Chapter Text
Gaara sat at his office, shuffling through his latest case file. The child he was supposed to evaluate was one that was living in a drug filled home. He had done his best to get the parents to sober up and be present in their child’s life, but it didn’t seem like it was going to happen. Even though as a social worker it was his job to remove kids from unsafe situations, he never enjoyed doing it. He knew that it sometimes lead to an unstable life, moving from foster home to foster home, especially if they were a disgruntled child like he was.
He sighed, closing the folder and opening a new document on his computer. He would need to submit a request to have the child pulled from the home, placing him into foster care, at least for the next few years. He would continue working with the parents, possibly see if they deserved a second chance. But, he refused to bring him back into an unstable home, no matter how hard the parents begged. He didn’t want to see that happen again, kids being ripped from a slightly better life in foster care back into the hell hole most of them called a “family.” No, he would do his best to ensure the parents were worthy of another chance. Not all parents were.
“Gaara, Temari wants you in her office,” one of his coworkers said, peeking her head into the doorway. Gaara sighed, leaning back in his chair.
“How soon, Matsuri?”
“Knowing Temari, five minutes ago,” she replied, flicking her hair back. Gaara smirked at that and closed the folder, pushing himself to stand.
“Thank you.”
Matsuri remained in the doorway, watching Gaara as he passed by her.
“Um, Gaara, I was wondering if you had any plans this evening?” she asked, chewing on her bottom lip. Gaara stifled a sigh, pausing with his back to her.
“I don’t know to be honest. I guess we’ll see what she wants.” Gaara looked over his shoulder at her. “Bye, Matsuri.”
Matsuri nodded, staring at the ground. Gaara was used to deflecting her advances, but she never seemed to get the hint. She also didn’t seem to realize that her job was to take care of the kids they worked with. Not flirt with him.
He walked into Temari’s office before quickly walking backwards out the door. He placed a light knock on the frame, then walked back in.
“Wow, you remembered this time, huh, squirt?” Temari asked, her eyes glued to the screen as she typed.
“Temari, we’re at work, you shouldn’t call me ‘squirt.’”
“I’m your director I can call you whatever I damn well please,” Temari muttered, focused on whatever she was doing on her computer. She pressed the enter button, seemingly satisfied with what she had typed, and directed her attention back to Gaara.
“Working hard on something?” he asked, pulling out his notebook and clicking his pen as he sat in the chair in front of her desk.
“I’m always working hard. But actually, I was just messaging Shikamaru. He wanted to know if you and Kankuro wanted to have dinner with us next weekend,” Temari said, pulling out a sheet of paper and placing it on her desk.
“And what did you tell him?” Gaara eyed the paper, trying to figure out what new project Temari was about to shove onto him. Temari had the tendency to spring things on him without any warning. It gave Gaara something to do which was always nice, he being one to never leave the house unless it was for work. If it weren’t for all of the extra projects, Gaara would sit at home and do nothing more than watch shitty movies with Kankuro.
“That I would ask you two, what else would I have said?” Temari snorted.
“I don’t know, I figured you would want personal time with him since your anniversary is coming up.” Shikamaru and Temari had been dating for almost three years now, much to Gaara’s surprise. They often argued in public, but seemed to soften up when it was just the two of them or when they were with immediate family. Gaara liked Shikamaru well enough. He seemed to support his sister in her crazy job and Temari loved him. That’s all he could really expect of him.
Temari shook her head and sighed. “We’ll celebrate another day. Anyway, we can discuss this more later off the clock. I have a new project for you.”
Gaara rolled his eyes, scribbling the date down on his paper. “You’re never off the clock, Tem. Which means neither am I by default.”
“Oh, I’m so glad you agree, because I need you to do an off site assignment for me starting tonight and a few nights over the next few weeks.”
“Nights?” Gaara asked, his brow raised. He took the paper Temari was handing him and surveyed it briefly. He wasn’t used to being sent on night assignments unless it was an emergency, and now that he had gained seniority, those were usually passed off to newer workers like Matsuri. It made Gaara nervous, especially for kids he was working with personally, so he still often opted to go out. But for other cases, ones he wasn’t directly involved in, he was more than content with staying at home and enjoying an evening by himself, unwinding from the mentally and emotionally draining job he had.
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing too crazy,” Temari said, taking a sip from the water bottle on her desk, “There’s a program we’re currently funding along with the Konoha branch. It’s fairly new and I’m not too keen on it. I want you to evaluate it, check to see if it’s even worth funding. I don’t want us to be wasting money if it’s not helping the kids.” Gaara nodded in agreement. Even though Temari had a tough and cold exterior, she loved the kids more than she would ever admit. Gaara trusted her opinion when it came to their well being.
“What kind of program is it?” Gaara asked, looking back through his paper.
“It’s a skateboarding program, ran by a Mr. Rock Lee. He gathers up at risk youth and teaches them how to skateboard.”
Gaara rolled his eyes. He had heard enough about the skating world from his older brother, Kankuro. Temari must have felt the same way, nodding at Gaara’s facial expression.
“Just, go check it out, okay? I want you to at least go to three or four sessions, evaluate the kids there, see if it’s helping them at all. I think a few of the ones you’ve worked with will be there. Just give your honest opinion, and please be careful about it. If we end up pulling our funding, there will be a few very upset kiddos to answer to.”
Gaara nodded, his lips set in a firm line. He always had the children’s best interest at heart, even if that meant cutting a program they enjoyed. Just because they liked it didn’t always mean that it was beneficial to their overall well being.
“I’ll do my best. I’ll stop by tonight, before I pick up Kankuro from work.”
“He still hasn’t gotten a car yet?” Temari asked, stifling a yawn as she stretched. Gaara made a mental note to tell Shikamaru to get her to work less. Perhaps a vacation was in order.
“He insists on roller blading everywhere still. Then on late nights, he begs me for a ride. But what can be done?”
“Knowing that dumb ass? Nothing.”
Gaara scoffed, standing up from his desk. He raised his hand as he left Temari’s office.
“Let me know about dinner next weekend!” she called after him. He continued to walk to his office, smiling softly. As much of a pain in the ass his siblings were, he wouldn’t want things to be any different. They had a rocky childhood, one that separated each of the siblings through mental trauma and pain, Gaara getting the worst of it. Temari and Kankuro had distanced themselves from him for a while. It hurt in ways he wasn’t able to properly express. Once they had settled into a more permanent home, they each began therapy. Slowly they grew closer together, though there were often bumps along the way. Even so, they were now closer than Gaara could have ever hoped for.
After completing a few random pieces of paperwork and straightening out his desk, he slung his leather bag over his shoulder and prepared to leave for the day. A timid Matsuri poked her head in once again, her purse draped over her shoulder as she bounced on her toes. Just watching her gave Gaara anxiety.
“So, did you end up making plans then?”
“I have to go evaluate a program we’re funding, so kind of. Temari made them for me I guess. I’m very busy,” Gaara replied, ensuring he put an emphasis on the “busy” part.
Matsuri laughed awkwardly, standing in the doorway watching Gaara get ready to leave. He shut the light off, scooting next to her to close and lock his door.
“Well, good night.”
Matsuri nodded, turning and walking quickly in the other direction. Gaara breathed a sigh of relief and began walking slowly out of the building, punching the address of the skate park into his phone as he did so. It was only a fifteen minute drive from his office. He briefly considered getting food on his way there, but decided against it knowing that Kankuro would want to eat when he picked him up from work. It didn’t make sense to make two different stops for dinner.
As he turned his car on, a soothing instrumental song began to play with a strong beat in the background. He sighed in relief, another long day over. Well, almost over. He drove to the skate park, easily navigating the streets of his town, the beat of the music centering him as he went. Once he arrived there, he got out his notebook and slung his bag over his shoulder. Several people surrounded the skate park. For a program teaching kids how to ride, none of them seemed to actually be skateboarding. As he got closer, he noticed someone skating in and out of the bowls, even going so far as to grab the ledges, flipping his board out from under him and back down as he landed. The kids were extremely invested in the display, screaming and grabbing each other as he moved.
After a few more dips in and out of the ground, he flipped the skateboard over the ledge and onto the ground. He threw himself up onto it, standing on his hands on the board and slowly wobbling sideways. As he skated upside down, his shirt fell a bit revealing rock solid abs.
Damn.
Gaara stepped forward slightly, trying to refocus himself on the task at hand by looking through the crowd of kids and foster parents to see if he recognized any in the crowd. One small girl, Raito, recognized him immediately, rushing to greet him with a big hug.
“Gaara!” she yelled, squeezing his legs. She had been placed in foster care the year previous, both of her parents having died in a car accident with no close relatives for her to live with. She had done well in foster care so far, only experiencing minor hiccups that seemed to ease as she did therapy and worked with her current foster parents. Luckily, they had stuck with her throughout her entire placement and were planning on adopting her soon. Gaara hadn’t told her that, worried that they would change their mind, but they were currently filling out the paperwork to keep her forever. Gaara saw them across the park, smiling at Raito. His heart swelled, knowing that they were doing all they could to provide a great home for her.
Gaara squeezed Raito back, bending down to get on her level. “Hello, Raito. How are you doing today?”
“I got a big scrape on my knee and I cried a lot, but then Lee gave me a bandaid with cactuses on it and a lollipop!” she said, her words blending together in excitement.
“The plural for cactus is cacti,” Gaara said, inspecting the bandaid on her knee.
“What’s a plural?” Raito asked, hopping on the leg she had injured, testing out the stability of her bandaid. Gaara laughed gently.
“Don’t worry about it, Raito. Speaking of Rock Lee, do you know where he is? I’m supposed to meet with him.”
“I am right here!” a voice said from directly behind him. Gaara shot up and spun around, finding himself face to face with the skater from before. He extended a muscular arm out to him, smiling widely. At the end of his grin sat a deep dimple, accentuating his perfect teeth. He seemed like the kind of guy to smile a lot, meaning Gaara would probably be seeing that dimple a lot, not that he minded. Gaara stared at the extended arm and took it, shaking his hand as his eyes traveled up his bicep. He had a full sleeve of tattoos, the most noticeable one being a large, green dragon snaking its way back and around his arm. It extended down past his elbow, the tail ending in the middle of his forearm.
“Rock Lee, at your service, sir! What can I do for you?” Lee continued to pump Gaara’s hand until he pulled away. Lee seemed to be the type to never break a handshake first. Gaara didn’t like that type.
“Uh, yes, my name is Gaara, I work at the Suna branch for CPS. I’m a social worker. Our branch helps fund your program, I have been asked to come evaluate it to ensure that our funding is being put to good use.”
Lee’s large dark eyebrows slid up his forehead in surprise. “Oh, that is absolutely wonderful! We have been trying to get someone here for a while now, but the Konoha branch hasn’t been able to send someone. Please, feel free to walk around or ask any questions! I am an open book!”
Gaara was slightly taken aback by Lee’s reaction. Normally when he did evaluations, the program runners would act rude, like Gaara wanted to shut them down. Didn’t they realize that he just wanted what was best for the kids, just like they did?
Gaara nodded at Lee slightly. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but was interrupted by a tugging at his pant leg. He turned around to see Raito looking up at him intensely.
“Gaara, come say hi to my moms!” she said, out of breath in her excitement. Gaara nodded, allowing her to tug him by the hand. He threw a look back at Lee, who beamed at him before turning around to help one of the other kids put on his elbow pads.
“Hello, Gaara! Sorry she pulled you all the way over here, I know that you’re working,” Akiara, one of Raito’s moms said.
“No trouble at all, I am happy to see all of you here.”
“What brings you by?” the slightly taller woman, Kimi, asked, picking Raito up and holding her on her hip.
“I’ve been asked to evaluate the program, see if everything is running smoothly and if it’s beneficial to the children. Do you mind if I ask the both of you a few questions?”
“Not at all!” they replied in unison. Akiara turned to her wife, poking her tongue out at her teasingly. Kimi nudged her with her hip and rolled her eyes then set her soon-to-be daughter down, slightly patting her back. She needed no further nudging, running off to find Lee, ready to get back on her board.
“How long has Raito been doing this program?” Gaara asked, clicking his pen and flipping the notebook open. “I know it’s been a while since we last met.”
“Hmm, I want to say it’s been about six months? Does that sound right?” Akiara said, turning to her wife.
“Yeah, between five to six months. Lee is great with the kids. He seems to be a kid at heart so they get along great!” Kimi said with a laugh. Gaara jotted a few notes down, including a reminder to find more information on Lee. Temari hadn’t given him much, unfortunately.
“Have you felt that she has improved since starting the program?”
“Oh, definitely. At first she had a hard time opening up. She was really scared and hesitant to get on the board or interact with the other kids. The first few times she clung to my legs. We were considering pulling her from the program entirely.” Kimi looked at her partner, concern flitting on her expression briefly. “But, Lee was able to pull her out of that within time, especially when he showed them all of his tricks. Now she wants to be exactly like him! He’s really good at promoting interaction between the kids. It’s great because he gives them a reliable adult to depend on, as well as the opportunity to interact with kids their age, especially those who are in similar situations as them.”
Akiara nodded, pulling her wife in by the hip. “It’s been a lot of fun for her. She’s come home with a few extra scrapes and bruises, but she’s made up for it by the emotional progress she has made.”
Gaara nodded as he continued to take notes.
“Sometimes a few bumps are worth it for the internal healing that follows. I’m glad to see things have worked out for the three of you.”
“Thank you for all of your help, Gaara. We don’t know where we would be without you!” Kimi said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.
Gaara blushed lightly. He never knew how to take praise for his work. He only wanted to help the kids, after all.
“I’m sure you would have managed just fine.” He smiled gently at her before stepping back slightly. “Please excuse me. I’m going to observe for a while.”
The women nodded and smiled at Gaara, then turned their attention back to Raito. She was managing to successfully roll down one of the smaller ramps, Lee loudly cheering her on in the background. Gaara found a bench to sit on at the edge of the park, close enough to observe, but not so close he would disturb the class.
He watched as Lee chased the kids around the skate park, fixing helmets when needed, and instructing a few kids on the proper stance. A lot of them did fine skating on their own, having been in the class for a while. He seemed to have endless energy, running from one end of the park to the other. Pushing a child up one hill, then running over to another who had tumbled. Gaara was surprised, and kind of impressed. Lee did this all by himself?
Gaara took a break from watching, writing notes based on what he had seen. When he got to the office in the morning, he would write a more thorough report, detailing what he observed and aligning it with the goals of his branch and what the kids generally needed. He made a note to pull a few of the files for the kids he had worked with who were now in the program and to check where they had improved so he could present a few detailed examples for Temari. As he flipped his notebook closed, a shadow fell in front of him, blocking the light from the slowly setting sun.
He looked up to see none other than Rock Lee standing above him.
“Hello, Gaara! I came to check on you, maybe see if you had a few questions?”
Gaara looked him up and down briefly. His hair was pushed back off his forehead by his snapback which had been turned around to reveal large, dark eyebrows. He wore all black, the only variation in tone being the white print on the front of his t-shirt, a large “YOUTH” written across his chest.
“Oh, Vans!” he said, as Gaara felt a tapping against his foot.
“Sorry?” Gaara said, pulling his foot back.
“You’re a Vans person too, huh? Oh! Do you skate?” he asked, eyes lighting up as he looked at Gaara. Gaara looked down to see a pair of green high top Vans pointed directly at his own black ones.
“Oh… Yes, I tend to wear a lot of Vans. I don’t skate, though. My brother does on and off and introduced me to the brand. I like the way they look. Not too casual for around the office.” Gaara shrugged, gesturing to his outfit. He wore black jeans and a button down maroon shirt, a typical work outfit for him. They tended to dress fairly casually, worried that too formal attire would make the kids they worked with feel uncomfortable.
Lee glanced at his outfit, quickly pulling his eyes back to Gaara’s. “Ah, that makes sense! Well, since you’re dressed for the occasion, would you like to have a go?” He stomped his foot on the end of his board, popping it up and into his hand. The deck of the board was a deep, forest green with neon orange wheels. Gaara didn’t think they matched very well, but not a lot about Lee seemed to really match Gaara’s previous expectations.
“No, I am okay. Thank you though. I would prefer to continue evaluating.” Gaara crossed one leg over the other, pulling his notebook back into his lap as proof. Lee’s smile faltered slightly, but he stepped back, not wanting to bother Gaara any further.
“I suppose that is what you are here for. I appreciate that! I want to ensure that my program is the best it can be for these kids.” He turned to briefly watch them run around the skate park, abandoning their boards for a game of tag. “I’m sure that’s your goal as well.”
Before Gaara could respond, Lee ran off to join the game, letting some of the slower kids tag him when they couldn’t get anyone else.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, kids began to filter out of the skate park. Lee picked up a few helmets as well as some garbage left over from snacks. Once everything was cleaned up, he walked back over to Gaara who was preparing to leave.
“So, before we depart, do you have any additional questions for me?”
Gaara cleared his throat, standing to match Lee’s position. He straightened his posture, attempting to seem authoritative even though Lee was a few inches taller than him. If it was working, Lee didn’t seem to notice, smiling down at Gaara as he had done the whole night.
“Just a few. What do you do for work? Do you just...skate all day?”
“Uh, well, I am actually a social worker as well! I work at the Konoha branch which is why we have not seen each other. I do this program in my free time. I have worked with some of the kids who come, but others are just at risk youth in the community, as well as children you have worked with. Like Raito!” he concluded, beaming at the mention of the small girl. “She is truly amazing. Her parents have told me a lot about you. They are very grateful for all you have done!”
Gaara stared into his notebook, concentrating on the words in front of him. “All part of the job,” he mumbled, scribbling away.
“Maybe so, but you go above and beyond, just as I attempt to do.”
“Well, from what I have seen, you do a great job at that,” Gaara said, flipping his notebook closed. Lee stammered, a light blush forming on his face. “I apologize for not realizing you were a social worker, unfortunately I was not given much information on this program. But I do want to know, if you’re a social worker, why do you want to be evaluated so badly? I’m assuming you already know what the kids need?”
“Oh, that is quite alright! Most people don’t expect much when they meet me” Lee said, rubbing his neck as a sad expression crossed his face. “I do know what the children need and try to put things in place to provide that for them, but it is always good to get a second opinion!”
“I suppose so. I apologize for underestimating you. I will not be doing it again any time soon. Your program is impressive from what I have seen so far,” Gaara said, turning to leave.
“Wait, Gaara, will you be coming back?” Lee asked, an almost hopeful look on his face hiding under the blush that Gaara’s compliments had given him.
“I have to do three more evaluations of your program. So yes, I will be back, at least three times. I can’t say what days as they are supposed to be unexpected.”
“Of course,” Lee said nodding. As he opened his mouth to continue, Gaara’s stomach rumbled loudly.
“Oh, are you hungry? I could maybe take you to get something to eat?” Lee offered, pointing his arm in what Gaara assumed was the direction of his car.
“Oh, thank you for the offer, but I actually have to pick my brother up from work. We’re getting dinner on the way home. I will see you soon, Rock Lee.”
“Oh goodness, please, call me Lee!”
Gaara gave a quick nod before turning sharply and walking towards his car. He heard Lee call a goodbye after him, but opted to pretend he didn’t hear him. He was worried about getting too close to him, worried it might compromise his view of the program. But Gaara couldn’t help but think about how his muscles flexed when he was riding the skateboard on his hands.
Gaara shook his head as he sat down in his car. His career meant the world to him. He wouldn’t do anything to compromise that. Even with the reminder, he still found himself looking down at his Vans, a small smile forming on his face.
He turned on the car and drove slowly to pick up Kankuro, enjoying the last moment of peace he would have for the evening. Tomorrow he would wake up, get to work, and do it all over again, now with a new project to look forward to.