft hands touching him gave him butterflies. He bottled up his nervousness and remained motionless from the position he was put in, his face having turned the shade of Gaara’s hair by then. He swallowed hard and looked around timidly.
“don’t look around…just look at me and everything should be fine…” he heard the other say. With a nod he focused his attention to the painter.
The pace of his already racing heart picked up as he saw the determination and overall intensity in Gaara’s eyes when they locked for a moment. He’d never seen someone with such passion-filled eyes, such concentration. Despite him wanting to get up and cover himself with Gaara’s blanket he sat still, trying to keep himself from shaking while Gaara painted.
Each stroke was precise and accurate, never having to go over twice. He found it so much easier to paint with his subject there in person rather than trying to imagine it in his mind. He just couldn’t get his physique right in his mind.
By this time the model had finally been able to at least tone done the red heat he knew was radiating from his pale face, taking a deep breath as he tried to relax. He’d never felt so vulnerable and exposed before, but he was thankful it was only Gaara that would be looking at him like this. Personally…he didn’t want anyone but Gaara to see him this way.
“are you alright?” he jumped a bit when those words were spoken, looking up to see a somewhat concerned redhead staring at him. He blushed once again and nodded hastily. “y-yes I’m f-fine…um..how is it c-coming?” he was stammering? Neji Hyuga? Well there was a first time for everything.
“…it’s almost finished…just a few more minutes please…” he announced before his face went back to the stoic concentrated one.
He merely nodded in reply and took another calming breath, his face becoming a blank slate as he sat there zoning out on the tattoo on Gaara’s forehead. “what does it stand for?”
“huh? What does what stand for and you know you’re not supposed to be talking..”
“I’m sorry…I’ll be quiet.”
“….it’s the kanji for love…it’s a tattoo my mother had so I got one too after she died. I never got to know here cause she died after giving birth to me…but I have pictures and Temari and Kankuro talked about her all the time”
“I see” he frowned a bit in thought.
“one more thing is missing…” he thought aloud before glancing to his model. “could you smile for me?”
He tilted his head before straightening it as not to upset Gaara. “…um…what kind?”
“what do you mean what kind?”
“I can smile two ways…I can either give you a make-up smile or a genuine smile…though…it’s a stupid question to ask…I would never give you a fake smile” he sweat dropped.
“you can actually fake a smile?”
“yes…I had told you before that I hated my fame…but I’m not allowed to scowl about it so I put on a fake smile…”
“well…no fake smiles here…”
“of course not that would ruin the piece…” with that he did as asked and gave him a genuinely warm shy smile.
Gaara took that opportunity to finish his painting so Neji wouldn’t have to do it for too long then nodded to him. “finished, though it will need to dry and then I’ll need to gloss it…”
“can I look?”
“well it wouldn’t be fair if I painted you and you not getting to see it…” with that he turned the easel and what Neji saw took his breath away. It almost looked like someone took a picture and blew it up to a large size, but with all the specific detail made to the painting it was too beautiful to be considered a simple enlarged photo.
“….”
“what do you think? It’s not to bland is it?” Gaara looked to him for his opinion in high hopes.
“Are you kidding? That’s better than even I could do!”
“really? Good, cause I was planning on framing it and hanging it here in my room…”
The pale boy started and blushed. “..w-what?”
“you heard me…I wouldn’t want this piece to be taken from me by some art museum…I want to keep it because it’s my first real piece…so I’m going to have Sasuke build me a nice frame since he and his brother work together on carpentry and hang it in my room…”
“o-oh…okay…j-just…don&# 8217;t show anybody…I f-feel embarrassed enough f-for taking m-my clothes off in front of you…” he admitted.
Gaara gave him a weird look before laughing. “…don’t worry nobody will see it but me”
That made Neji feel better.
“Neji..”
“yes?”
“….thank you” he said quietly turning to him.
“you’re welcome…”
“could I ask you something?”
The 14-year-old smirked a bit. “you just did..”
Tweak tweak. “ok two more?”
“I guess”
Gaara looked around a moment before clearing his parched throat. “…would you…be my model? Permanently?”
“p-permanently? Wouldn’t you want someone else like…T-Tenten or Sakura…I mean…I-I’m not that great really…I-I’m not pretty or anything…”
“you’re right you aren’t pretty…” he started. That seemed to shock Neji and he was going to say how rude that was to be so brutally honest when Gaara cut him off. “…I’m asking because you’re beautiful…”
“I…” he didn’t know how to respond to that except to turn cherry red in the face.
“please?” Gaara pleaded giving him large turquoise puppy eyes and clasped his hands together staring up at him.
That made him etch back a bit from shyness before rubbing his cheek and nodding a little. “I-I suppose I could…”
Gaara’s eyes lit up at that and he threw his arms around him. “thank you!”
“y-you’re welcome…um…can I get dressed now?” he stammered.
The smaller one blinked then hastily went over to the dresser and handed Neji his borrowed nightclothes then turned around so he could change. Once in clothing again he folded the cloth and put it in the wardrobe and crawled into Gaara’s bed. He felt a little awkward sharing a bed with someone else, especially Gaara, but he didn’t voice this. He found it a little comforting to be able to share a bed with someone. After Gaara snuggled under the covers he said his goodnight and turned out the lights. Neji was almost instantly asleep, having to have dealt with another tiring photo shoot and being told exactly what to do before he came over so he was beat.
Gaara was far from tired, however. He was too transfixed with watching his Angel sleeping beside him. his Angel…
“Oh my god I can’t believe I’m staying the night at his house…what am I going to wear? How should I act? Will his family like me?…..wait….” he paused his pacing and sweat dropped. “I’m starting to sound like a woman…”
He turned to his wardrobe and opened it up to find something plain and non-feminine, though that was nearly impossible. His uncle made it clear that he wanted Neji to be the feminine one rather than his own daughters. oh the joys of being the only male of the family…he thought grumpily as he picked out the plainest thing he could find which was a pair of short spandex shorts with a long velvet black skirt the had a slit all the way up the left thigh, and a metallic maroon sleeveless midriff with a black half-cut zip-up vest which was currently unzipped and a pair of simple black and white-streaked Vans. He then threw some clothes into his backpack after emptying it, grabbed a few accessories, then headed downstairs.
“Where are you going?” came the ringing tone of his uncle. He turned to him.
“I’m going out for the night to stay with a friend…”
“Who? Is it someone I know?”
“Yes Hyuga-san…I’m going to stay at Uchiha’s…”
“Ah…the Uchihas…wealthy family…proper sons…” he exclaimed thoughtfully.
“Yes uncle…Uchiha asked me to stay the night and I agreed…I will be home no later than 10pm tomorrow night…” and before his uncle could question him further he was gone out the door.
He walked down the long path to the front gates where the Excursion was waiting. Once outside the gates he let out a breath of relief and got in.
“Thank you for coming to get me and for waiting outside…” he smiled to Tsunade.
“it’s no problem Neji-san…your uncle doesn’t take too kindly to our kids so I figured as much. I should be thanking you actually”
“for what?”
“For bringing my youngest out of that shell of his. When he first came here he was stoic and about as lively as a rock…” this made Neji laugh. “Seriously…he didn’t want to do anything and he didn’t want to have anything to do with anyone…you changed that and I thank you for it…”
“Well you shouldn’t really thank me Uzumaki-san…he’s changed me as much as I’ve changed him…”
“And I hope that you two continue to do so…” Tsunade nodded to her own words and smiled. “Let’s go home now I’ve got the boys watching over dinner…”
When they walked in the door they could hear arguing from the kitchen and went to find out what the commotion was. When they stopped in the doorway they each exchanged blank looks before snorting and bursting out with laughter.
“Moom! It was Gaara’s fault!” Kankuro stated instantly pointing a powdered finger at the little one.
“What no it was not! You started it!”
“Did not!”
“Did to!”
“Not!”
“Too!”
“You wanna take this outside!”
“You ain’t worth my time!”
“Enough you two before I throw you BOTH into the tub!”
“…..”
“…..̶ 1;
“Good boys…Neji”
The laughing boy coughed and smiled with a sweat drop. “uh hai?”
“would you be a dear and help these two dorks clean up the flour while I finish dinner?”
“Oh. Of course” he replied as he walked into the kitchen, doing his best to avoid the white powder that was everywhere and pulled out a mop as well as vacuum cleaner.
“What are you doing?” Kankuro lofted a brow as Neji plugged in the vacuum.
“Just watch…” was his only answer as he turned it on then took the hose and began sucking up all the flour.
“Whoa…that’s pretty smart…I never would have thought of that”
“Yeah…Hinata and Hanabi always attempt to cook but then they get into a fight and soon flour is everywhere…and since they’re so spoiled and lazy I usually have to clean it up…figured this’d be the fastest way…”
The two brothers watched him clean it up then gulped when Neji came at them with the vacuum.
“EEP! Ahahahaha stop that tickles damnit!” Kankuro squealed as Neji used the hose to suck all the flour off his clothes, then did the same to Gaara who was laughing at how weird it felt. Once he was finished their hair was standing on end, making them both look ridiculous.
“…that went by quicker than I expected…what are you a magician?” Tsunade asked as she walked back in ten minutes later.
He winked and held a finger up. “…maybe I am, but that’s a secret…”
The two just snickered. “mom can we help with dinner?” Gaara chirped as he looked around at the stuff that was set out for the meal.
“no…Kankuro already offered…and besides Gaara you have a guest…why don’t you focus on Neji and let us handle the food? You can show him where your room is and get him settled in…” with that she shooed the two out of the kitchen and closed the swinging door.
“what is for dinner?” Neji speculated as he was led down the hallway.
“I think tonight we’re having chicken odobo…a dish that dad picked up when he visited the Philippines during the war…”
“Oh…sounds good” he paused and tilted his head when Gaara pulled down the steps to his room.
“You live in the attic?”
He looked away a moment feeling a little stupid. “..Yeah. We don’t have enough rooms so they gave me the attic, but I don’t mind…I like the privacy” he explained as they went up into the room.
It was cleaner than it had been when he left it this morning but the busted canvases were in a small stack in the corner. “Wow. You’re room looks better than mine..”
“how so? I mean…you’re rich you should have the best room…”
The darker haired male shook his head. “…it’s not what I mean. yeah, I have the most luxurious stuff anyone could ever want…but it’s not the same…I wish I had a plain and simple room. Nothing lavish and extravagant. That’s what my cousins enjoy. I could care less about fame and money, I find it to be pointless if you are enjoying it alone…the life of a celebrity isn’t all glamour and parties…it’s hard work and generally you don’t get any credit for what you do. It goes to the manager, which happens to be my uncle” a sigh past his lips as he sat on the bed.
“Oh I see. That’s gotta be tough” his face was stern, folding his arms. “…sorry that you have to deal with that…but…you can come here whenever the fame is too much for you. You can be normal here, we don’t care…at least I don’t.”
That seemed to brighten Neji’s mood as he smiled and tilted his head to the side cutely. “thanks Gaara at least I know I can count on someone who doesn’t care about being friends with a ‘celebrity’.”
“heh…fame is overrated anyways…now, let’s get your clothes put away and such and then we’ll go downstairs for dinner” Gaara offered.
With a nod the senior stood and put his things in the two drawers that Gaara specified were empty and that he could use then the two of them went downstairs to eat. The food was delicious, courtesy of Kankuro’s master cooking skills (yes he cooks!) and Tsunade’s watchful monitoring. It was in the middle of dinner that Naruto and Sasuke came in followed by Yondaime, who was playing chauffer for the two on their date.
Neji was surprised to see the two with their arms around each other when they came in, thinking that Naruto’s parents would be ashamed or disgusted. Instead they acted as if they were a regular couple.
“Oooo chicken odobo! Mom why didn’t you say we were having that tonight? I would have come home earlier!” Naruto whined as he sat down after being handed a plate, passing one to his boyfriend as well who accepted.
“Sorry sweetie…I decided on it last minute and your cell hasn’t been turned on yet so I couldn’t get a hold of you…at least you came in the middle of dinner instead of an hour after…now you and Sasu-kun can join us for desert and help clean up…”
Naruto sweat dropped. “that’s not fair we didn’t make the mess…”
“Yes well you’re eating the food aren’t you?” she said with an evil smirk.
“….” the Kitsune pouted and ate his food.
That was when he noticed Neji sitting next to Gaara across from him and Sasuke and grinned. “well well…so he did show up!”
The two blinked. “huh?”
“Looks like you owe me Sasu-kuun” Naruto said with a smug look.
Sasuke grumbled. “…fine fine…next date I pay…” he muttered and took a drink of his soda.
The two other boys were so totally lost it wasn’t even funny. The blonde noted this and explained. “me and Sasuke”
“Sasuke and I dear..”
Mumble. “thank you mom…anyways…Sasuke and I were wagering the payment of our next date on whether or not Neji would actually come over to stay the night…and I won!”
“Wow that must be some big achievement for you Naruto…”
“Yes it is--you know…that’s not funny Kankuro…”
The older boy just snickered. Once dinner was finished they cleaned up then Tsunade handed them each a cone of ice cream, Sasuke and Naruto getting rocky road whereas Neji got strawberry with chocolate and Gaara asking for Vanilla with strawberry syrup, before letting them go for the rest of the night.
“Come on Naruto!” Sasuke called as he grabbed the other by the hand. They both paused when Yondaime spoke, not even looking up from his book as he sat in his recliner.
“No wild sex in the house Naruto…”
“e-Etto…d-dad!” he sweat dropped and blushed while Sasuke smirked.
“don’t worry Yondaime I promise it won’t get too out of control…”
“Sasuke!” Naruto gasped as he was dragged off by the cackling Uchiha prodigy.
“…..weird…and your family acts like this all the time?” the Hyuga questioned as they headed back up to Gaara’s room.
“You either Gaara…I hear an odd sounds coming from up their and I’ll ground you”
Gaara tweaked. “…riiight what do you take me for…” he stated as he closed the attic door behind Neji.
That comment made the older boy blush but he quickly shook that away as they came to his room. He stared for a few minutes before turning around when Gaara began to strip down, apparently having no shame when it came to changing on front of someone, unlike Neji who had this odd fear of being seen without clothes on. Once Gaara was in his black sweatpants and t-shirt Neji found it safe to turn back around.
“well?”
“well what?”
“are you going to change?”
That made the star sweat drop. “crap…I forgot to bring nightclothes…” he mumbled poking his fingers together with a pout.
Gaara couldn’t help but smile to himself at how adorable Neji looked when he did that before shaking his head. “don’t worry I’ll go steal some clothes from Naruto you’re about the same size as he is…be right back” with that he vanished down the steps and out of the attic for a few minutes, leaving Neji to get a better examination of his surroundings.
The place was simple, but to him it was like living in a palace. Compared to his expensive-looking picture perfect bedroom this place was dirty, it was plain, and it was peaceful. His attention then was caught by the small art studio. The stuff there was expensive, meaning that must have been the one thing that set Gaara apart from the family downstairs. The only thing he’d ever ask for was art supplies. He looked over the easel, which was bare, the paints having been capped and the brushes cleaned expertly. He tore his eyes from the setup when he heard the door and footsteps coming up the stairs.
“here you go…I had to wrestle him then have Sasuke order him to give me the clothes, but I’m sure it was worth it…” he joked as he handed Neji a simple pair of gray cotton shorts and a white button up t-shirt. Neji thanked him then paused in removing his clothes to blush and look over at Gaara.
“Not yet”
“what?” he gave him a confused look.
“you said you’d be my model remember?” Gaara reminded him as he set up his easel and paints.
He blinked. “…oh…right. Sorry it slipped my mind for the moment…” he rubbed the back of his head.
“that’s ok…um. Hmm” Gaara pondered for a few minutes, “I know” he snapped his fingers then set out his stool in front of the studio and put a cloth over it. “come here” he requested.
Neji did as he was asked and walked over to him before being sat down on the stool then Gaara walked over to his easel and lifted his brush, trying to figure out how he wanted to start this. When he looked to his subject however he frowned. “that’s not right…” he mumbled quietly.
“what’s not right?”
“the setting…” he answered before asking Neji to stand so he could move the stool to another location. He set it in front of a mural that he had painted on his wall a few weeks ago. It was black and red feathers from two different wings that had white ribbon wrapped around them. “that should do much better” he gave a firm nod before Neji sat back down.
He shifted his things so that he could work comfortably but that frown returned a few minutes later. “….could I ask a favor of you?” he inquired.
“um…sure”
“could you take your clothes off?”
That made his face light up and his eyes widen a bit. “w-what?”
“I’m sorry but it just…doesn’t look right with clothes…I can understand if you say no though I mean…it’s personal…”
He thought about this for a long time. Truth be told he had never removed a single article of clothing for any sort of photo shoot. He refused to take his clothes off for any purpose whether it be a simple shirt or his entire outfit.
“…I…suppose. For the sake of the art. I true artist knows what they need to make a masterpiece” he said slowly and stood. He took off his vest, handing it to Gaara, who in return handed him what looked to be a simple white cloth.
“you can use this…it would fit the portrait better…” he pointed out.
Neji nodded then wrapped his arms around his waist to grasp the edges of his shirt. He paused, his face going a scarlet color as he pulled it over the top of his head, handing it to Gaara with a shaky hand, then went to his skirt and removed that. After kicking off his shoes and taking off his socks he paused at his shorts, looking over at the redhead.
Gaara caught onto the apprehension and turned around for him. That made him feel a little better as he removed his last article of clothing and wrapped the cloth around his waist, then told Gaara he could turn back around and handed him the shorts. The youth had taken care to fold Neji’s clothes for him and set them on the dresser next to his nightclothes before approaching him.
“would you mind if I positioned you?” he got a shake of the head as he sat the older teen down on the stool once more. “could you place one foot on the floor…yeah like that and then put the other on the bar” he paused to look at him so far, the cloth having slid over the bent leg, revealing smooth pale flesh. “now…“ he took Neji’s hand and wrapped it around the edge of the stool, the other he had in a loose fist against his chest. He cocked his head to one side, pushing long brunette tresses back, then parted a small clump and pulled it over his shoulder to cascade over his chest. He tucked some behind Neji’s ear, fanning out his bangs on the right side, a small piece hanging over the right by itself.
“perfect…now if you would please hold that pose…” once he felt satisfied he moved back to his easel and lifted his brush and prepared the necessary colors, blending some to gather the right effect.
Neji’s heart was pounding in his chest the entire time. Feeling the other boy’s soft hands touching him gave him butterflies. He bottled up his nervousness and remained motionless from the position he was put in, his face having turned the shade of Gaara’s hair by then. He swallowed hard and looked around timidly.
“don’t look around…just look at me and everything should be fine…” he heard the other say. With a nod he focused his attention to the painter.
The pace of his already racing heart picked up as he saw the determination and overall intensity in Gaara’s eyes when they locked for a moment. He’d never seen someone with such passion-filled eyes, such concentration. Despite him wanting to get up and cover himself with Gaara’s blanket he sat still, trying to keep himself from shaking while Gaara painted.
Each stroke was precise and accurate, never having to go over twice. He found it so much easier to paint with his subject there in person rather than trying to imagine it in his mind. He just couldn’t get his physique right in his mind.
By this time the model had finally been able to at least tone done the red heat he knew was radiating from his pale face, taking a deep breath as he tried to relax. He’d never felt so vulnerable and exposed before, but he was thankful it was only Gaara that would be looking at him like this. Personally…he didn’t want anyone but Gaara to see him this way.
“are you alright?” he jumped a bit when those words were spoken, looking up to see a somewhat concerned redhead staring at him. He blushed once again and nodded hastily. “y-yes I’m f-fine…um..how is it c-coming?” he was stammering? Neji Hyuga? Well there was a first time for everything.
“…it’s almost finished…just a few more minutes please…” he announced before his face went back to the stoic concentrated one.
He merely nodded in reply and took another calming breath, his face becoming a blank slate as he sat there zoning out on the tattoo on Gaara’s forehead. “what does it stand for?”
“huh? What does what stand for and you know you’re not supposed to be talking..”
“I’m sorry…I’ll be quiet.”
“….it’s the kanji for love…it’s a tattoo my mother had so I got one too after she died. I never got to know here cause she died after giving birth to me…but I have pictures and Temari and Kankuro talked about her all the time”
“I see” he frowned a bit in thought.
“one more thing is missing…” he thought aloud before glancing to his model. “could you smile for me?”
He tilted his head before straightening it as not to upset Gaara. “…um…what kind?”
“what do you mean what kind?”
“I can smile two ways…I can either give you a make-up smile or a genuine smile…though…it’s a stupid question to ask…I would never give you a fake smile” he sweat dropped.
“you can actually fake a smile?”
“yes…I had told you before that I hated my fame…but I’m not allowed to scowl about it so I put on a fake smile…”
“well…no fake smiles here…”
“of course not that would ruin the piece…” with that he did as asked and gave him a genuinely warm shy smile.
Gaara took that opportunity to finish his painting so Neji wouldn’t have to do it for too long then nodded to him. “finished, though it will need to dry and then I’ll need to gloss it…”
“can I look?”
“well it wouldn’t be fair if I painted you and you not getting to see it…” with that he turned the easel and what Neji saw took his breath away. It almost looked like someone took a picture and blew it up to a large size, but with all the specific detail made to the painting it was too beautiful to be considered a simple enlarged photo.
“….”
“what do you think? It’s not to bland is it?” Gaara looked to him for his opinion in high hopes.
“Are you kidding? That’s better than even I could do!”
“really? Good, cause I was planning on framing it and hanging it here in my room…”
The pale boy started and blushed. “..w-what?”
“you heard me…I wouldn’t want this piece to be taken from me by some art museum…I want to keep it because it’s my first real piece…so I’m going to have Sasuke build me a nice frame since he and his brother work together on carpentry and hang it in my room…”
“o-oh…okay…j-just…don&# 8217;t show anybody…I f-feel embarrassed enough f-for taking m-my clothes off in front of you…” he admitted.
Gaara gave him a weird look before laughing. “…don’t worry nobody will see it but me”
That made Neji feel better.
“Neji..”
“yes?”
“….thank you” he said quietly turning to him.
“you’re welcome…”
“could I ask you something?”
The 14-year-old smirked a bit. “you just did..”
Tweak tweak. “ok two more?”
“I guess”
Gaara looked around a moment before clearing his parched throat. “…would you…be my model? Permanently?”
“p-permanently? Wouldn’t you want someone else like…T-Tenten or Sakura…I mean…I-I’m not that great really…I-I’m not pretty or anything…”
“you’re right you aren’t pretty…” he started. That seemed to shock Neji and he was going to say how rude that was to be so brutally honest when Gaara cut him off. “…I’m asking because you’re beautiful…”
“I…” he didn’t know how to respond to that except to turn cherry red in the face.
“please?” Gaara pleaded giving him large turquoise puppy eyes and clasped his hands together staring up at him.
That made him etch back a bit from shyness before rubbing his cheek and nodding a little. “I-I suppose I could…”
Gaara’s eyes lit up at that and he threw his arms around him. “thank you!”
“y-you’re welcome…um…can I get dressed now?” he stammered.
The smaller one blinked then hastily went over to the dresser and handed Neji his borrowed nightclothes then turned around so he could change. Once in clothing again he folded the cloth and put it in the wardrobe and crawled into Gaara’s bed. He felt a little awkward sharing a bed with someone else, especially Gaara, but he didn’t voice this. He found it a little comforting to be able to share a bed with someone. After Gaara snuggled under the covers he said his goodnight and turned out the lights. Neji was almost instantly asleep, having to have dealt with another tiring photo shoot and being told exactly what to do before he came over so he was beat.
Gaara was far from tired, however. He was too transfixed with watching his Angel sleeping beside him. his Angel…