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Lee is on his knees outside Tenten’s apartment door. He has a lockpick in one hand, rooting around in her lock, and another on the door handle. His ear is pressed to the door, eyes closed, listening for the click of the tumblers. Above his head, he hears a light cough.He looks up and meets seaglass green eyes. He swallows audibly.“This isn’t what it looks like,” he stutters.The man above him shifts his weight, his arms crossing over his chest. His eyes are piercing. A shock of dark red hair falls away from his forehead, exposing a port wine birthmark. Lee’s tongue feels thick in his mouth. The birthmark is in the shape of a heart. “Oh?” the man says. “And what, exactly, do you think it looks like?”“Um, probably like I’m trying to break in to Tenten’s apartment,” Lee says awkwardly. He sits back on his heels, away from the door, and holds his hands up, showing off the silver shine of the lockpick.“You’re right, that is what it looks like. So, tell me why you’re trying to get into the apartment of my most heavily armed neighbor?”“Okay, so, admittedly, I am trying to break in. But she asked me to do it! She left her cellphone in there, and she locked herself out, and she’s stuck at work for the next four hours, and I’m her only friend who knows how to pick locks, and-”“I’m calling the police,” the man says, and turns to open the door next to Tenten’s.“Wait!” Lee yells, and lunges to grab the hem of the man’s jacket. The material is a thick red tweed that crushes beneath Lee’s fingers. It feels way too expensive for someone who lives in Tenten’s rundown apartment complex. The man stops and looks at Lee in alarm. His hand hovers at his belt. Lee is pretty sure he’s about 15 seconds away from getting maced. “I’ll call her! You know her, right? Tenten? I’ll call her at the shop and she can talk to you and tell you that it’s all above board.” Lee scrambles for his pocket and pulls out his cellphone, brandishing it desperately.The man gives him one more skeptical look, then sighs. He takes one hand and pries Lee’s fingers off the hem of his coat. His hands are soft. He leans against the wall and tilts his chin up.“Fine,” he says. “But if she doesn’t answer, I really am calling the cops.”Lee nods his understanding and scrambles to his feet, trembling fingers scrolling to Tenten’s contact picture and clicking the row that says Work. He says a silent prayer of thanks that he even has the shop number programmed in his phone at all. The line rings for an interminably long time. Lee crosses his fingers and mutters, “Pick up, please pick up, pick up,” under his breath. The man leaning against the wall raises an eyebrow, the hair so light it’s almost invisible. “Konoha Pawn Shop, how can I help you?” Tenten’s voice crackles distant through the phone’s tinny speakers. “Tenten!” Lee shouts. He gestures at Tenten’s neighbor: Look, see? “Listen, your neighbor just came home while I was trying to get your door open, and-”“Which neighbor?” Tenten asks.“I didn’t get his name. It’s the, uh-” Lee looks frantically to his right, where the man is watching him closely. He cups his hand over the phone’s mouthpiece and whispers, “the cute one? With the red hair?”“Oh, that’s Gaara!” Tenten says. “He’s fine. Put him on, I’ll talk to him.”Lee holds the phone out to Gaara, mouthing She wants to talk to you. Gaara takes the phone from his hand and presses the speaker button.“Hello, Tenten?” he says primly. “There was a strange man trying to get into your apartment- ““That’s just Lee!” Tenten’s voice comes through the speakerphone and echoes around the narrow hallway. “I asked him to get my phone and keys for me. I know he comes on a little strong at first, but it’s just because he gets super awkward around hot guys, so please don’t mind him-”Gaara raises both eyebrows at Lee over the phone. Lee feels his face getting red. Hot guys? Gaara mouths.Lee grimaces, then offers a weak grin and a thumbs up. Gaara turns his attention back to the phone, where Tenten is still chattering away, telling some very embarrassing story from when she and Lee were in high school together. Lee’s eyes get wide and he lunges for the phone, snatching it out of Gaara’s hand. He slams the speaker button and puts the phone back to his ear.“Thank you, Tenten!” he blurts. ‘“I think that’s all we needed.”“Lee, you better not have freaked him out. He’s the only normal neighbor I’ve ever had-”“Thanks again Tenten, gotta go, goodbye!” Gaara is still giving him an odd look as he hangs up the phone. “Thank you,” Lee says, gesturing to the door, “for giving me a chance to explain myself.”Gaara just nods, and opens the door to the apartment next to Tenten’s. He steps inside, and Lee is alone again in the hallway.Twenty minutes later, Lee hears the creaking of a door opening behind him. He winces, hoping it’s not Tenten’s other neighbor. Lee’s heard super weird things about him - apparently he keeps a bunch of puppets? - and he isn’t trying to get threatened twice in one day. When he turns around, Gaara is standing there, the long neck of a beer cradled in one hand. Gaara leans against the wall. “Still at it?” he asks.Lee nods, wiping his forehead. Picking locks in the real world is way more complicated than the practice locks he’s been working on at Gai-sensei’s magic school. “Who knew picking locks was such sweaty work?” Gaara’s voice is a low rasp, hissing sibilants that drag up Lee’s spine. He crosses one ankle over the other. With his coat off, Lee can see for the first time how small he is. His wrists jut out from his arms, fragile as birds’ bones. Lee pulls the fabric of his thin t-shirt away from his sticky back. “Ugh, yeah, sorry,” he apologizes. “It’s pretty hot out here.”“Would you like one?” Gaara offers, gesturing with the beer. It’s some brand Lee’s never heard of, probably something local and hipster chic.“I don’t drink.” Lee shakes his head. “Ah,” Gaara says, and nothing more. “I should get back to- “ Lee gestures with his pick at the stubborn lock. “By all means,” Gaara replies, but he doesn’t leave from his station up against the wall. It’s … kind of weird, trying to work under Gaara’s silent but watchful eye, but it isn’t bad, exactly. Lee can’t talk much, having to keep his ear to the door, but he can feel Gaara’s eyes on him. It’s actually kind of nice, in a way, to have a guy as attractive as Gaara staring at him. Lee knows he isn’t much in the looks department, and he rarely gets checked out. So he figures, even if the guy isn’t really checking him out and is watching to make sure he doesn’t rob the place, he’s okay with it. Gaara opens his mouth (his lips look soft), looking like he might say something, but at that moment the tumblers all click into place and the door swings open, pulling Lee along with it.He finds himself sprawled in the entranceway of Tenten’s apartment, face-down, ass-up, one hand still clutching the doorknob. There’s a low chuckle behind him, the sound of it like fingers running through his hair. Lee reddens in mortification as Tenten’s puffy grey kitten, Shuriken, trots up to greet him, her tiny belled collar jingling. “Success!” Lee cries, once he’s gotten himself oriented and brushed the dirt off the front of his shirt. “Mm-hmm,” he hears Gaara’s amused hum from the doorway.Lee rushes to the coffee table, where Tenten’s phone and keys are laid out, and scoops them up, the sharp points of her kitty cat self-defense keyring digging into his palm. He trots back to the door. Gaara is still standing in the hallway, watching him, a close-lipped smile on his face. Wow, Lee thinks, but instead he says, “I gotta get going, Tenten’s going to kill me for taking so long!” “Don’t forget to lock up behind yourself,” Gaara says sardonically.Two weeks later, Lee has one leg thrown over Tenten’s balcony railing, levering himself onto her deck. He hears the squeak of a glass door being pulled open.“We have to stop meeting like this,” Gaara says, a wry smile quirking his lips. He’s holding a watering can in one hand and a potted cactus in the other. Lee looks over - his whole balcony is awash with greenery.“Ah, hello Gaara, good to see you again,” Lee says, swinging up his other leg until he’s balanced fully seated on the railing. “What are you up to now?” Gaara asks. “Trying new methods of breaking and entry?”“Ah, so, I have a good excuse for this, too!” Gaara raises an eyebrow.“Tenten asked me to feed her cat because she was going out of town, but she forgot to give me her keys before she left. And she replaced the lock on her front door with a deadbolt, after last time.” Lee rubs the back of his neck. “Guess she was uncomfortable with the idea that someone could break into her place so easily. So, I thought I’d try to get in through the side door. I can probably wedge the door open with this.” Lee reaches down the back of his shirt and pulls out a metal slim jim. Gaara stares at him.“She didn’t tell you?” he says.“Tell me what?”“I’m watching her cat while she’s away. Shuriken’s over here.”“Oh!” Lee grins. He hastily shoves the slim jim into his jacket pocket. “Guess I won’t be needing this, then.”Gaara watches Lee for a long moment, those light green eyes flicking over Lee’s face.“Do you want to come over and see her?” he blurts out.Lee beams. “I would love that!”“Okay, give me just a second and I’ll …” Gaara turns to re-enter his apartment and then freezes. “Wait, how did you even get up here?” “Wall-running,” Lee says with a grin. “Great for your thighs.”“We’re on the third floor.”Lee just smiles at him again, shaking his head with a laugh.“It’s not too hard with practice! Anyway, don’t trouble yourself, I’ll just-” Lee swings himself up until he’s crouched on Tenten’s balcony railing. Then, with a single push of his legs, he flies across the space between Tenten’s and Gaara’s balconies, landing on Gaara’s railing, perfectly balanced on the balls of his feet. “Are you sure you’re not a real burglar?” Gaara asks, as Lee climbs down and follows him into the apartment.“I promise!” Lee brushes his hands off. “I just have a lot of … specific talents, on account of my profession.”“And what might that profession be?” Gaara asks him. Shuriken bounds over and wends herself around Lee’s ankles, bell tinkling merrily. Lee bends down to scratch behind her ears.“Well, I work full-time with Tenten at the pawn shop, but my real passion,” Lee stands up to his full height, extending his arms with a flourish, “is stage magic.”Gaara stares at him for a long moment. On the floor, Shuriken rolls over onto her back and starts purring. Gaara nods, once, perfunctorily, like everything makes perfect sense.“Ah, I’m just an apprentice right now, though,” Lee admits. The back of his neck is growing hot under Gaara’s unwavering stare.Gaara turns away and walks to the kitchenette - his apartment is the perfect mirror image of Tenten’s. It’s odd to know exactly where everything is but see it all decorated differently, Gaara’s apartment done up in plush reds and matching black accents, where Tenten’s is a hodgepodge of thrift store finds and old furniture cribbed from her parents’ place. Lee wonders idly if Gaara keeps his spoons in the same drawer next to the stove. There’s the clinking of glass as Gaara starts rooting around in his fridge.“Can I get you a drink?” he asks, hunched over, “I know you don’t want beer, but I have juice, water, um … energy drinks.”“Water would be great,” Lee calls. He can’t resist stealing a glance into the kitchenette to see Gaara’s backside wiggling around as he digs in the freezer for ice. His high-cut black slacks fit him like a glove. “Energy drinks are terrible for you, by the way.”Gaara stands, cup in hand, and fills it with water from the tap before passing it to Lee. He opens a can of something vicious-looking and neon green for himself and takes a long sip. “I need them to study,” he explains, as he makes his way over to the couch. Lee follows him and they each take a seat on an overstuffed red cushion. The couch - more of a loveseat, really - is small enough that their knees brush. “You’re a student, then?” Lee asks. He takes a long drink of water and Gaara watches his throat bob when he swallows.“Yes.” Gaara looks away, his cheeks turning pink.“What are you studying?”“I’m a horticulture major and a fashion design minor.” “Oh!” Lee says. “That explains why you’re so … like that.” He gestures to encompass all of Gaara.“Like what?”“Um.” Lee’s ears get warm. “Sort of … stylish, I guess. Handsome, you know, like one of those guys on the magazine covers.”Gaara snorts through his nose, shaking his head.“I don’t know what kinds of magazines you’ve been looking at,” he says. Lee’s face gets bright red. Shuriken jumps up onto the couch and curls in his lap, a tiny ball of rumbling fur. “Uhh,” Lee falters. “Hey, do you want to see a magic trick?” Gaara pauses in the middle of another sip of his energy drink.“Sure.” “Awesome!” Lee leans forward into Gaara’s space. “Scoot closer, okay?”Gaara complies, until both their knees are touching. Through his jeans, Lee feels the heat of Gaara’s bony knee against him like a brand.“Okay,” Lee says. “Nothing in my hands, right?” He shows Gaara both his empty palms. Gaara nods along, not really looking at Lee’s hands at all. His eyes seem much more intently focused on Lee’s mouth speaking the words. “But, oh!” Lee draws his mouth into an exaggerated pout. “You’ve got something just- “ Gaara frowns too, his expression quizzical.Lee reaches a hand out and brushes the side of Gaara’s head. He pulls his hand back, fingertips grazing the shell of Gaara’s ear. “- there!” He brings his hand to right in front of Gaara’s nose. Clenched between his index and ring finger is a quarter, glinting in the light. Gaara’s eyes flick down to the quarter and back up to Lee’s face. His cheeks turn pink. He looks away from Lee’s face and stares at the floor, eyes downcast. His eyes are hooded, dark-circled with sleep deprivation. “Cool trick,” he says. His eyes dart up to meet Lee’s again. Neither has moved away from the other. Gaara’s eyes trail back down to Lee’s mouth; he licks his lips.“Hey,” Lee says, “would it be weird if I asked to kiss you now?”“No,” Gaara says, his cheeks darkening.“Okay.” Lee inhales unsteadily. “Can I kiss you?”“Yes.” Lee cups the back of Gaara’s neck with his hand and draws him into a gentle kiss. His lips are just as soft as Lee imagined, barely parted, warm and smooth. He can feel the knob at the top of Gaara’s spine, every vertebrae in the slender column of his neck. Lee lets the kiss linger for just a moment and pulls back. He meets Gaara’s eyes with a sigh. Gaara’s breathing a little heavy, pulse fluttering at the hollow of his neck. “So, funny thing just now,” Lee says, holding up his other hand. Between his fingers is another quarter. “You had this on you.” He grins. Gaara rocks backwards with a scandalized look and kicks at him.“Was that just an excuse to show me another magic trick?” he asks, but his lips are twitching into a smile. He has a dimple on his right cheek. Lee thinks he could probably find an excuse to pull a quarter out of there, too. “No, definitely not!” Lee protests, as Shuriken unwinds herself from his lap and starts to yowl.“Shit,” Gaara says. “It’s her dinner time. And that means I’ve got class in thirty minutes.” He hastily stands from the couch.“I’ll get out of your hair, then,” Lee says, standing himself. He stretches and his back creaks. Gaara’s already ducked down to dig around in some cabinet. There’s the clattering sound of dry kibble being poured into a bowl. “But, um, can I get your number? In case I need to warn you that I’m trying to break into Tenten’s place again.”“Of course,” Gaara says, once he’s set Shuriken’s bowl on the floor and she’s happily chomping away. He takes Lee’s phone from his hand and quickly keys in his number, sending himself a text that just says: “This is Lee’s number.” Lee can’t help but grin when he takes his phone back. Of course Gaara uses perfect punctuation in his text messages. Gaara cups Lee’s cheek in one hand and cranes up to press a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Please use the front door when you leave,” he whispers with a wry grin.