His lineface could never outmatch Gaara’s, who stared back at him with… a bit of disbelief, really. Luke had already made a number of stupid decisions, in his opinion, and he didn’t even know him that long. One of said stupid decisions was… along the lines of what they just discussed. But if not for that, they wouldn’t be where they were, right now. So there could be some benefits for making… not-so-wise decisions, all the time.

The kiss to his cheek was probably meant to distract him, and it worked. Flushing slightly, Gaara turned away and intentionally didn’t call any attention to it, as the fireworks display gradually died down around them. Luke would be perceptive enough to pick up on his reaction, if given the opportunity.

Such as… this instance.

“Yes. As well as numerous aspects of sexual intercourse,” he replied bluntly. For reasons that he still couldn’t understand, people had reacted to his and Sai’s research with… shock? Horror? Was this subject truly taboo for discussion? He didn’t think it would be, since procreation was a crucial part of maintaining the population.

Ah… this question. He wasn’t prepared to talk about it… especially not mere minutes after he had agreed to become romantically involved with someone else. Over two months had passed since he last saw Sai, as well as everyone else from the facility. The wounds in his heart were… still fresh. But Luke deserved to be told a few facts, even if he wasn’t going to get the whole story, right at this moment. If ever.

After closing his eyes and exhaling softly, Gaara finally nodded in response. “It was… a one-sided bond. And it… never evolved beyond that.”