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Gaara was having a perfectly reasonable day. And by that, he means that it was just like all the others. The only somewhat notable difference today was that Ino wore a new pair of earrings and wouldn’t stop talking about it. When she had approached Gaara about it, he had simply nodded and said, “They’re new.”
Thankfully, that seemed to appease her, and she had bounded off to bother another one of their coworkers.
But the day passed, and just like all other days, the workday was done and it was time to go home.
Gaara’s wondering what he’ll have for dinner when he enters the elevator. There isn’t anybody else, which Gaara is grateful for. There are so many different reactions people give when being alone in an elevator with somebody.
Unnerving, honestly. Gaara just sighs, the tiniest of smiles making an appearance when he remembers his sister’s wise advice when it comes to elevator talk: “Just don’t look at them. Or do. You’re kind of scary.”
When the elevator reaches the fourth floor, it dings and stops. Gaara mentally decides what he’ll do.
He decides to just keep quiet and hope the other person won’t even look at him.
The doors open.
“… so damn pretentious,” mutters the blonde man who hastily enters the elevator. He hasn’t looked at Gaara yet. “Piece of shit Sasuke.”
Gaara quirks a bit at the name, having heard of the Uchiha man who Ino never stopped raving about. He doesn’t say anything though. There isn’t any reason to.
The man keeps grumbling under his breath.
Gaara scoots over, putting as much distance as he can between the pair of them.
The movement has the opposite effect, however, and suddenly the man is talking miles a minute, and worse, it’s directed toward him.
“… really annoying, isn’t it?! I mean, most days I’m really okay with it, honestly, but today, I’m just not having the best day and he gets the fucking promotion? He did work hard, but I worked hard too! I deserved that promotion! And he’s so damn pretentious! He had the nerve to come up to me and brag, of course! I… I mean, I would probably do the same, but still! And you should have seen Sakura! I thought she was my friend, but as soon as it’s announced he got the promotion, she’s applauding for him like they’re friends! I mean… they are friends, I suppose, but still! It’s just so—”
Gaara doesn’t know why this man is talking so loudly to him. He eyes the floor number and frowns when seeing it says they’re on the third floor. He keeps eyeing it, the other man still talking, and his frown deepens when the number doesn’t change after a full minute. He goes still, trying to see if they’re moving, and after decidedly concluding that they aren’t, he turns his attention back on the man who is still talking.
“… fancy lunch and everything! I want a fancy lunch! Shikamaru said he’d offer to treat me to a fancy lunch one day, but I don’t believe him! Last time he promised me that, it took me three years to finally get him to do it! And that was only when it was a company dinner that he was forced to be there for! He’s a good friend, but he can be so lazy sometimes, which makes that kind of hard to work with, ya know? Anyway, what was I talking about?”
Gaara is momentarily stunned when the man stops talking, but then he blinks when he realizes that the man is waiting on his response.
He needs to tell him about the elevator.
“I apologize, but I don’t remember. But I think you should know that—”
The other man suddenly perks up, grinning widely. “I remembered! We were talking about Sasuke, the Dick!”
Gaara retreats further into his corner and wonders if the man knows what ‘we’ means considering he just said that they were both having a conversation.
Gaara tunes back into the man’s incredibly long story.
“… dumb, right? That’s what I said too! But she still did it! I can’t believe she would do something like that, but it was really funny so it’s okay, I think. I’m sorry. I keep getting distracted. But Sasuke and I really have known each other for a long time, ya know? It’s okay for me to say this shit about him. I don’t feel bad. He’s a dick and he was a dick today. I don’t know what anybody sees in him to be honest! For a while there, I thought Sakura had a crush on him, but she seems to be hanging out with Lee more? Which is a good thing! Lee is a good guy. He’s kind of intense though. But then so is Sakura… so maybe that’s good, right?”
Another question. Another expectant look from the Very Loud Man.
Gaara can do this.
He nods.
The blonde grins.
And… keeps talking (just as Gaara opened his mouth to tell the man about the elevator too).
The man talks and talks and talks and talks and Gaara is surprised with himself when he finds himself starting to care, starting to seriously answer the many questions the man asks him, starting to find himself caring about reassuring the man when the man expresses doubts over something silly, and Gaara stops trying to tell the man about the elevator.
Just as the man was getting into a story about his friend winning a national eating competition, however, he suddenly stops.
Gaara watches as the man frowns and turns around to study the elevator door and buttons.
Just as suddenly as he stopped, he whips around to study Gaara instead.
“...Do you think the elevator is stuck?” he asks.
A small voice in his head whispers “finally” when he hears that.
Another voice says something akin to disappointment.
Gaara focuses on the “finally” voice.
He nods. “Yes. We’ve been stuck for about an hour now.”
The man looks shocked by this information, turns around again, and then turns back to Gaara. He’s grinning at him.
Gaara finds that he likes his smile quite a bit. This man and his sunshine smile. This man and his sunshine hair.
The sunshine man who holds out his hand and says, “I’m Naruto.”
Gaara shakes the hand, noting how firm his palm feels. “Gaara.”
Naruto laughs brightly, bringing a hand up to scratch as his head. “I kind of rambled there for a bit. Sorry about that,” he laughs.
Gaara shakes his head, fighting back a small smile (to his surprise). “It’s no problem. Really.”
He’s surprised once more when he finds that he means that wholeheartedly.
Naruto’s grin widens somehow and he laughs again.
“Well, since we can’t get out, we might as well keep talking, huh? Or… I mean… if that’s okay with you, of course. If you prefer silence after all that, I understand. Really.”
Gaara shakes his head. He’d already let a small smile slip after hearing that. “No, it’s okay. Like you said, there is nothing better to do. Also, you’re… interesting.”
Naruto blushes when he hears that, but thankfully (to Gaara’s embarrassment), he doesn’t say anything about it.
Naruto eventually just laughs again, scratching at his head once more. “Well, if you put up with me talking for that long that means you must be pretty cool. Tell me about yourself?”
Gaara has always had reservations about telling others about himself. His siblings know the most, of course. But the rest of his family, he keeps at a distance. He’s had other significant people in his life that he’s told such important things to, but they’ve all betrayed him. They’ve all hurt them. They’re the reason he was so guarded now, especially about his emotions.
But something is different about Naruto.
And Gaara doesn’t know what that could possibly be, but he’s too curious of a being to let the feeling sit and simmer.
So, Gaara tells him.
“I work as a manager at this firm,” is what he says.
Naruto raises his eyebrows at that. “No shit! Seriously?”
Gaara nods. “Indeed. Although, I think I’m up for a promotion soon. I’m not too concerned about it though.”
Naruto nods. “That’s cool, dude. I really want to be CEO one day, ya know? It’s my dream.”
Gaara studies him, trying to see him in the role of a CEO. He can see Naruto definitely being a leader, but he has some doubts about him being a CEO. However, Naruto seems like the kind of person that can do anything so perhaps he believes in Naruto more than he thought he could have.
“That’s a good dream to have,” he says, and he means it. He’s been jealous of people like Naruto in the past. Always so passionate. Perhaps he still holds a level of envy there. He knows it isn’t strong though if he does.
“Do you like your job?” Naruto asks next.
Gaara considers his question. He shrugs. “It’s not a bad job, but sometimes I… find myself wishing for something more.”
The words hang in the air and just as Gaara starts to feel slightly embarrassed by such an honest admission so early on in his side of the conversation, Naruto is shooting him an understanding grin.
“Man, I feel that. I feel like I need to really keep trying for my dream to happen, and it was really hard to see Sasuke get it today. I really thought I had it. Sometimes, I think I should just transfer to another company altogether. I like this company though. I like what they do.”
Gaara nods. “I do as well,” he says. “I think… Naruto, that you will reach your dream one day.”
It didn’t seem like such a big thing to say to the other man, but Naruto stays silent in response to it. Gaara wants to ask if he’s offended him somehow, but then finally, a slow smile brightens Naruto’s expression tenfold.
Gaara is absolutely enraptured.
And then, abruptly and quickly, Naruto is closer than ever. “Do you want to run away together? Maybe we should both quit our jobs and go and start our own business. Whaddya think?” His breath is warm against Gaara’s face and Gaara can’t breathe, can’t move, mentally trying to decide whether to focus on what the hell Naruto just said or how Naruto seems to emit a certain and comforting warmth.
Gaara waits a second, waiting for Naruto to say something like, “Just kidding!” but he never does, and that might mean something.
And then just as quickly as the moment lasted, a shrill ringtone is going off in the otherwise silent elevator.
They’re both startled by the sound and Gaara notices the similar confusion he’s feeling spread across Naruto’s face. Naruto pulls himself away even more, brings out his phone, and Gaara feels like an idiot.
Their phones.
He forgot their damn phones.
They could have called somebody ages ago.
Naruto has picked up the phone by now and just as Gaara finishes beating himself up for not thinking of his damn cellular device earlier, Naruto finishes his conversation and hangs up.
He grins at Gaara, albeit a bit awkwardly.
“Sorry. That was my roommate. He’s wondering where I am. Also, our phones? How dumb am I to forget about my phone?”
Gaara nods solemnly. “I also forgot mine. I apologize.”
Naruto laughs. “No, it’s not a problem. Seriously. Both our faults. But… but now we can get out of here, huh? I bet you’re dying to get home, damn.”
Gaara says nothing, too afraid he’ll say too much.
He may have imagined it, but he thinks he sees something like disappointment on Naruto’s face.
“I’ll call for somebody,” Naruto says before anything else can be said, and he does.
The call goes by smoothly, and within the next ten minutes, the elevator is working again. Apparently, there was something wrong with the power to it, and it was an easy fix with just the flip of a switch.
When they both reach the ground floor, they hesitate on who leaves first.
Finally, Naruto moves to get out. Gaara quickly follows him.
When they’re out, Gaara vaguely notices how dark it is outside, but he can’t care, his gaze too focused on Naruto’s nervous expression.
Naruto sends him a nervous smile. “Well… I suppose I’ll see you around, right? It was nice to meet you, Gaara. You were the best person I could have gotten stuck in an elevator with!”
Gaara says nothing, but he feels his throat constrict as he nods.
He wants to say something, but he doesn’t know what. Why would Naruto even want to see him again?
Naruto pauses at his next-to-nothing response and after another few long seconds of standing there staring at each other, Naruto softly sighs, smiles widely at him, says goodbye, and walks away.
Gaara wants to say something something something anything anything anyth—
And then just as Naruto reaches the doors, he pauses.
He pauses and turns around.
Gaara simply stands there, observing as Naruto quickly rushes back to him.
“I meant what I said. I meant what I said about the running away together thing. I know it’s ridiculous, but I thought… I thought maybe we could start with a date? You’re just… you’re really cool and nice and hot and I don’t know there’s something about you, and…would you… want that? A date?”
Gaara doesn’t even allow himself to think.
“Yes. That sounds perfect.”
Naruto’s answering smile is blinding.