Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I make no money from this.
Author's Notes: This is a very, very over due birthday present for a dear friend of mine, Ly. I've been really struggling recently with my writing. Well, I should say I haven't stopped struggling with it since last Christmas. It's just a lot harder sometimes than it is others. Anyways, Happy late birthday and I hope you enjoy it! Not betaed! 'Cause I'm lazy. (シ_ _)シ
Read, review and please enjoy!
Gaara took a deep breath and pushed open the gate to the house. He walked up the small walk way, stopping in front of the door. He stared at the nameplate by the door for what felt like forever. If anyone happened by, he figured he probably looked like some kind of stalker, with how he was just standing there and not moving at all. He reached out a hand and froze an inch from the door. He silently cursed himself. He pulled his hand back and rubbed it furiously against his pants leg.
He took a deep breath to steady himself and then knocked on the door. He took a step back and listened to his heart drum in his ears. He would never admit to anyone how nervous he felt right then, mind racing with what he was planning to do and all the possible outcomes. Lee had been absent from school for three days now, a cold he'd been told when he'd called. Gaara had almost eagerly volunteered to take the other teen's homework to him. They were friends so no one really thought much of it, but Shikamaru had given him a knowing look when Gaara had flushed with embarrassment for being so eager.
They'd known each other since they were little and had stuck to each other like glue all through grade school. They had drifted a little during junior high when Lee's family had moved for his father's job. They'd kept in contact through email and calls but it hadn't been the same for either of them. It was during this time that Gaara had come to realize he like Lee as more than just a friend and the realization had him closing himself off a little more from his friend.
They had continued like that for nearly two years until they had both graduated from junior high and Lee had moved back for high school. His parents had rented a small house just down the road from Gaara's home and Lee stayed by himself. They had plans to moved back when the first job became available for Lee's father. They missed the quiet of the small town and were quickly growing tired of the big city, or so Lee had told him.
Truth be told, Gaara hadn't known what to do with himself when Lee had showed up for the first day of school, the same bright and blinding smile on his face. He greeted Gaara in his cheerful manner, embracing the red head fiercely and admitting to missing him. Gaara had been shell shocked. He'd never expected to get a chance to tell Lee how he felt, let alone have it happen so soon. When he'd asked Lee why he hadn't came by to visit, since he'd apparently been back in town for a week and a half, Lee had laughed, a light blush dusting his cheeks as he admit he'd wanted to surprise his old friend.
They'd easily fallen back into their old friendship. They hung out after school nearly every day and Gaara had taken up the habit of bringing over left overs from his house. He knew Lee wasn't the greatest of cooks and a person couldn't live off of convenience store food. They stayed up late on the weekend studying and talking about the old days. Gaara told Lee about everything that had happened since he'd been gone. How Neji and Tenten had finally admitted to liking each other and were finally together. He told him about their beach trips, particularly the one where they had Sasuke and Shikamaru making out in the kitchen when they were supposed to be cooking dinner.
Lee told him about the city and how loud and fast paced it was. He told Gaara about how big the stores were and how there was just so much to do that a person could never decide. He'd blushed and told Gaara about his first date and how absolutely horrible he felt it had gone. He admitted that there had just been something missing when he'd been with her and then had muttered how he thought he might like boys instead. Gaara had hid his shock and happily supported his friend, telling him if that was how he felt he should experiment. Their school was pretty open about the whole thing for such a small town.
Lee had blushed and nodded before changing the subject. It still seemed to be new and embarrassing to him so Gaara kept his excitement at hearing the news to himself. Lee wasn't quite ready for something like that and Gaara wasn't sure if he was ready for it himself. He knew and accepted how he felt about Lee but he had never thought long and hard on confessing to his best friend. Lee had been over five hundred miles away from him at the time and they had no way to meet up and Gaara wasn't about to do something like that over the phone or computer, so confessing to Lee that he was in love with him was off the table back then.
But now Lee was right here in front of him and Gaara's love for the other teen only grew. As the days passed and turned into week, he realized he was only going to continue to love Lee more and more. And while he was okay with that, something held him back. The spring turned into summer and the summer into winter. Now winter was slowing becoming spring and the new school year was just around the corner. The cherry blossoms were blooming and the air was starting to warm back up.
Gaara had toyed with the idea of doing something super cheesy like confessing under the cherry blossoms and had ultimately decided to in the end. Lee loved the cherry blossom season and such romantic gestures. They had been busy preparing for finals and Gaara had been working up his courage. The season was slowly dwindling away and just when he'd been planning to ask Lee out to hang out and see the last of the cherry blossoms, Lee ended up sick. Sometimes Gaara felt like the whole world was against him.
Now here he was, standing in front of Lee's house, a bag of medicine and food in one hand and his school back slung over his shoulder with Lee's missed notes. He took another deep breath and knocked on the door. There was a moment of silence and then the sound of footsteps and a loud crash reached his ears. He raised an eyebrow and gave the door a concerned look. He was about to knock again when the door swung open to reveal a flushed and rumpled Lee.
Lee blinked at him, eyes hazy from sleep and being sick. His shirt was at least two sizes too big, if not more, and hung off his shoulder down to nearly his elbow. Gaara had no idea how he managed to even keep it on in the first place but he didn't ask. Lee stared at him with big eyes before he seemed to recognize him.
"Gaara!" he exclaimed, voice hoarse. He brightened a little and tried to smile but a coughing fit caught him. Gaara frowned and pushed past his friend and into the house. Lee closed the door behind him and leaned against it with a sigh as his coughing fit subsides.
"What are you doing here?" Lee asked as he finally moved from the door and stumbled back into the house. Gaara slid him shoes off and followed his friend into the living room. Lee had sprawled across the couch and Gaara could tell this was where Lee had been camping out instead of in his own bedroom. The table was littered with empty medication boxes, tissue boxes and empty food packs. Gaara grimaced and turned away from the mess to hand Lee the bag of food and medication.
"Here, supplies," he muttered as he shrugged out of his jacket and began cleaning up the disaster area that was Lee's table. Lee sputtered and thanked him before protesting weakly that Gaara didn't need to do that. Gaara ignored him and continued to clean up. Once he was done, he stood before the table, hands on his hips and admiring his work.
"You didn't have to but thank you," Lee told him, flush from fever and embarrassment. Gaara shrugged and sat down beside him. Lee smiled and shook his head. He knew Gaara liked a clean place and Lee tended to be a little on the messy side sometimes, but since he was sick, Gaara could forgive him a little extra mess.
"I brought your notes," Gaara told him as he gestured to his abandoned school bag by the couch. Lee paled, if that was even possible.
"I'm never going to pass finals with how much I missed," he lamented as he rubbed at the back of his head.
"I'll help you study once you get better," Gaara told Lee and Lee beamed at him. Well, beamed at him as best as he could with how sick he looked.
"Why don't we eat and we can watch something?" Gaara asked after a moment and Lee nodded eagerly. Lee picked a movie while Gaara unpacked the food he had brought over. An hour later, the food was gone and Lee had taken some cold medication and was now passed out with his head in Gaara's lap. Gaara wasn't sure how they had managed to get into this position but the feeling off Lee pressed so close to him sent shivers up his spine.
He stroked his fingers through Lee's messy hair and smiled quietly to himself. Just being like this brought a peace he didn't know was possible to his heart. He watched Lee sleep peacefully, fever having gone down significantly over the last hour. He was thankful for that. When he had gotten there, Lee had felt as if he was going to spontaneously catch on fire at any moment.
He sat there for a while, the movie still playing on the T.V. as he watched Lee sleep. He couldn't keep the smile off his face, he was just so happy. Lee murmured in his sleep, rolling over onto his back and slinging his arm across Gaara's lap. Gaara's smile softened at the sight as he pushed Lee's bangs out of his face.
He stroked a finger across Lee's check before pressing his thumb against his slightly parted lips. The sudden want to kiss him worked through his body and before he could think better of it, Gaara leaned down and pressed his lips against Lee's. Lee's lips were soft, warm and a bit chapped, but the feeling sent shivers through Gaara's body. His fingers clenched compulsivly in Lee's hair as he pulled back slightly, teal eyes staring down at Lee's face. He pressed his lips against Lee's once again, not caring the slightest that the other teen was sick. When he pulled back from the quick contact this time, Lee muttered something and his eyes fluttered open. A small smile crept across his face and long arms came up to wrap around Gaara's neck. Gaara's soft sound of surprise was lost against Lee's lips as he was pulled down against his friend.
"Took you long enough," Lee murmured and Gaara flushed as red as his hair but a answering smile stretched across his lips.
"You knew the whole time?" Gaara whispered as Lee nuzzled his nose against his friend's. Lee nodded and pressed a kiss against Gaara's cheek.
"Since about three weeks after school started," Lee told him and Gaara was amazed. He'd had no clue he had been so obvious about it. Lee apparently read the thought in the silence that slowly started to stretch between them.
"You weren't obvious about it by no means but I could see it in your eyes or the way you would cautiously touch me sometimes," Lee murmured. "I've known you most of my life even if we didn't see each other for a while. I would never miss something like that." Gaara flushed but chuckled. That was Lee, ever observant and knowing things he was never supposed to.
"Why didn't you say something?" Gaara asked as Lee shifted on the couch so they were sitting side by side. Gaara's arm went around his shoulders and Lee's head dropped down onto Gaara's shoulder.
"I didn't know if I was right and I figured that was something you needed to figure out in your own time and confess when you felt it was right," Lee murmured, already dozing back off against Gaara's shoulder. Gaara shook him awake, wanting to tell Lee how he felt with his own words even if the other teen had it all figured out already.
"I like you, Lee," he whispered against Lee's temple and Lee chuckled softly. His fingers laced with Gaara's in his lap and he turned his head to press another soft kiss against Gaara's lips.
"I like you, too," he whispered back during the kiss and Gaara's heart swelled with love for the teen currently pressed against him.
"Now, back to sleep," Gaara ordered and they shifted so Lee was stretched out across his chest. Gaara's fingers buried themselves in Lee's hair and he couldn't resist pressing soft kisses against the top of Lee's head. Lee sighed in contentment and easily fell back asleep. Gaara sat in the quiet as the T.V. turned off on its own and marveled at how life could take you by surprise, in a good way.
Author's Notes: Sorry there isn't in smut in this. It just didn't fit the story. These two would take sometime to work up to that state in this verse. They aren't about to just dive in head first and do it on the couch while Lee is still sick. Slow and romantic, these two. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Remember to always check my AO3 (it's on my profile) for fics I don't post on here. You don't need an account to read or comment! Just bookmark my profile and check back!