Work Text:
Gaara works late. Even after he retires to the large bed in the Kazekage's private chambers, he sits up, back against the headboard, reading reports for hours.
It's a pattern he repeats every night that's rarely interrupted, so it's noteworthy when he hears a knock on his door late one evening. Given the hour and the gentleness of the knock, Gaara knows that it's Kankuro who's knocking and that it's not an emergency.
Gaara rests the scroll he's been reading in his lap and says, "Come in."
Kankuro steps inside his room and tells Gaara, "The joint team is back."
Gaara sits up a little straighter and Kankuro answers his next question before he can open his mouth to ask. "Their mission was a success. The information has been recovered and has already been given to the cryptology department for analysis. Only minor injuries were sustained."
Gaara lets out a small sigh of relief.
"There's one more thing," Kankuro continues, and his eyebrows furrow in what seem like equal parts bewilderment and amusement when he says, "Naruto is here to give you a report."
It's extremely rare for a shinobi to dictate a report to the Kazekage directly in his private chambers, let alone a foreign shinobi from a nation that was, a few short years ago, considered the enemy. In any other village, Naruto's presence by the kage's door would automatically be read as a security threat, but Naruto has a particular relationship with Gaara, and by extension, with Suna.
"Send him in," Gaara says.
Kankuro nods, calls out something behind him, and a moment later, Naruto bounds into Gaara's chambers. Gaara's sand recognizes the presence of the Kyubi and Gaara knows without a doubt that the man standing before him is Naruto.
Naruto doesn't bother with pleasantries.
"Gaara! Gaara!" Naruto says, full of his usual exuberance. "We did it! But you won't believe what happened! Your intelligence was right. Once we crossed the border, Temari noticed that we were being followed and got Sakura and I to--"
As Naruto recalls the details of the mission, Gaara notices that his clothing is a mess -- it's covered in dirt and smudged with blood in a few places -- and also notices the dark shadows under his eyes that speak to how little sleep he must have gotten recently.
Naruto cuts himself off about two minutes into his report and his head swivels around almost comically as he seems to realize where he is for the first time. He takes in the plush interior of Gaara's bed chamber, and his eyes travel up Gaara's pyjama-clad body and settle on the report still resting in Gaara's lap.
"Uh," Naruto asks, "Am I even allowed to be in here?"
Gaara lets some of his amusement show on his face when he replies. "I let you in, didn't I?"
Naruto blinks at him. "I guess you did. Uh..." Naruto's stomach grumbles. He rubs the back of his neck and fidgets awkwardly. "Sorry. I came straight here after we got back. I haven't had a chance to eat yet."
Gaara sends a small tendril of sand under the door towards where Kankuro is stationed. Kankuro enters the room a few seconds later.
"Can you bring Naruto a meal?" Gaara asks him. Kankuro raises an eyebrow at Gaara in surprise before leaving, and Gaara knows it's because he's never requested food for anyone in his chambers before.
Naruto sways a little on his feet, his exhaustion obviously catching up with him. Gaara gestures to the opposite side of the bed -- the only place in the room that someone can sit down that isn't the floor, his night-stand, or his windowsill, which is covered in cacti. "Have a seat," Gaara tells him.
Naruto pinches his jacket, pulls it away from his body and wrinkles his nose. "I'm kinda gross right now."
"I don't mind," Gaara replies truthfully.
A hint of a blush touches Naruto's cheeks as he plops himself down on top of Gaara's blankets.
"You were saying something about Temari's plan," Gaara prompts, and Naruto immediately launches back into his narration of the mission. Even when he's clearly so tired, Naruto's animated -- talking loudly and using hand-gestures to thoroughly explain what happened. He pauses only when the food arrives to grab and scarf down a bowl of soup from a cart Kankuro places next to the bed.
About an hour later, Naruto's fast-paced explanations have slowed and his hands are resting on his knees. Naruto yawns and lets himself fall backwards until his head hits a pillow. He curls up on his side, making himself comfortable in Gaara's bed as he finishes up his report.
Gaara looks down at Naruto in awe. Even though most people in Suna no longer treat Gaara like a monster, many people are still fearful of him and avoid being in his presence for any length of time. The rest of the population treats him with reverence because he's the Kazekage.
Yet Naruto has no problems with talking to him alone in the Kazekage's private chambers, and he has no qualms about resting by Gaara's side when he's exhausted and vulnerable after a tough mission.
Gaara knows that his father would have never stood for someone inviting themselves into the Kazekage's chambers and resting on the Kazekage's bed in dirty clothing, but for Gaara, Naruto's actions have a completely different meaning -- they're a sign that, to Naruto, Gaara is a trusted and valued friend first and foremost.
"There were no other complications?" Gaara asks when Naruto completes his report.
"Nope. That was it," Naruto replies, smiling up at Gaara. His smile transforms into another yawn -- one that stretches his mouth wide. "Sorry. It must be really late."
"It's not a problem," Gaara replies honestly. After so many years of forced insomnia, Gaara appreciates the value of sleep, so he doesn't want to make Naruto get up and travel all the way to the guest quarters at Konoha's embassy -- especially when Naruto seems comfortable in his bed and Gaara feels comforted by his presence. "You can sleep here if you'd like."
"Are you sure that's okay?" Naruto asks.
"I'm sure," Gaara tells him. "Get some rest."
Naruto lets out a soft grunt, and without lifting his head from the pillow, worms his way under the blankets.
Gaara smiles down at him, and says quietly, "Thank you."
"For what?" Naruto mumbles back, his face still buried in the pillow.
Gaara isn't sure how to how to sum up everything he has to thank Naruto for, and though he spends a minute trying to figure out how to put it all into words, he's saved from responding when Naruto begins to snore.
Gaara snorts softly, feeling more amused and content than he has in a long time. He puts his long-forgotten report on his night-stand, turns out the light with his sand, and settles under the covers. He rolls over so he's face-to-face with Naruto, and as he drifts off to sleep, he listens to way the sounds of Naruto's gentle snoring fill his chambers.