The Beast and His Youthful Beauty (GaaLee)
Chapter 3: Dinner
Gaara had placed the black haired boy in the room next to him, thinking that it would be simpler that way. Why bother going all the way across the castle when the boy needed tending to and be checked up on by the hour? The canopied bed was queen sized and the covers enveloped the small boy entirely. Carefully, Gaara let his hands slide from underneath the small figure and he stepped back a few paces.
Gaara stared openly at the unconscious one in the room. Letting his thoughts wander as he looked upon the sleeping face of the villager.
He really was beautiful. He probably had many girls, and quite possible some boys, trying to woo him. Feathering lashes lay perfectly on his pale skin. A unique color of hair that was not common in this area as was Gaara's red hair. Black, pitch as night. It fluttered out of the skull and divinely splashed across the pristine white pillow. His skin looked gorgeous and pale. Gaara's hand hesitantly lifted and his fingers traced the boy's features gently. The sculpted nose, the delicate lashes and lids, the full and plump lips. Gaara's fingertips strayed on those lips. He wondered. Wondered what exactly they would taste and feel like. There was a soft breath that escaped the slit of the lips, meaning that the boy was still breathing steadily. That was good.
There was a knock on the door and Gaara jumped back, his fingers tingling where he had touched the boy. He shouldn't have done that. He knew the rules. No getting close, attached, no relationships. Simple. Those rules wouldn't change just because of one boy who lost his way and caught Gaara's eye.
Neji walked in with his cousin, and secret lover, Hinata, who was the nurse of the household. She instantly rushed over to the boy. Hinata tsked lightly and started washing up the blood that had dried along his collar bone.
Neji cleared his throat and said quickly, "Dinner had been prepared, sire." Gaara nodded and walked out of the bedroom. The boy would be bandaged and cleaned up. When that was done he would be sent home the same way he came. All was well.
Gaara found his way easily to the large dining room. The room was more of a hall then anything. Its long decorated walls were flourished with tapestry of the family history and crest. High ceilings held large glass chandeliers that threatened to snap and fall viciously to the floor. Long-backed chairs were placed precisely around the wooden table. Seven on each side and one each at the heads.
Gaara sat in the chair that his father had once sat upon. It gave him the feeling of accomplishment and power. He had defeated his long hated father almost two years before and his step-mother soon followed. Not wanting to kill the innocent daughter, his sister, Tamari, he had her taken care of by Hinata. Hinata taught her writing and reading. After Tamari learned the basics of civil life, Gaara sent her off to live with his elder brother in the east. There would be too many questions that he would not be able to answer for her.
A plate was placed in front of Gaara. He didn't know what the food consisted of, but ate it anyway. Just as he was finishing up his meal, the boy with the black hair walked in with Hinata. He had a bandage on his left temple and had a sheen of freshly dried sweat on his brow. Immediately, Gaara burst up from his chair, which fell backwards with a clatter. Gaara swallowed what was in his mouth and spoke politely enough to the guest, "Welcome to my home. I am Gaara. Come, eat."
The younger just stared at Gaara with a look of shock in his eyes. His face paled just a bit more and his Adam's apple bobbed. Those soft brown eyes ventured over Gaara's features. Staring at what could be seen. Soaking up the monstrous features that contained the beast, though the boy had no idea of what lay within. Seeing that Gaara was glaring at him for staring, his face flushed and he scurried over to one of the seven side chairs.
"What is your name?" Gaara so rudely asked. It was meant to come out kindly but after the boy's eyes had strayed over his body and face, Gaara was mad. People staring at him reminded him of the days where his step-mother had placed him on the pedestal and showed him off. It made him feel like a prize or, sometimes, a slut. As if all his secrets and crevices were showing. He felt violated and out in the open.
The boy spoke quietly, in a whisper, "Lee."
Such a simple name, yet so beautiful and fitting.
Neji had rushed over and fixed Gaara's high-standing chair in order for his master to sit back down. Once Gaara was in place, Neji helped him sit at a reasonable distance from the table. Gaara nodded in thanks but said nothing to the simpleton. Neji knew though that this was Gaara's way of acknowledging him. Gaara wasn't the type to say thank you with a big smile on his face. He had lived in a world of antics and showing off. He preferred not to go back to those times. Quickly, Neji stood off to the side and observed the dinner.
"Would you like something to eat? Dinner had been prepared not too long ago. It should still be warm," Gaara commented as he replaced his silverware and dishes in a more orderly fashion. 'Perfection and presentation are key to survival,' Gaara recalled his step-mother saying after a time he had accidentally fell out of a tree and muddied up his formal wear. 'You are to never climb trees, go into the village, or leave the castle.' There were so many things Gaara had never truly experienced. Eating a dinner with another boy his age was one of those many things.
Lee nodded his head shyly and mumbled, "I would be very pleased to eat dinner with you, sir." His head remained down and his eyes never left the table. In a way, it annoyed Gaara. The fact that the boy was scared to even glance at him occasionally was utterly strange. The others had at least given glances and peeks. Some had even spied on his daily schedule. Those who had stayed long enough to consider spying anyway.
"Please call me Gaara," he said, a few seconds too late. His thoughts had caused him to process Lee's statement slowly. Gaara had just then figured it out enough to answer correctly.
Lee's head burst up a moment in surprise. His brown eyes were doe like, making him seem frightened and caught off guard. Indeed he was. Seeing that Gaara was staring at him intently, Lee looked back down instantly. His silky black tresses shaded his eyes and hid his face from Gaara's green gaze.
'A shame. His face is so lovely.' The redhead shook the thought out of his head as soon as it had formed. No attachments.
Lee's meal soon arrived on a heavenly plate of crystal china. The boy hesitantly began eating the dish. Small nibbles turned into ravenous bites. Eating so fast in such portions would cause the boy to become sick.
Worried, Gaara cleared his throat and tried to distract Lee from him meal. "Your cow was found in a pass about a quarter of a mile from where I found you. She was perfectly fine and was brought to the stable in the lower section of the castle." This banter did in fact distract the younger of the two males.
"Thank you," Lee whispered as he slowed his eating pace. Soon he had finished and set down his silver spoon. Placing it precisely in the correct spot.
Taking an object out from his robe, Gaara said, "This was found next to you."
The green bound book stood out against the velvet table lining that was running down the middle of the table. Rumpelstiltskin was actually a well written story. Gaara had read it as he had carried the boy up the hill as well as several times before. It was actually in his library under one the labeling of 'favorites.'
Lee instantly grabbed the story and set it in his lap. He looked at it with a gleam in his eyes. Those captivating brown eyes looked at the leather bound book as if it held all the answers. As if, looking closely, he could find what he was looking for. Right there. In between those ink written words, there had to be an answer. One of the younger male's hands flipped through the pages, stopping here and there to smile at a paragraph. It was as if he had forgotten of Gaara and Neji completely and was absorbed in fiction. Just as Gaara did whenever he read.
"Do you like that story?" Gaara's mouth formed and spoke. The words came out intrigued and hoarse. The half-prince was staring at the boy with the same look the boy had been giving the green book. He needed to know the answer. Gaara wasn't quite sure but there was something about this small villager that made his mind fuzzy and his heart race. It felt as if he had a cold but Gaara knew for a fact that he did not.
"Yeah, I do," Lee seemed to respond in daze. His lids blinked and he looked up at Gaara in a way that suggested he didn't realize his statement. Out of nowhere Lee smiled and repeated, "Yeah, I do like this story."
As Gaara's mouth went dry and his stomach flip-flopped he thought unexpectedly, 'One more try at love couldn't hurt, right?'