Work Text
Gaara moved anxiously around his room, placing various personal belongings onto his bed to be packed. It was currently three in the morning and in a few hours he would be traveling to Konoha. But this time it wasn’t for a diplomatic mission, but a personal one. He would finally be moving his partner of five years, Rock Lee, to Suna where they would marry in the coming months. But it wouldn’t just be the two of them. Gaara would also be adopting Lee’s three year old son, Metal. The decision to adopt Metal was rather simple for Gaara. Two years into their courtship, Lee had adopted the small child from a distant branch of his clan. His parents had met a similar fate to Lee’s own parents, and he didn’t want the child to face the same ostracization and loneliness he had felt in his youth. Lee was fully prepared for the possibility that Gaara would no longer wish to date him, but, to his delight, Gaara fully accepted Metal as well as Lee’s decision. He had explained that he wanted every part of Lee, including the bonds he was creating. He wanted to have a family with Lee, no matter what that might look like or how it was created. It took almost a full year to get everything sorted for the adoption. Surprisingly, the Suna counselors were fairly open to the idea, which Gaara assumed was because of their desire for any possibility for an heir to the Kazekage. They were met with some backlash from the more traditional leaders, both in Konoha and Suna. There was always the worry that adoption between villages, even those currently at peace with each other, would cause a child to reject one or both and become a rogue shinobi. But both Gaara and Lee had proved time and time again their dedication to both Suna and Konoha, and all involved knew that they would raise Metal, and any other children, the same way. Gaara finished packing his bag, double checking to make sure he had his official documents to present when signing the adoption papers. After making sure everything was accounted for, he grabbed the last thing to be packed. Kankuro had sewn Metal a small stuffed bear, an almost exact replica of the bear Gaara himself played with when he was younger. He had considered giving his old toy to Metal, but wasn’t quite ready to part with it yet. Luckily, though Kankuro mainly worked with wood, he was also well versed in the world of fabric. Both he and Temari were fully supportive of his decision and did all they could to show Gaara that and the creation of the stuffed bear was just one example. Gaara patted the soft head of the stuffed animal and gently tucked it in with the rest of his belongings. He set his pack next to the door of his room and turned off his lights. He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, hoping to get at least a little rest before his long journey. Not long after he had laid down, a gentle knock was heard at the door. Gaara flared his chakra, gently giving permission for Kankuro to come in. “Hey, kid. How are you doing?” he whispered, stepping into Gaara’s room. He sat at the edge of his bed, crossing his legs and staring down at Gaara. Just ten years previous to this he could have never gotten this close to his younger brother without getting injured. He was grateful every day that their relationship had been fixed and that he no longer had to live in fear of his own sibling. “I… don’t know. I’ve been waiting for this for a year now. I know it’s the right decision. I care for Lee and want to spend my life with him,” Gaara whispered back. Kankuro nodded at him, scooting closer to Gaara as he did so. “You have been planning this for a while. So why the sudden hesitation? Are you worried about something in particular?”Gaara sat up, pulling himself back to lean against the headboard. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Gaara collecting his thoughts and Kankuro allowing him to do so as he picked a stray thread on his blanket. “I think that I’m worried about how my relationship with Metal will play out. I have only visited him and Lee twice in the past year. I don’t know how the transition from stranger to parental figure will turn out,” Gaara said quietly, eyes closed. He was still unused to speaking about his emotions and often found it hard to articulate what he was feeling. “Yeah, I could see being worried about that. And you and Lee are both still pretty young. Look, Gaara,” he said, scooting closer to rest a hand on his shoulder, “I’m not gonna tell you it’ll be easy. Cause I know sure as hell it won’t be. But you’ve got to remember that Lee loves you. The guy is obsessed with you. And he loves Metal. He’s gonna make sure it works out. He’ll be with you every step away. And you have me and Tem, too. You don’t have to do this alone.”Gaara smiled gently at Kankuro as he rested a small hand over his brother’s larger one. “Thank you, Kankuro. I appreciate all of the support you have given me and Lee in this. Metal will be very fortunate to have such a wonderful uncle.”Kankuro removed his hand to scratch the back of his head. “Aw, shucks, thanks, Gaara. I can’t wait to meet bowl cut junior. Try and get some rest, okay? You won’t be gettin’ much for a while once you got a little booger brat running around.” He patted Gaara’s leg under the blanket, the gesture adding another level of peace along with his words. “Thank you, Kankuro. Good night.”“Night, squirt.” Kankuro yawned, shutting the door to Gaara’s room. He laid back down and closed his eyes attempting to still his racing mind so that he could sleep. The only thing that helped, were thoughts of Lee. Gaara managed to get three hours of sleep before he had to get up. As soon as he was conscious enough to have a coherent thought, he remembered what was happening and his stomach dropped. A flood of emotions hit him. He was excited to see Lee and bond with Metal, but he was also nervous that he wouldn’t take well to him. He never got along with other kids when he was Metal’s age and that rejection subconsciously caused him to fear the same treatment from his soon to be son. He readied himself for the day, quickly brushing his hair and teeth. After dressing in his usual battle ready outfit and ensuring he had enough water until they at least reached the forests of Konoha, he slipped his pack on and exited the Kazekage quarters. He met up with the anbu that would be escorting him and exited the village gates, knowing it would be the last time he would be in the village without Lee. Normally he chose to have his siblings escort him, but Temari and Shikamaru were currently away on a mission and Kankuro stayed behind to tend to his Kazekage duties and watch Shikadai. Temari and her family had dual citizenship, choosing to spend one year in Suna and one year in Konoha. This allowed their son, Shikadai, to experience both of his parent’s cultures while still allowing them to attend to their duties. Because of the weight of Gaara’s position, he was unable to participate in the same sort of rotation. This meant that Metal would have to officially be a citizen of Suna. Lee was granted dual citizenship, but was allowed to live full time in Suna, with exception to any missions that Konoha needed to pull him back for. Lee was giving up so much and Gaara knew this. They had written many letters and spent many late nights discussing it. Lee assured Gaara many times that he was more than happy to be moving to Suna to be with him, that there was nothing that could stop him from loving Gaara as he wanted. As Gaara ran, his arms ached with longing, wanting to do nothing more than hold Lee. After a long and fairly quiet journey, Gaara and his small team of anbu arrived at the gates of Konoha. It was mid-afternoon, and they were late. Gaara had expected to arrive earlier that morning, but an unexpected thunderstorm had slowed them down. After checking in with the gate guards, Gaara stepped wearily into Konoha and was greeted to the sight of Lee, holding Metal who was currently fast asleep and drooling on Lee’s jumpsuit. As Lee noticed Gaara walk through, his face broke out into a huge grin and tears filled his eyes. He walked carefully over to Gaara, bouncing Metal to wake him in the process. It was a much slower reception than Gaara was normally used to when he visited Lee, but his ribs were grateful for that fact. “I’m sorry, Gaara, it was Metal’s nap time but I didn’t want to leave the gates not knowing when you would arrive,” Lee said, continuing to attempt to wake up Metal. After he had woken him enough that he would be able to stand on his own, Lee set him down and pulled Gaara into the space Metal had just been. His chest and arms were warm after having held his son for so long. Gaara wrapped his arms around Lee’s neck, sighing into the embrace as his stress lessened to almost nothing. After a few short moments, they pulled back and kissed lightly. “I missed you so much,” Lee murmured, pulling away from Gaara’s lips to press a kiss to his cheek. “I missed you too,” Gaara whispered. Their reunion was interrupted by a loud yawn. They pulled back as Lee bent down to Metal’s level. “Metal, today is the day we have been waiting for! Gaara will be adopting you and we will move as a family to Suna!” Lee said, ruffling Metal’s hair. “Do you remember what we practiced?”Now fully awake, Metal’s small mouth pressed into a firm line as he nodded excitedly. The resemblance between him and Lee was uncanny. “Cozy-cog-sam! Welcome to Konoha!” he said, bowing with an assurity that spoke of this exact scenario being rehearsed over and over. His voice wobbled through the complicated words, but Lee beamed nonetheless. “Ah, Metal, that was excellent! But remember, it’s ‘Kazekage-sama.’ Would you like to try it again?”“Kazzy kag… sama?” Metal questioned, thick eyebrows pinched in concentration. “That was much better! Well done, my little Metal!” Lee cried, pulling his son in for a hug. Gaara smiled and stooped down to match Lee’s position. “Hello, Metal. Thank you for the warm welcome, but please, call me Gaara.”“...Gaara?” he questioned, though his name came out closer to “Gaawa.” He smiled at the young boy and nodded. “Well done.”This was seemingly too much for Lee who burst into tears. Metal, not wanting to be left out, quickly joined Lee. Gaara panicked, not sure how to stop the water works. He was used to Lee’s emotional outbursts, but wasn’t sure how to handle Metal’s. In an effort to soothe him, he picked him up gently and held him to his chest. Metal quickly calmed down, hiccuping as crocodile tears rolled down his chubby face. Lee sniffled at this, rising to stand with both of them. Gaara shot him a quick warning look, worried that he would start sobbing again, causing Metal to pick back up. Gaara shifted Metal to a more comfortable position in his arms. “Lee, we have a few more hours before we need to meet with the Hokage to finalize the adoption papers. Can we please rest until that time?”“Of course! Metal and I set our belongings in the visitor residence earlier. Everything is ready to go once we are ready to head home.” They began walking in the direction of their room as Gaara smiled at the thought that Lee had called Suna his home. Lee offered to take Metal, but Gaara refused, not wanting to wake him up from the nap that he had quickly resumed. After entering their room and laying Metal on the spare bed, Gaara laid down on the one opposite from him. Lee was quick to join him, pulling his hand into his own hands, gently rubbing the back of it with his thumb. They were quiet for a few moments, the only sound coming from Metal’s light snoring. It seems that he had also picked up Lee’s sleeping habits. “Lee?” Gaara said quietly, turning slightly to stare at his partner. “Yes, Gaara?”“I’m really glad we’re going to be a family.”Lee smiled gently, cupping the back of Gaara’s neck to pull him in for a kiss. “Me too.”After a shower, and more kissing, Metal woke up and they made their way to the Hokage's office to finalize the adoption. Normally, they were completed through an official adoption department in the villages, but because of the specific nature of the situation, the Hokage would be overseeing the finalization of the adoption. Knowing exactly where they were going, Metal wriggled out of Lee’s grasp and ran up the stairs to the Hokage’s office, pushing past a few shinobi who were used to this. Lee laughed and followed quickly after them. Gaara smiled and quickened his pace, not wanting to get too left behind. As they neared the office, Metal burst through the door and yelled “Grampa Gai! Grampa Kashi!” Gai grabbed a squealing Metal and hoisted him into the air, his laughter filling the room. He pulled him to sit onto his lap and blew raspberries into his cheeks making him giggle. He then climbed down and ran as fast as his small legs would carry him to the Hokage’s desk. “Grampa Kashi! Up, up!”Kakashi smiled down at him and complied, gently grabbing him under the armpits to sit him on his desk. Metal leaned in and kissed his cheek gently before launching himself fully off the desk and into his Grandpa’s arms. Gaara and Lee stepped fully into his office, bowing as they did so. “Ah, Kazekage-sama. Glad to see you made it to the village safely. Although, I did hear you were late again,” he teased, ducking as Metal tried to pull down his mask. “Metal please go sit with Grandpa Gai, Grandpa Kashi needs to work.”“But, Grampa, you don’t do your work!” Metal said innocently, waddling over to be pulled back onto Gai’s lap. “Mah, you know how kids are,” he said sheepishly, as he waved his hand towards Lee and Gaara. Gaara smiled back at him in response, comfortable now with Kakashi’s teasing and laid back nature. He had gotten closer to him over the years being village leaders together as well as through courting Lee. “It seems that we are even, Hokage-sama. I was late, you have been tattled on by your grandson. Shall we move past this?” Gaara asked smoothly, moving to sit in the chair in front of his desk. “As long as you are not reading those terrible books in front of him, I am willing to forget what Metal said.”Kakashi smirked back at him through his mask as Gai sputtered. “Kazekage-sama, I would never allow Kakashi to read such obscenities in front of such an impressionable and youthful mind!”“I know, Gai. I am grateful to know that someone is keeping the Hokage in line.” Kakashi quirked an eyebrow in Gai’s direction as he took a sip of tea from his mug, pulling his mask down slightly. “Gai, you didn’t seem to mind the books so much when I used the techniques on you. Don’t you remember the time I—“Metal wobbled on Gai’s lap as he sped over to clamp a hand over Kakashi’s mouth. Metal giggled as Gaara wondered how he was able to move so fast in his wheelchair while still maintaining balance and control over the already wiggly three year old in his lap. “Kakashi, I believe you have a more important duty to attend to at the moment,” Gai said, his voice cracking slightly. Gaara noticed that Lee’s neck had turned a bright red. He never was able to discuss more sensitive matters without blushing. “Ah, you’re right. We’ll discuss this more later,” he replied cheekily, pulling papers out of one of his desk drawers. Gai grumbled as he rolled over to Lee placing Metal on his lap before exiting the office. “Now then, everything seems to be in order. Metal’s citizenship has already been transferred over, we now just need to sign the papers and record your documents.” Lee and Gaara handed Kakashi their official documents containing their birth records and shinobi history. After making a few notes on the paper, he cleared his throat. “I know that you both are already aware of this. But it would be ignorant of me to accept this without mentioning. Transferring Metal to Suna is a very serious matter. While this added bond between our villages can help strengthen our alliance, one misstep could also ruin it. I know you both will do your best to ensure that Metal grows up understanding the cultures and customs of both villages, but if he decides later on to reject Suna for Konoha or for another village, this would label him a traitor. Gaara, you won’t be the Kazekage forever. I want you both to understand the weight of this decision before going through with it.”
, not liking the thought of passing on his title, pushed that idea out of his mind to be worried about another day. He looked at Metal, who was quietly sucking on his fingers. He then looked at Lee who was smiling gently at him, eyes full of concern and love. This gave him strength as he turned to Kakashi, demeanor smooth and confident. “I understand. Lee and I will do our best to raise Metal as a fine Suna citizen and will do all we can to maintain the peace between our villages,” he said, taking Lee’s free hand for reassurance. He squeezed it gently, letting Gaara know he was there. “I figured you would say that. Well, I guess all that’s left to do is sign these papers and Metal will officially belong to you and Lee.” Kakashi smiled at them as he slid the papers across the desk. Gaara signed his name first followed by Lee. The paperwork got slightly wet despite Lee’s best efforts to control his tears. Once done, Kakashi added his signature. “A copy of this will be sent to Suna’s recording center so that the agreement is available to both villages. I’m really happy for you both. You will be great fathers,” Kakashi said, standing to hug the both of them. “Gai, you can come in now. Your manic chakra is giving me anxiety,” he sighed as he released his grip on Lee, who he now considered a son. Gai burst into the room, almost crushing Gaara’s feet as he wheeled underneath him knocking him onto Gai’s lap. “KAZEKAGE-SAMA!” he boomed, crushing Gaara into a tight embrace. “Thank you for taking care of my beloved Lee and for loving Metal as your own!” After a few bone-aching moments, he released him and moved to give Lee the same treatment. Gaara grabbed Metal from Lee so he could fling himself onto Gai’s body. Gaara stared at Metal while Gai and Lee went on about youth, passion, and fatherhood. “Metal,” he said, directing the little boys attention away from the loud display behind him. “You’re going to be moving to Suna with me now. Lee and I will raise you. Is that alright?”Metal placed a chubby hand on Gaara’s cheek, grinning up at him. After a few moments, he flung his arms around his neck, short arms not quite reaching all the way. Gaara smiled and patted him gently on the back, figuring that that would be as good of an answer as he could get from a three year old. Once Lee and Gai had finished crying, they made their way back to their room. They prepared their stuff for departure the next day, hoping to leave early the next morning. Though they wanted to celebrate the adoption with their friends in Konoha, not everyone was available, so they decided it would be best to celebrate when they got married. Gaara also didn’t want to leave Kankuro alone too long. He was confident he could manage the village fine, but it was Shikadai he was worried about. Kankuro greatly preferred politics over poopy diapers. Thankfully, Metal wasn’t too hard to wake as they prepared to leave, he being so used to Lee’s early schedule. They walked through the sleepy streets of Konoha, Metal walking with one hand in each of his Dad’s hands. “Daddy, swing!” Metal said, looking up at Lee. “Of course, little one!” he said with a laugh. “Shall we swing him, Gaara?”Gaara smiled and let his arm drift back as they walked. Shikadai loved being swung as well which meant he had already had practice. “Okay, on the count of three! One, two, three!” Metal lifted his legs as Gaara and Lee pulled their arms gently forward, swinging him slightly ahead of them as he giggled. They continued to swing him until they reached Konoha’s gates when it was no longer safe to let Metal walk by himself. They would have to carry him through the journey, which meant it would take longer to get home. But it also gave them a chance to bond more as a family. Lee scooped Metal up in his arms as Gaara’s anbu met them outside of the gates. “Two shinobi on all sides, please,” Gaara called to them. They all nodded curtly and broke off, disappearing silently into the woods. Metal gasped as he watched them go. “Daddy, who were those guys?” he asked, moving around in Lee’s arms, trying to spot where they had gone. “Those are Gaara’s anbu. They are high level shinobi who will help protect us,” he explained as they began to run through the dense forest. “Can I be a bamboo when I grow up?” Metal asked, pressing his head to Lee’s shoulder. “We’ll see, Metal.” Lee laughed, as he continued to run. Gaara smiled at him as he ran by his side, glad to finally be heading home with the man he loved. After travelling most of the day, they stopped to set up camp. They were still a day away from The Konoha-Suna border which meant their trip would be lengthened by two additional days. After a simple dinner and a brief report from the anbu, Lee wiped Metal down to prepare him for bed. “Okay, Metal, it’s time to go to sleep now. Come get in your bedroll.”At the mention of bedtime, Metal began to whimper. “But, Daddy, the forest is scary…” Lee tried to console him, but Metal began to cry louder and louder. Gaara, not sure how to help at first, suddenly remembered the present that he had brought for him. “Metal, would you please come here for a moment?” Gaara called, fishing the small bear out of his bag. Metal hesitated then walked over to Gaara, continuing to sniffle. “Your uncle Kankuro made this for you. It’s similar to a bear I had when I was your age. I was scared of a lot of things then, too, and my bear helped me not be so afraid. Would you like to sleep with him?” Gaara said gently, holding the bear out to him. Metal nodded slowly, then grabbed the bear. After inspecting it, he squeezed it into a tight hug. He ran over to Lee to show him his new toy. “That is wonderful, Metal! What a thoughtful present Gaara has brought you. What do you say?”“Thank you, Gaara,” Metal said, turning back to him slightly. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, the bear sitting in the crook of his elbow. “Daddy, I want to go to sleep.” Lee tucked him into the bed roll closest to him, kissing him gently on the head. He leaned over Metal to kiss Gaara goodnight and slipped into his own bed roll. Within minutes, gentle snoring could be heard from both boys as Gaara smiled to himself. He didn’t think he would be able to sleep anytime soon, so he turned onto his side to watch Metal sleep. It was fascinating to him to watch Lee as he rested, and Metal was no different. His tiny eyelids fluttered under his big eyebrows as he dreamed. His mouth hung open slightly, light breathes moving in and out. Gaara smiled to himself wondering what he was ever worried about. Like Kankuro had said, things were going to be rocky. But as long as he had Lee, nothing could go permanently wrong. Gaara rested for a few hours before his mind was able to slip into a light sleep. It didn’t last long, however, before a tiny finger poked him in the face. “Metal? What is it?” he asked, opening his eyes as best as he could. “I’m cold and Daddy won’t wake up,” he whispered, teeth chattering as he did so. Gaara hesitated for a moment before pulling back his covering to allow Metal to slip inside. Metal pressed into Gaara, his hands twisting into his shirt. After a few moments, Gaara was sure he had fallen back asleep. He rubbed his back gently, doing his best to comfort the boy. Before he too fell back asleep, he heard a quiet “Thank you, Papa.” from the little form pressed into him. He smiled gently, glad that Metal had warmed up to him so well. Lee, knowing about Gaara’s insecurities and fears, had well prepared Metal for this transition in their lives. He explained that Gaara would be adopting him and would be his father and that he would be moving to Suna. He made sure to be as extensive with the information as possible and answered any questions Metal had. He was very hesitant at first, especially at the thought of leaving his Grandpas, but Lee assured him that Gaara would love him just as much, if not more, than they did and that they would get to visit and write often. Finally, Lee had told him that, as soon as he was comfortable, he could call Gaara “Papa.” He was delighted to hear the next morning how quickly Metal had warmed up to the idea. They soon arrived home in Suna, the journey only taking an extra day after all. After a brief tour of the village and instructions on how to stay safe in a desert, Lee and Metal left to set up their new home while Gaara relieved Kankuro of his duties as fill in Kazekage. That night they all had dinner as a family where Shikadai was reunited with his now cousin. After, Lee and Gaara were able to sleep in the same bed. Which now, Gaara reminded himself, was their bed.Gaara had learned about the importance of bonds years ago. But what he never expected, was how much room he had in his heart for more. And Metal had filled that hole in a way that no other bond could have.