#gaara reader insert

[daily-dose-of-imagines]

She Who Suffers

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@sacredwarrior88 asked: May I please request headcanons for Naruto, Shikamaru, and Gaara reacting to their girlfriend showing signs of PTSD after being kidnapped and tortured for days?

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mmmm I love the smell of angst in the morning. I hope you enjoy!

Warnings: Talk of PSTD, Anxiety attacks, and torture

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Naruto:

Waking up screaming was the biggest indicator to Naruto that you were having horrible bouts of PTSD from when you were kidnapped.

He felt startled and heartbroken for you and took you into his arms, trying to shield you from your nightmares and the horrors you've been through.

You'd be crying, inconsolable as he rocked you, whispering that everything is going to be alright.

Truthfully, he didn't know that.

"It hurts, everywhere hurts..." you'd say, tears dripping down your face.

Naruto would swipe them away, only for new ones to take their place.

"It's okay, you're okay. Here, in my arms, you'll never be hurt." He would tell you, his own breathing short and shallow, his heart shattering for you.

There wasn't a lot that Naruto could do, except be there for you.

He laid back down with you still in his arms and comforted you all night long until you finally fell back asleep.

And he didn't let go of you until morning rose.

He vowed then, to never let you go ever again.

Shikamaru:

Seeing you with a thousand-yard stare is all Shikamaru needed to know for him to act accordingly.

You were having an episode again.

They always frightened him. How you were somewhere when he was right there.

How it seemed like you weren't even breathing when you had them.

He took your hand in his as he looked out the window of the office building you both were in.

You flinched at his touch but didn't pull away.

He would notice the tears that threatened to fall and tighten his hold, moving closer to you.

"Where did you go?" he would ask in a tiny whisper. You swallowed the thick lump in your throat.

"To Hell," you replied, a thousand-yard stare falling over your face.

You describe to him the gruesome torture you were put through, the enemy looking for intel on Konoha. You wouldn't tell them anything but at a horrible cost.

You sanity.

It scared Shikamaru just how much you changed after that night. But he does his best to make sure you heal and never forget that he will always be by your side.

Gaara:

"My love, you haven't left the room in days."

You were curled up in your shared bed, the comforter covering your entire body.

"I don't want to, Gaara."

Gaara sighed, his soul breaking as he stared at your limp and lifeless form. He observed the dark shadows under your eyes, the dry cracks in your lips from lack of water, and how you just seemed that you could wither away at any minute.

He understood all too well what was happening.

PTSD was -- is -- something he still deals with on a daily basis.

What got him through it was family and friends.

So, he climbed into the bundle of blankets with you, taking you into his arms.

"Then, I suppose I'll just have to join you."

You broke down, clinging to him as you recalled the heinous acts that were done to you, a few of Gaara's own tears falling freely.

"I'm here for you, my love. I will always be here for you."

[wing-ed-thing]

Ghost (Gaara x SandNymph!Reader)

Synopsis: Gaara insists that he's been dating you for about a month. Well, Kankuro and Temari haven't seen you once and are convinced you're not even real. Temari is extremely concerned.

Word Count: 2.3k

Tags/Warnings: SandNymph!Reader, No Reader Pronouns, Humor, Fluff

Notes: I'm using "nymph" because I thought "sand spirit" or "spirit" would be confused with Shukaku, you know, Gaara's literal "sand spirit."

“A… date…?” Temari was in such disbelief over what she had just heard that she had to repeat it aloud. The lecture she had prepared about scheduling meetings died on her lips. Gaara spared a questioning glance from his paperwork, holding his pen just barely over the pages below. He held his posture completely still as he studied his sister’s expression of disbelief. Her eyebrows shot to her forehead. “You?” she blurted.

He frowned. 

“Is it that hard to believe?” Gaara returned to his work, the previously motionless pen now sailing across the page. Termari opened her mouth before closing it again, at a loss for words, as she studied the schedule nestled in her hands. The slot of time that had been sectioned off still sat there just as it had the last time she stared at it. The location was marked “rooftop.”

The note made Temari quirk her lip in pleasant surprise. She nodded to herself, cocking her head to the side as she stared at the combination of letters. Now that she thought of it, the rooftop of the Kazekage office wasn’t a terrible date location. The time would set Gaara’s date to start around sunset, making for quite the romantic atmosphere she didn’t know he had the capabilities to foresee. 

Temari glanced toward the Kazekage headpiece displayed on the wall behind Gaara’s desk, wondering if the not-so-subtle nod to his position had been intentional when he chose the setting. It was quite the power move. She couldn’t decipher whether it was too intimidating or if her little brother secretly had more charm than he let on. 

“Do you need something from me?” Gaara corralled his paperwork, leveling the pages against his desk. Temari shook her head, physically dismissing her thoughts as she brought the schedule forward to place it in front of him. She stood there and rocked on her heels, always one to make it known when she had an opinion. Gaara let out a quiet sigh and spoke in an even tone. “Yes?”

“Don’t you think the Kazekage office is a bit intimidating?” Temari hummed, glancing off to the side. She pivoted the ball of her foot on the intricately woven carpet below. Gaara’s writing stopped for a second before picking up again. 

“Considering that this is my place of employment— and that I’m the Kazekage— I would hope not.” Gaara quickly dismissed the question, much to Temari’s chagrin. “But I suppose we can afford to purchase a decorative plant or two.” 

“I meant for your date,” Temari protested. An undetectable smirk tugged at Gaara’s cheeks, tarnishing his otherwise unreadable expression. “You knew what I meant.” Gaara blinked as he pivoted in his chair to stand and retrieve a few more pressing documents. Temari perked up instantly, folding her arms as she moved around the large wooden desk. “What’s with that look?” She jabbed a finger at him. 

“I didn’t say anything,” Gaara insisted with a shake of his head. A small crease appeared above his brow. He brushed past his sister, adamant about finishing his clerical work over engaging with her.

“You didn’t say anything, but you were thinking it.” 

“Temari.”

“You put a date on your official calendar and didn’t even tell me about it?” As angry as she sounded, the gleeful inflection that whipped up the end of her sentence betrayed her. She leaned against Gaara’s desk to his left. With another subtle heave of his chest, he slowly met her eye. Her irises glinted. 

“We’ve been seeing each other for quite some time. This is nothing new.” 

“Wait, what?”

“Temari, please. If this is all—” He tapped the schedule with the back of his pen. —“I’d appreciate it if you left me to my work.” 

Temari visibly deflated and left with a huff, knowing ultimately that she had been pushing her luck. She glanced back at her brother one more time before gently closing the office door. It was time to compare notes. 

***

“It’s been maybe two months?” Kankuro took a sip of his tea with a shrug of his shoulders. Temari couldn’t help how her mouth hung open in disbelief. She stepped forward, slamming her palms on the surface of Kankuro’s glorified desk. A few papers went toppling to the floor as he visibly jumped. Liquid spilled over the side of his cup. “Probably longer?”

“You didn’t tell me?”

“I thought you knew!” Kankuro raised his hands in defense, three fingers still wrapped around his beverage. He snuck another sip. “I mean, it’s the same time every week. He puts it in the calendar for fuck’s sake.” Kankuro placed his cup on a few scattered papers in front of him, moving just in time to catch a falling pile of files.

“What do you mean ‘probably’?” Kankuro randomly spread the compilation of work across the desk, all the forms and other important documents blending together in the unorganized mass. He only shrugged, clearly disinterested in the matter at hand. “Kankuro.”

“I dunno!” He shrugged again, but higher this time, sinking in his chair to pout at the clock mounted on the wall. Kankuro had hoped that he could waste the rest of the workday away in peace. The bodyguard to the Kazekage being a clearly redundant position, there was only so much ass Kankuro could kick in the comfort of an office environment. While he certainly performed other tasks, those tasks… could be done another day. “I think he gets stood up half the time anyway.”

Temari tried to instigate a conversation about Gaara’s dating life twice that day, and twice, one of her brothers attempted to get her to drop the subject by inadvertently dropping the juiciest tidbits into the conversation. Suffice it to say, neither time worked in their favor. 

Kankuro tried to turn away from Temari in his swivel chair. She rotated him back. Fury mounted in her eyes. 

“He what?” She towered over him with her 

“I don’t know that for sure,” Kankuro whined, letting his head tilt back onto the back of his chair. He kicked an ankle up onto his opposite knee, cradling it in his lap as he braced himself for Temari’s firestorm. “He just always comes downstairs alone whenever I’ve been here late. But then again—” Kankuro scratched lazily at the back of his head. —“That’s me being here late.”

“Your brother has been dating—”

—“Our brother…?—”

“Your brother has had a more successful dating life than you—”

— “Okay, uncalled for—”

— “And you don’t want to know who it is?” Temari placed her fists on her hips with a puff of her chest. She sighed, walking around him to gaze out the window, watching people trickle in and out of the office building. Only when she had her back turned did Kankuro relax. 

“‘Mari, I know you’re concerned about this, but I honestly don’t think it’s anyone.” 

Temari snapped back around, causing Kankuro to sink back into his chair. She quirked her brow. Her lip twitched downward skeptically.

“What do you mean?”

“You really think he’s actually seeing anyone?” Kankuro stressed, leaning forward. He glanced in the vague direction of Gaara’s office. Temari followed his glance in consideration. “Even if he is the Kazekage, it’s just another degree of separation from being a regular guy.”

“You think he’s making it up?” The two locked eyes simultaneously, both having the same thought but neither wanting to vocalize it. Kankuro averted his eyes guiltily.

“I wouldn’t say he’s making it up…” he trailed off. “He has us, of course. And he has pretty good interactions with most people in, like, a Kazekage kinda way…” Kankuro heaved in a deep breath. “I just think he’s, um… compensating. I’m sure he’ll tell us everything when he’s ready.”

Temari wanted to fight him on his point, but she knew that Kankuro was right.

***

The rooftop housed a small garden. Flowerpots ranging in size lined the east side. A few sturdy stands had made their way upstairs, offering a few neat displays for the pots to sit. one of the older secretaries routinely arrived to work early to maintain his menagerie of drought-hardy plants: a well-kept compilation of cacti, succulents, and desert flowers. Over quite a number of years, the old man managed to turn the dreary, cracked rooftop of the Kazekage building into a rather peaceful space. 

You were already waiting for him when Gaara arrived. The glow of the fiery-colored evening outlined your silhouette, a sunset of painted crimson surrounding you in his sights. You turned as soon as you heard the door.

Gaara stood in the doorway of the stairwell. 

Your simple, traditional robes fluttered slightly in the evening breeze. Particles of sand fell from your fingertips, leaving a rounded puddle beneath around your feet. 

But he didn’t move. Instead, Gaara leaned against the doorframe; the inside knob of the wide-open door sat under his fingertips as he stood enamored with you. You lit up at the sight of him, beckoning him over. Gaara tried to suppress the bashful smile of admiration that slowly crept onto his lips. 

He stepped forward, letting the door close behind him, and stopped short in front of it. Gaara shifted his weight to his back leg. Two neat dimples indented his cheeks as he raised his arms, holding his pointed index fingers and thumbs to make a square shape as he lined you up in his vision with the blazing sunset in the background. 

Gaara squinted one eye. You rolled yours.

“Get over here,” you protested playfully with a droop of your shoulders. Gaara’s lips tightened to form a twisted line as he snickered to himself, jogging forward to embrace you. You pressed your forehead against his.

“Have I ever told you that sunset is my favorite time of day?” Gaara said softly. You kissed the corner of his lips. 

His fingers laced through yours. With a brush of your palm, a few more grains of sand fell to the ground. You chuckled, letting a sentimental smile rest across your mouth, pulling away to lead him to the edge of the rooftop. 

But Gaara stood still, letting the tension of your pull stretch his arm and stop you mid-step. He used your momentum to pull you back into his arms, adding a spin as he did so.

“You must have missed me a lot,” you quipped as you used his leather-clad shoulder to steady yourself. Gaara shrugged with an informality surely unbecoming of a political figure as important as the Kazekage. But the soft gaze that focused back on you held nothing but genuity.

“Every time I looked upon the sand,” he hummed, finally releasing you. You cocked your head to the side, mischief already beginning to cloud your illuminated irises. 

“Every time?” you repeated with a snicker and planted your hands on your hips. “It’s a miracle you can get anything done.” 

You backed up a step, and Gaara followed. A few feet before the edge of the rooftop, you had set up a modest, woven blanket and a spread of simple, traditional foods. The two of you sat, perfectly shrouded from prying eyes by the tall cacti that grew around you. 

“Bold of you to assume anything ever gets done with all these new global alliances.” Gaara’s forehead creased with amusement as he poured the tea for both of you. You began to fix the plates. “This is a government building, after all.”

“Oh, so the Kazekage has jokes. Does Baki know? I’m sure he would be thrilled to hear you say that.” 

“I can’t say he does.”

Gaara set your tea down in front of you. The sun had lowered enough so that you could see each other clearly in the indirect light. The sky cast a golden color over the desert, and the fading beams trickled through the desert flowers that surrounded you. 

“Well, I’m glad you found some time to take a break.”

“I always have time for you.”

***

The sun had set by the time Temari finally left the office. Bright moonlight lit up the roads as she began her trek home after a long day of running papers. Homes were lit with warm lantern light, laying the path before her. Kankuro already left hours ago. 

She strode through the street. A few people milled about around her, also commuting home from work or closing up small market stalls. In a moment overtaken by thought, Temari stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to turn back toward the office building. 

The outdoor lights had been lit. She searched for Gaara’s office window, only to find it dark. Perhaps he went home at the same time Kankuro had. Given the week they’ve had, Gaara deserved some well-needed rest, Temari decided. But two figures caught her eye just as she was about to turn her back to continue her walk. 

Obscured by the tall plants on the rooftop, Temari could have easily missed them if she had been looking from any other angle. She looked to her left, then right, scanning the street for people before she stepped forward, squinting to get a better look. Temari hadn’t forgotten about Gaara’s date for a second, but she hadn’t expected it to go so late into the evening. And while she happened to see you and Gaara saying your goodbyes, she might as well see who’s dating her little brother.

But as soon as Temari began to look closer, you disappeared into a swirl of sand, and the grains blew into the breeze. 

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed, and supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

Notes: I prefer to avoid gendering readers in my work. Originally I was wondering how to talk about you in third person without having to pick a set of pronouns, but the dialogue wrote smoother than I originally even thought! It's very possible to write reader inserts without mentioning any specific third-person pronouns, it just requires some creativity, flexibility, and thought— I stand by this!

[matchaxberries]

Gaara Relationship Headcanons

Gaara Sabaku (Naruto) x Gn!reader

Drabbles/Headcanons, Not requested, SFW

Summary: Gaara of the sand is perfect, no debates. Cute relationship Headcanons, fluffy.

Warnings: Talk about insecurities and nightmares, pet names, I don’t think there is anything else.

(A/N) Gaara is one of my favorite characters of this series. He deserves so much, and is soft. I do not care who thinks he’s terrible, he is perfect. If it’s requested at all I might make a smut version of this, or if I just feel like doing that. I also for the most part always will put the read more under the gif for my posts. I think it looks clean. :3 If anyone thinks I should change it, do suggest something else.

Gaara is insecure of himself, that’s obvious in the show. He likes physical touch, and words of affirmation.

In public, he isn’t too big on touch though. Being the Kazekage, he wants your relationship a bit more closed. He wouldn’t want anything bad happening to his lover because of his status.

He will melt into grains of sand if you play with his hair while sitting behind him. If you’re taller, he wouldn’t mind sitting right in your lap, or in between your legs. If you’re shorter, he would sit in the floor in front of you, while you’re in a chair just so you run your hands through his red locks.

He would be very flustered by any nicknames, he likes kind words, but pet names turn him the color of his own hair. Bright red. He isn’t going to tell you to stop though, no. He’s going to enjoy it, and pretend he doesn’t like it, and he will turn away from you so you can’t see his expression.

Back on him being insecure, he gets jealous or possessive over you fast. He sees you talking to someone who makes you laugh a bit more than usual? He is by your side in a moment, wrapping his arm around your shoulder. “What is so funny, (y/n)?” He will question, right in front of the person.

They will be scared, he is Kazekage. “Sorry, lord Kazekage-“ they’ll quickly let out, turning heel and getting away from you.

You’ll pout at Gaara, saying they weren’t saying anything with bad intentions. But he doesn’t say anything back, only drags you back to his office so you can tell him how much you love him, and how he’s the only one for you.

While you are laying and about to rest, randomly tell him how you love something about him. He doesn’t mind if he’s heard it before, it helps him fall asleep.

Gaara has nightmares frequently, he doesn’t want to wake you at all, but sometimes he jerks awake and you get jerked with him since you sleep right on him.

“I’m sorry my dear, I didn’t mean to wake you.” He will say, while out of breath. “Don’t worry Gaara, are you okay?” He will only nod, and hold you closer. He doesn’t like to talk about his nightmares, they’re often about things that would happen in his past. He’s afraid you’ll leave him if you find out that he’s a ‘monster’ in his own words.

Gaara doesn’t have too many facial expressions, at first it worried you, thinking you were boring him. But he assured you he just doesn’t react well, but he loves you very much, and finds you very entertaining.

Gaara likes to carry you around on his sand. He thinks it is fun, and you get to enjoy yourself watching over everything. He will have you float just a bit behind him, up a bit higher, but never out of his reach or sight.

His preferred pet name from you is love, sweetheart, and pretty boy. They all fluster him a lot, but those are his favorites to hear. He likes to call you dear, my dear, and on occasion darling. He keeps them to a minimum, and keeps them kind of professional. He will fluster himself by calling you something pretty out there.

Word Count: 571

Character count: 2,974

(A/N 2) The word and character counts on these might not be 100% accurate. I paste everything into a random thing on Google, so it might be a bit wrong. I might make a part two for this, but for now this is all, it wasn’t too much but I just wanted to write something more.

Masterlist

Request Rules

[audreyscribes]

"Sand Sugar" Young! Gaara x Older Sibling Figure! Reader- Naruto Fanfic

Author's Note: I was looking at my old devianart page, looking for an art I did years ago and I found the small amount of fanfic works I posted there. The basis of the story was too good and much like what I did for the Clarisse x Reader fic, I thought why not post it here? For archival purposes. So here it is. Please enjoy and thanks for reading! NOTE: This was originally once a "Gaara x Big Sister OC" that was posted in 2014 but I have re-edited it to be a Neutral Gender Reader fic instead. I am also not that deep into the Naruto fandom or too much of the lore. I did at one time watch all of S1 and S2, but that was years ago so don't expect too much.

You sighed as you walked through the Village hidden by Sand. It was one of those days that you had to walk around following your gut. After a while, you found yourself at the playground. You stared at the entrance of the playground, wondering if your subconsciousness wanted to bask in the nostalgia of a long gone childhood; before you had aspirations, before you realize the reality of living as an adult. 

Not knowing what to do else, you decided to lean against the wall, watching a group of kids play ball. Their laughter brought a small smile to your face, before you caught something in the corner of your eye. Your eyes wandered to a kid with red hair alone by his wholesome.

You stared at him before your eyes narrowed down in worry. Why was he out there alone? Where are his friends or his guardians? His parents or siblings? You did a quick scan around to have some indication of company belonging to the boy, yet nothing stood out to you. 

You heard the ball fly and your head turned back to the playground. The ball that the group of kids were playing rolled to the lonely kid as he stared at it like it was a foreign object. So foreign yet so familiar.

After a few seconds, he picked it up and seemed to want to give it back to the kids but you quickly caught the look of absolute fear and disgust, as they yelled something about a demon or some sort. They all ran away as the kid seemed awfully depressed as he watched the kids run away from him like he was going to kill them. 

Your heart clenched at the face he was making ad before you knew it, your feet had carried you over to him. You made sure to make your footsteps known before you gently touched his shoulder. Yet he jumped still as if he was spooked. His head whipped towards you and stared at you with frightened, wide eyes. The sand seemed to rattle and you thought it was the wind, but the voice in the back of your mind whispered something else.

You didn’t want to scare and agitate  him any further so you took a step back, hands up in the air with the best non-threatening gesture you could muster. You saw his tensed shoulders drop slightly and the agitated sand from before, seemed to go silent almost. A suspicion and realization was forming in your mind, but you were committed and crouched to his level. You gave him a smile, your hands still open for him to see.

He seemed to relax more, making you smile more. 

“Hey” you greeted first. 

“Hi…” he said, a bit afraid like he wasn’t used to talking to people.

“What’s your name?” you asked him.

“G-Gaara…” and you blinked at the name. So this was Kaze-Kage's son? From what you’ve heard, he has one of the tailed beast inside him; the Shukaku. Now you were starting to get the picture and the voice in your mind was becoming more right. 

“Hey Gaara.” you greeted once more, “My name is [first name].”

“Hi…” He said meekly.

“Why are you out here, alone?” you asked him, a bit worried. He looked down like he was about to cry. Immediately, you begun to panic while feeling like an idiot. Trying to cheer him up, you searched through your back pocket. It was a weak gesture but you grabbed a bunch of objects and held it out to him. He looked at your hand while you slowly revealed some candy to him.

“Here…want some?” you asked, stuttering with your heart beating against your chest with cold sweat prickling on your skin.

He stared at it before shaking his head. You were confused and more worried, as you kept up your appearance and tilted your head at him, “You don’t like candy?”

He shook his head, “No…I like candy.” He said, “But I don’t know if it’s poisoned or not.”

That threw you in for a loop as you blinked at him in surprise. He already knew about food having poison in them? This kid’s life must be tough. Was your thought before it transitioned to “man is this what being generations of ninjas have to deal with?" To the horrifying thought, “Oh dear Kami, someone has tried to poison before.”

You looked at the colourful sweets in your hand, pondered for a moment before you looked at him, “I promise there isn't any poison in them, but if you’re not sure, why don’t you pick a few out and I’ll eat it, okay?”

He stared at you before looking at your hand. He seemed to ponder and probably thought you were bluffing before pointing a few out. True to your word, he picked those up the most colourful candies and you opened your mouth. He slowly unwrapped one before dropping one inside. You closed it and chewed it, crunching it. You then grinned and tried not to show how you were going to regret this decision, “Come on, did I say to pick out a few more?” 

Gaara looked at you bizarrely before you opened your mouth waiting and he quickly unwrapped a few ones and it wasn’t long before your mouth was stuffed with candy. You then puffed your cheeks to exaggerate how much candy you had and imitating yourself as a hamster. Garra giggled and the sweetness of it almost made your heart burst (Nooo, it wasn’t the rush of sugar that was sitting in your mouth, what were you talking about?)

After a while, letting it dissolve, you then opened your mouth to show him it was all gone. You waited for a few minutes while playing Tic-Tac toe in the sand, before Gaara seemed to be convinced there wasn't any poison in it. He looked expectantly at the candy and you patiently held them out. He seemed to ponder the flavours and colours before he picked one up and tentatively ate it. His whole face brightened up as you giggled. Without thinking, you softly patted his head as he seemed surprised but quickly seemed to enjoy it. You tried not to let your face falter as you felt your heart breaking at the reaction, even more so as he tentatively held your hand to lean his head more.

You got up before you held your hand to him, leading him home. A ninja appeared in front of me as Gaara yelled “Yashamaru”.

You merely let go of Gaara’s hand as he ran up to him. Seeing as he knew the ninja and he was happy, you began to leave; now that Gaara is now with his guardian.

(you wondered where he was this entire time…was he watching you this entire time? But if that was the case, then he should’ve appeared earlier… questions begun to fill you and the sugary sweetness of the candy in your gut begun to turn bitter-)

You turned around to go back to your own home and give yourself a long teeth brushing session, when you felt a tug on my leg. You stopped to look down and saw Gaara, looking at you with his light wide, turquoise eyes. You then knelt down to his level as he gripped your arm like an actual child. You smiled softly at him, tilting your head to the side as you saw Yashamaru not too far away. “What’s wrong Gaara?”

He looked down like he was struggling to say something but you waited. He looked up like he was a bit hesitant but he finally got the courage to speak, “Will I ever see you again [f/n]-Nee/Nii?” 

You blinked at Gaara; thinking me as his older sister already but you merely smirked at him. You messed the top of his head, tickling him. “Of course! All you have to do is call me and you’ll see me~” you said, giving him a grin. 

He beamed before giving me a hug. You admittedly froze for a moment before you returned back with a warm hug and a kiss to the forehead before he ran to the ninja waiting for him. You stood back up while waving him good bye as he did the same. (You could see Yashamaru silently observing and deducing you from over his shoulder and you had a feeling you were going to be interrogated later).

When they were out of sight, you merely sighed to yourself before smiling. Whatever it may be, you had a feeling you were going to this kid no matter what, for a long long time.

[husbandograveyard]

This drabble is part of my summer celebration collection! Prompt: Flowers Characters featured: Gaara (Naruto), 2nd person GN Reader Requested by: @silenceofthecookies [a/n]: soft Gaara? soft Gaara.

Gaara is a busy man. You knew when you got together with him, and it hadn’t really changed. He takes his job as a kage very seriously, and you admire all the hard work he puts in. But sometimes you wished that you could get a little more attention from him, that you could spend just a little more time together. 

But you never brought it up, because you knew how hard he tried, and you knew how much he loved you. You couldn’t get your selfish wish past your lips, because you loved him so much and you knew he’d bend over backwards to give you what you wanted, only to chip away at himself even more in the process. And that was the last thing you wanted. 

So you tried to help out instead. You brought meals to his office, sat with him on late nights, even if it was just reading a book on a couch nearby. You helped wherever you could with the paperwork -although that took quite a lot of convincing-. You made sure the house was always a home for him to be happy to come home to. And you never even mentioned your extra efforts once. 

But they didn’t go unnoticed. One day you come home from grocery shopping to find a huge bouquet waiting for you at the dinner table. Your initial worry -who got inside the house? Gaara is working- makes way for all warm fuzzy feeling when you notice the redhead sitting on the couch, smiling, waiting for you to come home. 

“Gaara, I thought you were wo-” He interrupts gently, taking you by your hands and pulling you closer to him. “Not today. You have been doing so much to ease my burdens, and never once asked anything in return. So please, allow me to properly thank you today.”

[animeomegas]

can we hear more ideas of omegas with civilian alphas? (Naruto or of course it could also be mha, etc.)

You sure can!

Something really speaks to me when I think about Shinsou and a civilian lawyer alpha.

Like, they're super professional, an absolute god in criminal law who works for the fanciest firm in the area.

Shinsou is a terrifying underground hero.

But then they both get home and it's time for cat pyjamas, taking turns giving the other head scratches, and eating take away food. I live for that for them!!!

...

Okay, okay, what about Gaara with a doting stay at home civilian alpha?

The kind of alpha that bakes every day, that home-schools their pups and has dinner ready for Gaara every day when he gets home from working long hours.

It gets Gaara through the days, thinking of them. It helps him keep his work-life balance, knowing that they're waiting for him.

...

Or... what about Iruka with a professional chef civilian alpha?

Iruka is quite simply a disaster in the kitchen, and he watches his alpha bustle around cooking like they're performing feats of magic.

He has some seriously pornographic moans when he's eating delicious food too, so....

They don't cook everyday of course, because it's their day job, but they always sneak leftovers home and Iruka falls more in love with them every single time tbh XD

(And if they make him a cute bento to take to work, he will have to put real effort into not tearing up right there in front of his students or colleagues at the missions desk.)

...

And finally, I want you to consider Iida with a bakery business owner civilian alpha, only because the idea of him walking into the kitchen just to see his alpha icing a giant dick cake is golden.

[danddymaro]

Got me | Gaara x Reader

A lil fluffy

Could be a friendship/ship

Word Count: 363

Got me

You looked down at the aqua-colored eyes that looked up at you from below. They narrow slightly as the sunlight behind you felt a touch too overwhelming.

Strands of fire red fall over them too, obscuring the sight before they are blown away by a simple blow of breath of yours. 

After the small accomplishment, you smile just as those sea-colored eyes fully open, rounded.

The air fans Gaara's face, but rather than cool him off it makes heat rise over his features, gradually worsening before he looks away, his lips pressed together thinly.

"You've made your point..." he said wearily, flustered.

Grains of sand coil around your ankles, willing, but not going further. you can feel the bits of debris make way up your leg, crawling into your clothing too, making you huff out before you pout with a bit of disappointment.

"I'm not teasing you to be cruel," you say, your face demonstrating a softhearted expression soon after.

You did tease him quite a bit, but at that moment, you truly meant no harm.

He relied entirely too much on his sand, and while it'd started off as a silly challenge, the more you thought about it, the more you became stuck on the idea,

" Your taijutsu needs some work," you say just a tad bit smugly before you straighten out your back, though you don't back off. You're still sitting on the sand nin's stomach as you lean back, shaking your head.

"- Lucky for you, you've got me," you said with a hard grin as you point your thumb to your chest.

Silently, Gaara stares at you with the same rounded eyes of before, though they soon slack and he softly smiles at you.

He's not one to take for granted his new bonds, though as he's become more busy with his new position, he's had so much on his mind.

He hasn't even had a proper moment to spend with you, something he feels guilty for.

"Ah...I do, don't I?" he replies back in a tender voice, musing over how lucky he is to have you in his corner, even if you're a bit too cheeky sometimes.

[inside-lees-mind]

hiiii!! sorry if this is kinda specfic but could i rq neji and gaara + anyone else you would like with a reader (romantic or close friends type thing, up to you!!) that grew up with older siblings (a kind of big-ish age gap? like they were around 8 or so when the reader arrived) and the reader + their siblings are all competitive over ANYTHING, so they love to rub it into each other alot (like a "heyyy big sib, remember when i beat you in a match of rock paper scissors and you promised me hotpot? well i want to cash in my reward now") just like a 'healthy' siblings dynamic, they aren't scared of inviting [insert character] into these little games, cause they just want them to let loose a little,,, so kind of just fluff, kind of like character getting to know s.o/readers family outside of formalities or important clan thingies,,,,

Neji and Gaara (separately) with a reader who has Older Siblings

More specifically, a healthy relationship with those siblings.

Neji Hyuga

He’s just a little jealous.

He admires your dynamic with your older siblings

The way you all bicker, compete over food, etc.

And especially the way you all have each other’s backs. Your older siblings, despite being quite a bit older than you, might bicker with you like your close in age, but they have the clear older sibling role.

All of them protect you. (Like how they all warned him not to hurt you. He won’t, but he admittedly was scared)

He keeps his distance from all of you when you’re bickering or competing though because he made the mistake of not doing so once, and he blinked and suddenly he was in the middle of a food fight…

He pretends not to hear you when you ask him to defend you, because he’s not getting involved and used as collateral.

If all of you decide to go out to eat and purposely seek him out to go with you all because he’s “part of the family,” he will be so happy (inwardly, he doesn’t show it)

He ends up involved in random games you all play together, usually as your partner in those games. He’s tired, but he’s so grateful.

Gaara of the Sand

Reminds him of his older siblings once he recovered and amended their relationships.

He’s glad you’ve always at that support system. He knows how important it is and how nice it is.

You have a much larger gap with your siblings than he does with his siblings though, so he wonders how you guys have anything in common at first. It’s hard to see how somebody 8 years older than you would share your interests or hobbies or anything really.

There is a rather large gap between him and Temari and they get along fine though, so he takes to just watching you and your siblings from afar.

He notices how you all bicker and argue. You’re clearly competing, but you’re laughing.

Any mean comments are taken lightly and don’t go too far.

He finds himself smiling.

Until he’s being dragged by the wrist to split some sort of tie. He’s startled, but goes along with y’all and tries to help.

If your siblings ever refer to him as family, his eyes will light up. He’s so happy to be included.

[daily-dose-of-imagines]

Toxicity

Anon asked: May I request comfort with gaara after he finds out about his s/o (gn, they/them pls) mother being toxic ? There’s nothing physical but still…it hurts when your mother says things about you then pretends she’s never insulted you.

----

Hello and thank you for requesting with us! I do hope you enjoy it!

Warnings: Mild talk of mothers being mean

>Admin T

----

You buried your face into your hands, letting the tears fall. Gaara stood in the entry way of your shared home, surprised and concerned filling his chest. He immediately went to your side and wrapped his arms around you. "My heart, what's the matter?"

You groaned and burrowed yourself into his chest. "My mother, that's what happened." Gaara didn't know the relationship you had with your mother. How she hurts you with her words, how she destroys your confidence when she berates on how you act or dress, and as you told Gaara all that she has done to you, his hold tightened and he kissed your temple. "I don't know what I did to her to treat me like this!" you cried out, more tears falling.

"My love, sometimes people lash out at others because of their own insecurities and self doubts. It's unfair and horrible, I know. There is no excuse for that type of behavior. Trust me, I was the same way." Gaara explained, rubbing your arms comfortingly. You sniffed and looked up to meet his eyes.

"But you owned up to it all. My mother just forgets all the horrible things she's said the next day, so I can't even confront her. She just shuts me down."

Gaara's heart ached for you, your pain his pain. He didn't knows his mother, but his father wasn't 'Dad of the year' so he knew some semblance of what you were going through. "I'm sorry, my love, that you have to go through this. I am here, for you, now and forever."

This made you start bawling now. From sadness of not having a loving mom, and from happiness from having someone really care for you, to fill that void in your heart that your mother had opened.

"Thank you, Gaara, I needed to hear that." Gaara kissed gently, his lips soft against yours and he gave a winning smile.

"Anything for you, my heart."

[wing-ed-thing]

I Guess You Don’t Love Me Anymore (Gaara x Reader)

Synopsis: Your normal nighttime routine with Gaara

Word Count: 0.8k

Tags/Warnings: Fluff, Gaara puts his whole weight on Reader, Fluffy Couple Things, Reader is Picked Up/Tossed

Notes: On the Gaara brain rot train

When it came time to turn in, Gaara wore his nightshirt. The garment, traditionally worn by men of Sunagakure, was woven out of a light, tan fabric and featured three white buttons that led up to a scoop neck collar. Gaara pinched the front of it, almost to remind himself of the shirt’s looseness as he fanned himself. You watched as he cracked open a window from your shared bed, musing to yourself over how the fabric draped over Gaara’s shoulders. He always seemed more relaxed at night, like he could finally breathe after a day of work as Kazekage. Perhaps it was from wearing his armor all day…

“What?” His rough voice cut through your thoughts. You blinked, locking eyes with Gaara as his forehead crinkled in acute curiosity. “What are you looking at?” You sat up, leaning on one arm as you tugged him forward by the hem of his shirt. You leaned up to kiss him.

“Am I not allowed to admire my handsome fiancé?” you said, a playful vibrato in your voice. Gaara planted a firm peck on your lips. You fell back onto the thin sheets and Gaara unceremoniously plopped the entirety of his body weight on top of you. You let out a dramatic groan and the corners of Gaara’s lips twitched upwards from above you.

“You are,” he conceded, his nose touching yours. His elbows dug into the bed around the opposite sides of your head and he rested his cheek on his palm. “But you’re a mischievous one. I don’t know what goes on in that head of yours.” He gave your temple a light tap with his opposite hand.

“I was thinking about your shirt.” Gaara’s lips formed a tight, misshapen line. A light puff of air escaped his nose: Gaara’s rendition of a snicker.

“My shirt,” he repeated, stretching as he lifted himself off of you. By the time you sat up, he was already beginning to settle under the covers. “What about my shirt?” A hint of mischief of his own glinted in his tired eyes.

“I think it’s a nice look for you.” You flung the sheets over on your side and rested your head on Gaara’s shoulder. You tossed a leg over his. “It’s very… farmer.” You looked up at him, dragging your cheek across the light cotton of his nightshirt as you nodded. He looked down, chin beginning to scrunch up by his neck.

“Is, uh… I reckon that’s a good thing.” You couldn’t laugh at the innocently lost look on his face. No one had ever really joked around with Gaara before you. Between the stigma around his Jinchūriki status as a child to his drastic promotion to Kazekage, you figured that most of the villagers thought of him as too serious.

“I’ll have you know that farmer-Gaara is easily in my list of top fifteen Gaaras.”

“Ah, I see…” He hummed, straining to reach over to the bedside light. You always said things like that to him and he never understood. But he liked you, and so he had long since learned to simply roll with it. You wrapped your arm around his middle as darkness suddenly overtook the room.

You both shifted. You nestled deeper into Gaara’s side as he traced the outline of your ear. Gaara kissed the top of your head. The silence of the night filled the air. It had been a long day for the both of you.

Gaara’s chest rose steadily as he breathed. You played with the buttons on his shirt, his heart beating like a metronome in his chest. His fingertips drew little circles on your skin as the night grew darker.

As time passed, you couldn’t tell if you actually fell asleep. But in a half-awake trance, you felt Gaara move. He turned on his side, taking half of your portion of the blankets with him. You looked over at his broad shoulders and his messy hair. You clutched onto what little blanket realestate you could.

“Oh, I see how it is.” Your tired voice cut through the stillness. “I guess you don’t love me anymore.” Even just barely awake, you still found ways to joke with him.

Almost immediately, Gaara shot up in bed, resting his weight on his elbow away from you. He paused, almost as if he had to take a moment to process what you said. You giggled quietly to yourself, always one to be amused by your own jokes. But your laughter was quickly knocked out of you as Gaara, now laying flat, snaked one arm under you. And with one movement, he flipped you completely over his body. With you now on his left, he turned back on his side, holding you to his chest and burying his face in the crook of your neck.

“Go to sleep,” he muttered and held you close as the both of you fell asleep.

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed and otherwise supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated. 

Notes: I think I once found a tweet that was like “When your partner turns on their side in bed and it’s like wow I didn’t know you didn’t love me anymore.” Ever since I showed my boyfriend that I say that every time he turns over until the one time I did it to him and he went “... wow I didn’t know you didn’t love me anymore” hahaha

[leportraitducadavre]

Is there a reason why MC bias in Naruto is so bad? Is it really because of the self-inserts? In other manga/anime you don't get people blindly hating a character like Sasuke while loving someone like Itachi, Naruto or Kakashi because other fandoms know and accept when the MC is *wrong*. I just don't get how people like Naruto, Hinata and Gaara are so popular when they represent everything we abhor in real-life?

It's hard to answer your question without delving into the idea of "self-inserts." In short, people identify with the notion of being unpopular and considered less worthy or skilled than others, so they often feel more sympathy for characters that show similar traits to them.

Most people perceive their self-worth to be higher than what the rest of the people around them attribute them (or at least, the one they consider other people attribute to them), as they want to believe that their talents aren't recognized by their peers (either because their comrades felt threatened by them or because others considered themselves superior by diminishing them). Gaara in itself (sad background included) isn't enough to win the fandom's love, as he achieved such status by succumbing to Naruto's worldview, pledging loyalty and care to the character most people likely identified themselves with.

Sasuke is quite literally the opposite of most of them, he's talented, good-looking, and smart; he doesn't need to look for ways to validate his value as that is quite literally what everyone around him does over and over again. His specific background (UCM), while tragic, doesn't take away this recognition, which makes readers sympathize less with him as life isn't as "hard" for him because he's well-regarded, something Naruto, Gaara, and Hinata aren't -making their life harder.

[brotheramberland]

So I wanted to talk about how some of my "fictional father" rules and ideas work.

First up: What characters from what fandoms would make good fathers? (Sorry it's a long list. Also, if you're wondering why certain antagonists' were listed, there's more explanation further down).

Fandom: Naruto. Characters: Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, Gaara, Yamato, Gai, Neji, Shikamaru, Iruka, Jiraiya, Itachi, Obito, Orochimaru, and Zabuza.

Fandom: One Piece. Characters: All of the Mugiwara crew, Trafalgar, Kid, Ace, Sabo, Crocodile, Doflamingo, Lucci, Smoker, Katakuri, the Akazaya Nine, Shanks, Buggy, Marco, and Rayleigh. (I could honestly write almost every character on here as a parent figure, but the list would be way too long).

Fandom: Jujutsu Kaisen. Characters: Lol, all of them.

Fandom: Attack on Titan. Characters: Eren, Armin, Levi, Jean, Reiner, Levi and Erwin.

Fandom: Black Clover. Characters: Umm... All of them? This fandom is beyond rich with potential parent figures, don't even get me started.

Fandom: Guardians of The Galaxy. Characters: Quill, Drax, Rocket, and Yondu.

Fandom: Marvel. Characters: Tony, Thor, Steve, Bucky, Bruce, Scott, Loki, Clint, and Sam.

Fandom(s): DreamWorks and Disney. Characters: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Bruno Madrigal, Grug Crood, Death the Wolf. (And a whole bunch of others.)

Fandom: Criminal Minds. Characters: Spencer, Derek, David, Matthew, and Luke.

Fandom(s): Alien movies like Predator, Avatar, or Transformers for some extra flavor and diversity.

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender. Characters: Aang, Sokka, Zuko, Iroh, and Jet.

Fandom: 911 and 911 Lone Star. Characters: All of them. Every main character within these two fandoms is amazing.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Why are certain antagonists listed?

Well that's because I'm obsessed with bad guys and I love imagining them in scenarios where they are actually good. Antagonists in general are very powerful, crazy and frightening, but if you keep those attributes and turn them into good people with good intentions, they make for some pretty awesome, likable parent figures.

So if I ever write an antagonist as a parent figure, just know that I'm intentionally making them good for the benefit of the reader-inserts and the drabbles. But, hey, if you wanna read and imagine them the way they originally are, then by all means I support you.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

I obviously have father figures covered, but what about mother figures?

There are lots of female characters I love, but I primarily want to focus on the males just because that is my preference. However, on down the road I do see myself writing mother drabbles. I wouldn't mind. And, considering the circumstances of the reader-inserts, a mother figure might be more suited for the plot. You never know.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

What will the reader-inserts be like?

For reader-inserts under the age of twelve, I will display it in the title as "child!reader".

For reader-inserts over the age of twelve, I will display it in the title as "teen!reader".

For child reader plots, I plan for them to be mostly fluffy and light-hearted. You know, young kids are curious, they're inexperienced, they're clumsy, they get scared, they get bullied, and so on and so forth. There's lots of topics and plots I can create for child reader-inserts.

For teen reader plots, things might get a little bit more angsty. As we all know, teenage years are absolutely insane. Teenagers are rebellious, they're curious, they're discovering their own sexuality, they're going through puberty, and they're trying new, dangerous and some times risky things. Teenagers are also very, VERY emotional, and under certain circumstances they can really struggle with anxiety, depression, social stability, loneliness and a whole bunch of other stuff. Of course there will be fluff in these drabbles, but also some light angst here and there.

For the most part the reader will be portrayed as the biological child of the character, but I do plan on writing lots of adoption stuff too.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

The father figures won't always be perfect.

As we all probably know, parents are anything but perfect. They make mistakes. Lots and lots of mistakes. And sometimes parents don't care that they make mistakes, nor do they ever try to right their wrongs and apologize. Some parents don't even want to accept nor understand their child. (I'm sure some of you know what I mean).

But whereas these fictional father figures may make mistakes, they also try to fix those mistakes and right their wrongs. That's what I plan to accomplish with my father drabbles. I want to create loving, supportive, understanding father figures who are willing to do anything for their child. Because when you're a kid and you struggle with life, a loving parent is all you really want.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

What about characters who are too young to have kids?

So an example for this would be any character that is around the age of 15-25 like Luffy. Well there are two simple solutions to this. Either I'll age up the characters or I'll say that the reader is adopted. It kind of just depends on what the drabble calls for.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Why am I doing this?

Well if you're like me and you had a rough childhood, then you just kind of want to reimagine yourself in a scenario where you're happy, accepted, catered, loved, protected, safe and cared for. I just want this to be something akin to a safe place for people to come and find joy and peace in the drabbles that I create.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Mild disclaimer: I know I have a lot of characters in mind to write for, but the process of my updates may be slow-going sometimes because I do have a full time job and annoying adult responsibilities. I try to write whenever I can. If updates seem slow, just know that I'm sorry and that I'm trying my hardest to supply you with all the fictional father goodness you crave.

Ta-ta my friends!

[dreadsuitsamus]

🍑🍍🍌🥝🫐🍓🍎

ask me!

🍑 - If you could make a connection between your favorite character and another work you care about (whether a crossover/fusion or a wonderfully “pretentious” literary reference) what would it be? How would it work?

i would love to cross over metroid and dragon ball! i often think about writing something like it, with the reader in samus's position. it'd be entirely self-indulgent and i would 100000000% envision myself as the reader

🍍- What kind of AUs do you like? Are there any AUs you hate or just generally have beef with?

modern AUs are good, and i do like either college ones or schoolteacher ones, and royal AUs as well. as far as ones i dislike goes, it's hard for me to find one that i won't give a chance to, but i would have to say that ones involve alpha/beta/omega ones got old to me pretty fast and i generally won't click on a story featuring it

🍌 - In your opinion, what’s the funniest joke/reference/pun you’ve made in a fic?

all the dbza stuff. i mention them a lot but tbh not my fault the parody was so good and fitting in a lot of areas

🥝 - What’s your favorite trope/AO3 tag to write?

i like enemies to lovers, and plan to write that trope in the future for both goku and vegeta, and i have a sfw gohan prom fic in the works where gohan and reader started as friends, then went to 'enemies' and then lovers. established relationships are a favorite of mine, no matter what that relationship is

🫐 - What’s your favorite underrated thing in your fandom? (A ship that only you seem to write for, a character there’s almost no fics about, a trope that criminally hasn’t been written yet, etc.)

i love broly quite a bit, and i especially like thinking of him in modern AUs. sometimes i just like writing him without the pressure of the monster lurking beneath the surface

🍓 - What’s a fic you’ve written you feel is underrated?

hmmm i would say maybe my first fic on here! it was a small vegeta x reader that didn't feature any actual smut, just vegeta being horny for readers knockers at a bbq lol

🍎 - Is there anything you straight-up won’t write?

i ship naruto and gaara heavily, and also look at naruto and just see a baby so i won't write naruto or gaara reader inserts

[marvelgurl789]

<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/44270491"><strong>Beach Body</strong></a> (13414 words) by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/daughter_of_the_mountain_88"><strong>Gaara-Obsession-Blog</strong></a><br />Chapters: 1/1<br />Fandom: <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Naruto">Naruto</a><br />Rating: Mature<br />Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings<br />Relationships: Gaara (Naruto)/Reader, Gaara (Naruto) & Reader<br />Characters: Gaara (Naruto), Temari (Naruto), Kankurou (Naruto), Nara Shikamaru<br />Additional Tags: Choose Your Own Adventure, Self-Insert, Sex, Oral Sex, Foreplay, Reader-Insert, Rough Sex, Kazekage Gaara (Naruto), POV Gaara (Naruto), Sand Siblings-centric, Sunagakure | Hidden Sand Village, POV Female Character, Male-Female Friendship<br />Summary: <p>Gaara x (fem) reader.</p><p>As Kazekage, Gaara works long, hard, hours for the sake of his village. Although his uptight, workaholic, attitude has helped to improve his reputation, it has offered little time to sit back, relax and enjoy the sunny - or hotter - side of life. Now with his 22nd birthday coming up, his brother and sister have generously given him an all-inclusive beach vacation at a private resort. Little does Gaara know that his real birthday gift is his long term crush - you! - and your fantastic beach body.</p><p>Are you going to show him what it really means by all-inclusive, or will you tease the poor man while he’s trying to enjoy this rare opportunity for leisure?</p>

[littlemissmanga]

Pass the happy! 🌻🌈 When you receive this, list 5 things that make you happy and send this to 10 of the last people in your notifications!

Aw I love these, thank you! (Also, sorry not sorry for mining through your blog the second I found it. Not my fault I love your spot-on TBB hot takes. You may want to get used to seeing my name in your notifications)

My dog, Fin the Freckled, the neediest independent woof who rules the house with a firm bork and is easily bought with pets and dental chews.

My husband, who not only puts up with my silliness, he encourages it and gets real joy out of it, which makes me joyful and even sillier. (He will also randomly say/do things that remind me of Rex which I mean...)

The plumeria trees in my backyard. They're in bloom right now and just sitting under them is pure peace. They're so vibrant and pretty and smell so sweet.

Living near the beach. Not even joking walking on the shore truly does make your whole day better (even if you can't go until it's dark out.)

Reinvigorating my Tumblr over the past year. I've been here since 2011 and I went from very active with multiple rp side blogs to barely using it. So glad I jumped back in. I love seeing moots I recognize from "the old days" and even reconnected with @tough-girl-sydney, the BEST writing partner on this entire site. She gracefully enabled my Gaara obsession before convincing me to create OCs with her and build our own world/narrative. Now, I have a whole host of talented new people to follow in new fandoms. Sad to see old issues are still here (people hating on self-insert fics, cliquiness, lack of reader engagement) but holy shit are the creatives in fandom Tumblr fucking bringing it and I am so here to support it in any way I can. Sincerely, thank you all for giving others a space where we can cry over fictional characters that mean so much to us, something many of us were teased for to some degree or another IRL. It's really validating and just a beautiful way to connect emotionally over these shared experiences and interests.

[gaaruto-kage]

It’s Alright - Gaara x Reader

Oh, it's alright, oh

Oh, hey

I had a night I had a day

I did one million stupid things

I said one billion foolish things

I'm not okay

I got a baseball bat beside my bed

To fight off what’s inside my head

To fight off what’s behind my meds

I'm lonely, lost in pain

You woke up, the dark, still air interrupted only by the slight sounds of crying and whimpering coming from beside you in the bed. You rolled over to look at your partner, Gaara, to find the sounds coming from his grimace-twisted mouth. His fists clenched so tightly around the blanket that his knuckles were white and a thin sheen of sweat coated his forehead, causing his red hair to stick to it in clumps. You knew what this was, another one of his nightmares, and immediately you sat up and reached your hands out towards him, one on his shoulder gently shaking him and one pushing his sweat-soaked hair away from his face. It took a minute, but eventually his eyes opened and he looked around frantically before seeing you. He all but threw himself into your arms and relaxed into your touch while you rubbed his back and whispered reassuring words into his ear.

It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay

You're not a monster, just a human

And you made a few mistakes

It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay

You're not gruesome, just human

And you made a few mistakes

It's alright, oh

It's okay, oh

After several minutes Gaara’s sobbing subsided to a few sniffles and his stiff body seemed to relax into you.

“Do you want to talk about it?” you asked, your gentle voice breaking the tense near-silence that had settled in the room. At first Gaara just nodded while his face was pressed into your neck, but then he pulled back and verbally responded with a quiet “yes”.

“Well, I’m right here my love. You talk when you’re ready,” you reassured. A few moments passed before he started speaking.

“I… I was a child again. Back during the chuunin exams. I was fighting Lee and I felt this unstoppable rage burning in me and… and I killed him. And then I turned and I, oh god I killed them all! There was blood everywhere, and it got mixed into my sand, and I just…” at this point Gaara’s description turned into an incoherent babbling with some gasps and sobs mixed in, so you pulled him into your arms again and rubbed his back as he let it all out again.

Goddamn

I throw a brick right through the window

My life ignored the signals

I am high and drunk on ego

Can't see straight

So I just feel my way around and

I am touching, I am grabbing

Everything I can't be havin'

I am broken down in shame

Gaara mumbled something into your shoulder that you didn’t quite catch, so you asked him to repeat himself.

“I wanted to kill myself,” he whispered. “Right at the end of it, standing in the middle of all my carnage, all of the rage slipped away and I was me again. Me now, I mean, not the monster I was back then. I wanted to kill myself, as if that would somehow make up for all the destruction I had caused. And then I woke up.”

You were stunned into silence. Most of Gaara’s nightmares were about his childhood, when his father raised him to be remorseless, someone fueled only by anger and the sand demon trapped inside him, but this was one of the worst nightmares he’d had in a long time. You stayed quiet, unsure of what to say and unwilling to risk saying the wrong thing in case it might make things worse for Gaara.

You continued to rub his back and murmur throwaway phrases in between gentle kisses to the top of his head - things like “it’s okay now” and “it was just a dream” and “you’re safe here”. Eventually he calmed down enough to want to try and go back to sleep. Once under the blanket, you pulled him close so he could still feel your comforting embrace even after he fell asleep again.

It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay

You're not a demon, there's a reason

You behaved in that way

It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay

And I believe, yes I believe

That you will see a better day

It's alright, oh

It's okay, oh

It's alright, oh

“Am I a monster?” Gaara’s question rang out in the silence. A couple of hours had passed and you figured he had fallen back asleep by now, even if you hadn’t. You propped your head up on your arm so you could get a good look at him as he stared hopelessly at you.

“No, Gaara, you’re not a monster,” you replied.

“But, all those people I hurt-”

“The people in your dream?”

“The people in real life.” Your words caught in your throat. It had been a long time since Gaara was the kind of person who hurt people just to see them in pain, the cold killer his father wanted him to be, but it was clear that he still thought of himself that way sometimes. Maybe this most recent nightmare brought up old fears. You went to place your hand on his cheek to comfort him, but he flinched when he saw it come near his face so you let it drop to your side instead.

“Gaara, I don’t think you’re a monster,” you said quietly.

“I’ve killed so many people, and hurt countless others. I’ve destroyed lives in ways that I can’t take back. I try to make things better using my power as the Kazekage, but no matter what I do it won’t bring those people back. They’re gone forever, and still they won’t leave me alone.” He sat up straight in bed and you followed suit. “I’m going for a walk. Don’t follow me.” As he said this, he got up and began getting dressed.

“Gaara, what are you doing?” You reached for his hand but he pulled away too quickly for you to grab it.

“I need to clear my head.”

“Let me help you, please.”

“No. You stay here. I don’t… I don’t want to hurt you too.” With that he pulled on his shoes and made his way swiftly out the door. You waited about thirty seconds before pulling on your own sandals and slipping as quietly as you could after him.

I don't wanna know who I am

'Cause heaven only knows what I’ll find

I don't wanna know I'm not capable of coming out alive

I don't wanna see what's inside

I think that I would rather be blind

I don't wanna know I'm not capable, I'm capable

You followed Gaara through the town and towards the outskirts of Suna, sticking to the shadows and making sure not to create any sounds that could alert him to your presence. After what seemed like ages considering the sky had just begun to get lighter with the promise of the sunrise Gaara finally stopped walking as he made it to the entrance of the cemetery. He paused for a moment before making his way not to his mother’s grave as you had known him to do on the occasion, but rather to the opposite side of the cemetery where the former Kazekages were buried, including his father.

Gaara made it to the large stone that marked where his father’s body rested in the ground and immediately fell to his knees. You wanted to rush forward, but knew it would be better to stay hidden and not let Gaara know just yet that you had followed him. On his knees before the great stone marker he looked so small and helpless. That, coupled with the crying you could now hear coming from him, just about broke your heart. It hurt seeing the man you love breaking like this and knowing you could only do so much for him. After a few minutes you started to hear him actually say things, although a lot of it was lost to the distance.

“Why… turned me into… made me… a monster like you…”

At this point Gaara began pounding his fists into the sand below him and screaming out into the world. You saw the sand begin to move around him in ways you knew could only be due to his chakra. You felt the fear rise in your throat but swallowed it down hard. This was Gaara, and he wouldn’t hurt you. You trusted that much to be true. Even in this emotional and scared state he was in right now, he wouldn’t hurt you. You stepped forward out of the shadow and called out his name. He whipped around to face you, sand scattering around him and reforming into spikes and tendrils.

“I told you not to follow me here.” You steeled yourself and took a single step forward, then a second and a third. At this point the sand whipping around Gaara was close enough to just start hitting you, each grain feeling like the sting of an insect. It hurt, but you pushed through it.

“Gaara, this isn’t you,” you pleaded. You took another step and this time a tendril of sand shot forward and wrapped around your ankle, but quick as it latched on it pulled back.

“You’re wrong! I’m a monster! I kill people, and I hurt those I care about! It’s how I’ve always been and I’ve been kidding myself thinking I’ve changed!” The wind and sand grew harsher around you and felt something drip down your face. Blood, maybe, from the sand cutting your skin, or maybe you were crying.

“No Gaara, you’re not a monster.” Despite the worry and anger and sadness building up within you, you managed to keep your voice even. “That boy you once were, you’re not him anymore no matter how much you fear you might be. You unlearned every awful thing your father taught you, not just because other people love you but because you love them too. Temari, Kankuro, Naruto, everyone else from Leaf Village, you know you love them all. The old Gaara didn’t love anybody and didn’t care who he hurt. The Gaara standing here before me, he is so full of love and is only acting this way because he’s scared. That’s how I know you’ve changed.” With that, you rushed forward through the sand, ignoring the way it cut up your skin, and threw yourself at Gaara hoping your idea of what would happen was correct.

I'm alright, I'm okay, I'm alright, I'm okay

I'm not a monster, I'm a human

And I made a few mistakes

I'm alright, I'm okay, I'm alright, I'm okay

I'm not gruesome, just human

And I made a few

Everything was silent. You were laying on the ground and tried to pull yourself up, but something stopped you - Gaara’s arms wrapped tightly around your midsection. You shifted your head enough to take in your surroundings; the two of you were still in the cemetery laying in the sand in front of his father’s grave.

“Don’t get up yet, please.” Gaara’s voice was much quieter than you expected. It was as if he thought that being too loud would shatter the stillness that surrounded the two of you.

“What happened?” you asked, equally quiet.

“You saved me. My nightmare terrified me; I was so scared that I’d turn back into who I was that I almost did exactly that. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been here for me.” You turned enough that you were able to see Gaara face to face.

“I love you, Gaara. I will be there for you whenever you need me.” He smiled before placing a gentle kiss on your forehead.

“What do you say we get out of here and lie someplace more comfortable, like our bed?”

“I like that idea.”

It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay

You're not a demon, there's a reason

You behaved that way

It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay

And I believe, yes I believe

That you will see a better day

It's alright, oh

It's okay, oh

It's alright, oh

And I believe, yes I believe

That you will see a better day

(It's alright)

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This is a loose sequel to my other Gaara fic All My Loving. Enjoy.