Chapter 27
Ino was acting odd.
Well, odder than usual.
Lee sat across from the blonde with his normally comically wide eyes squinted, watching as she chewed insistently on her lower lip, eyes casted downwards at a blank sheet of notebook paper.
One that had stayed unmarked for the whole twenty minutes they’d been in the library.
“Ino?”
She jumped in her chair and put a hand over her chest as she glared at Lee. “What?”
“Are...” he paused, trying to think of the best way to frame the question. “Are you alright?”
His confusion only grew as she seemed to relax, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“That’s good.”
An awkward silence grew between the two and Lee wondered if he was the only one who felt it. Ino just seemed grateful he hadn’t inquired more into the matter.
He looked around the library as he thought of a way to breach the imposing quiet.
“Oh!”
She looked away from scrutinizing her still chipped nails to regard him curiously. “Yes?”
He took a deep breath before smiling widely. “Me and Gaara are going to the fall ball together!”
His eyes widened as she nearly fell out of her chair, face paling in response and mouth tightening.
“Ino?”
“That’s great,” she said, and Lee’s confusion only grew with how forced it sounded. “Really great.”
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
“Nothing!” she gave him a strained smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “But hey, I’ve really gotta go now.”
She stood up abruptly, sliding her schoolwork into her bag and shoving in her chair so harshly it slammed against the table and caused several people in the immediate vicinity to look over.
She left him there with an open mouth and a confusing sense of dread hanging over his head.
——-
“Gaara!”
His boyfriend looked over his shoulder, face impassive as he caught sight of Lee rushing towards him through the crowded hallway.
It didn’t really bother him though. He could see the fondness in Gaara’s eyes betraying his usual bored expression and causing Lee’s own heart to speed up.
He slid his hand easily into his boyfriends, the clammy and cool palm now a welcome sensation. “How was your day? I didn’t see you at lunch.”
Gaara just shrugged. “I was busy.”
Lee nodded as they walked out of the school, squeezing the smaller boy’s palm in reassurance. “I understand.”
He was about to speak when the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up. He looked over his shoulder and caught eyes with...
Sasuke?
Sasuke’s intense and cold gaze was directed on him and Lee wondered if the other boy was even blinking.
An unpleasant sense of unease built up in him as he continued his staring contest with the Uchiha, relying on Gaara as his guide as the small boy continued pulling them through the crowd of students.
Eventually he lowered his eyes from Sasuke’s intimidating gaze and turned his head back around.
He swallowed down air, eyes resolutely fixated on the trees in front of him as he addressed Gaara.
“Sasuke was looking at us.”
“Was he?”
He frowned at the other’s uncaring tone and tightened his grip on his hand.
“Yes. Do you know why?”
If he didn’t know any better he would have easily assumed Gaara’s nonchalant shrug was nothing but genuine. If he didn’t know any better he wouldn’t have noticed Gaara’s free hand scratching incessantly at his jeans as if trying to rip through the fabric.
A horrible thought came to him as he took in the limp Gaara had been walking with for the past few days.
“Have they been bullying you again?”
He assumed the bullying had stopped, Gaara hadn’t had any black eyes or other injuries lately and he hadn’t seen any of Sasuke’s group lurking around him lately. But now because of the limp...
He just hoped he wasn’t right.
Relief washed over him as Gaara let out a small chuckle and shook his head. “No, they haven’t.”
He smiled brightly and continued walking, head noticeably higher this time. “Good! I was just worried about your limp.”
His heart contracted painfully for a reason he didn’t know the origin of when Gaara tensed, fingers digging into his pants.
“Not related.”
His smile wavered only to be replaced by a confused frown as he took in Gaara’s bowed head and now fraying jeans.
The rest of the walk was quiet aside from the thoughts racing around his head.