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Gaara sat quietly in the corner. The last time he was here, he had wanted to get rid of this person, but he was so intriguing, despite his bowl cut and untrimmed eyelashes. The red head hovered because, after having some sense beat into him, he didn’t want Lee to die. He was the first person ever to get a hit on Gaara, and it fascinated him.
Gaara sat and thought to himself, relieved to see Lee’s chest moving up and down, showing that he is still alive. He didn’t know where his brain was or why it was thinking what it was but he had the simple urge to run his hand through his straight, black hair. He really wanted to but was afraid. What if he hurt him again? Gaara was told over and over again that his hand was just a tool, that his hands weren’t to comfort people. Only that he would hurt everything he touched.
What if Gaara let the urge take over and he could do something so simple? Something to show Lee that he cared? Lee, Gaara guessed, wouldn’t know since he was still asleep from their fight. Luckily for him, he healed easily.
He got up from the seat in the corner, his hands shaking at his side as he walked up to the guy asleep in the bed, right by his head. He lifted his hand up, leaning forward to finally run his hand through the dark locks of Lee. Hand shaking, Gaara pulled it back to himself, as if he touched something warm and burning, but as he held his hand, Lee’s chest was still breathing. Gaara sighed inwardly.
He isn’t dead… Gaara thought to himself, elated that he was able to touch something he wanted to and nothing bad had happened.
As he thought to himself, he noticed Lee’s eyes fluttering open. Lee looked around and saw Gaara above him. The look in Gaara's eyes showed he was scared, which worried Lee.
“What’s wrong?” Lee asked, his voice hoarse. He looked Gaara over and noticed he was holding his own hand.
“Are you hurt?”
Gaara shook his head no slowly, making sure to keep his eyes on Lee. Lee wasn’t able to move more than that, but all he wanted to do was make sure Gaara was okay. Yes, the guy tried to kill him but he knows, after Guy had told him hundreds of times, that trying to kill people can be draining. It can hurt the person trying to do it. So he was instructed to be gentle and kind to the people who were doing that.
Only able to move his head, Lee smiled brightly up at Gaara, making Gaara turn red under his gaze.
“How are you feeling?”
Gaara was startled by the question.
“Should you be asking me that when you’re bedridden?” Gaara asked curiously, wondering what was going through his brain.
“Yes, but I was told by my sensei that we should show empathy towards people who have to kill.”
Gaara kept his gaze on Lee, but he didn’t say anything else. He realized this was what Lee was about; Caring about other people over himself. Gaara never understood that concept, but it comforted Gaara to know Lee was like that. Maybe if he had someone like that in his life, his life wouldn’t have turned out so badly.
“I’m… sorry,” The jinjuriki said quietly. He didn’t know how far that would get him, but it didn’t seem that Lee was even thinking about that right now. Lee smiled back at Gaara, tears in his eyes.
“I needed to hear that… thank you,” Lee smiled, closing his eyes. The room went quiet except for the beeping of the machines. Gaara didn’t know what else to think, but he smiled to himself, going back to the seat he was previously in. Knowing that he made Lee feel better made him feel…. Elated.