Disclaimer: I do not own. If I did, people would understand that Lee is that adorable cinnamon bun that needs to be loved and cuddled.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
A/N: Yosh! Hello there! It is me, FlippedOutFlippy! I wanted to try my hand at a sad fic so here it is!
So just a little info, the itallics between the three -like so- are Flash backs!
Also this is Inspired by Hello from Adele.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Hello
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The phone rang, over and over again. Lee bit his lip, feeling slightly scared. It had been so long…did he still have the same number? Or was he calling a stranger on accident?
Better question…did he really have a right to call?
His breath caught as the ringing suddenly stopped but then the voicemail came.
I'm sorry-
"…Gaara-koi, you are meant to say your name."
"Why?"
"So others will know it is you!"
"They should know, they're the ones calling."
"U-uh well…please just say your name."
An audible sigh then "Gaara."- is currently unavailable, please leave a message after the tone. BEEP.
Lee struggled to hold back his tears and spoke as clearly as he could, "H-hello! Um…it is Lee. It has…been a long while. How are you? I…" Lee paused, not knowing what to say. He couldn't say the obvious thangs, that he missed Gaara, that he wished to see his ex-fiancé again. It wouldn't be right, not with what he had done.
Lee bit his lip and struggled to think of something but then the phone beeped and there was not enough time to say anything else. He pulled the phone from his ear and stared down at it. Lee closed his eyes and finally let a few tears fall. He gave a tortured chuckle and whispered,
"Three years and he still has that same voicemail…" he didn't count the six years that they had been together, just the three that they were no longer together, "Does…does he still care? Or…does he just not know how to change it?"
Before they got together, Gaara barely knew what to do with a home phone and didn't even own a cell… It was more likely that Gaara just didn't bother to change it. Though after that day…
- "You can't leave me!"
"I have no choice!"
"You always have a choice! What are you not telling me?!"
"Nothing! Just…nothing…"
"Liar…"-
Lee's breath hitched and he curled into a ball on his threadbare couch. It was his own fault, he shouldn't be crying again…but Lee just couldn't stop his tears. He'd finally gotten better! He wanted Gaara back! He…he wanted his Gaara back…
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Lee got back home from his job and went to where he'd left his cell that morning. He saw the notice that he had one voice mail and his heart thumped at the number. His fingers shook as he pressed play but then his heart just shattered as it wasn't Gaara he heard.
"How dare you! How fucking dare you – you piece of shit!" Lee could hear Temari's harsh panting from her yelling but…he deserved it…"Don't call, don't come, whatever your shit mind is thinking of- Don't you dare! You have no fucking right to try and call him! Go fucking die!"
The message ended.
Lee's hands trembled and he closed his eyes tightly. A sob burst from his lips and he immediately fell to his knee's hugging himself tightly and trying to muffle his sounds. The one he thought of as a sister, who had once viewed him as another brother…she truly hated him. Not that he could blame her at all. He couldn't- wouldn't blame her for wishing death upon him even though…
"I survived…I am sorry. I survived!" Lee choked and hugged himself tighter, crying until his eyes swelled and his head felt stuffed with cotton. Then, he fell asleep, too tired to even get to his bed. He curled around his cell, holding it to his chest.
He wouldn't delete the message, it was still Temari's voice…and he still loved her like a sister.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
It took days before Lee got the courage to call again. He let the phone ring and hung up five times before finally leaving a voice mail again.
"H-Hello again. Sorry for calling a lot…. How are you? You know, yesterday, I saw something that reminded me of you! It was-" Lee stopped, knowing that he shouldn't say, he shouldn't make this harder, "Ah..hah…It is so typical of me to talk about myself…I am sorry." He bit his lips, wishing that he was a better person, "I…I hope that you are well. Did you…did you ever get that job? I know you wanted to be the headmaster at Suna. You loved that place and you wanted to protect it and its children."
Lee stopped for a while then said, "Gaara-" before it beeped.
He waited too long again.
-"I am sorry!"
"I don't want your damn apologies! I want you here!"
"I cannot!"
"Dammit- WHY!?"
Sobbing, "I-I cannot…"-
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Lee stepped out of the shower and made his way to his bed, wrapping his now long hair as he did so. He looked down at his cell and saw the icon for a new voicemail. He opened it and saw the familiar number. His heart thumped and he wondered if he would hear Gaara this time or Temari again. He pressed play. It was Kankuro.
"You know, Temari told me that you left Gaara a message. I didn't want to believe it. I didn't think you'd be that cruel, Lee." There was a sigh and Lee felt like part of himself died, "Look, I deleted your message and I'll keep deleting them if you continue to call. Gaara is with Matsuri now, just do us all a favor and stop."
The message ended.
Lee clutched at his chest, feeling like his heart was dying. He lowered himself and slowly curled into a ball. Somehow, this hurt more than Temari's harsh words. Kankuro -who had been a brother in all the ways that mattered-, his obvious disappointment had been like a knife and the knowledge that Gaara was seeing Matsuri made that knife twist. He didn't think he had a chance before but…it hurt so much more than he thought it was. Gaara was still his special person, his one and only…it just hurt so much!
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
It took a few more days again but Lee called that number. Again and again, he called. Day after day, more than once a day. It was sort of a comfort, knowing that Kankuro and probably Temari, were deleting his messages. It was because of that that he was freer with what he said as the months passed.
Finally, he decided that he would stop, after leaving just one last message.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Gaara came home early for the first time in months. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he set his coat on the coat hanger. He was thankful that he still didn't have a cell phone, now more than ever as Matsuri still hadn't given up. He had told her that he didn't want to be in a relationship and in these months, that answer had not changed.
He sighed again, feeling a headache beginning.
Gaara walked through the hall and stopped briefly at the phone. He didn't expect there to be a message but doubled back when he realized that the light was blinking. With a frown, he clicked it and the message started. And as the message played, he felt his entire being freeze.
"Hello, it is me. Hah…I must have called a thousand times now…Though I know you are not going to get this message…I would still like to meet, to go over…everything. I still want to hear it from you, if you are well…" There was a sigh, "You know…They say time is supposed to heal you, but I do not think I have done much healing." Silence then, "I am back again. Today, I am going to visit Suna High, just to remember. Do not worry, I will visit after everyone has left. I…I just want to reminisce. I want to remember how it felt when we were together, how it felt like the world fell at our feet."
There was a choked laugh.
"I promised myself that I would not try to call anymore after this. I think I have made too much trouble for Kankuro and Temari…they are both so angry with me. Not that I blame them… So, I wanted to answer that one question you always asked. 'Why'. Why did I leave…I am sorry Gaara-koi. I was dying, and I did not want you to see me waste away. I had a tumor growing in my head and the doctors said that I had a 85% chance of dying if I went with surgery…100 if I didn't. So I left…I am so sorry..."
A deep breath.
"As always, I still love you. You are still my one and only and you always will be. I love you so very m-much…G-Gaara-k-koi."
Choked off sobs then the message ended.
Gaara stared at the phone, his mind blank for the second time in his life. His mind kept running one sentence over and over again.
'I was dying…I was dying…I was dying…dying…dying…dying…'
Gaara turned on his heel, ripping his coat off the rack as he rushed back out the door.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Lee inhaled slowly as he walked around the brick wall sealing Suna high from the street. He stopped in front of the gate, the setting sun creating a beautiful backdrop against the tan colors of the school. He closed his eyes, remembering how he met Gaara at this very school.
It had been such a wonderful festival and they had found each other by accident.
Lee's lips slowly formed a smile and he pushed the gates open, walking inside. He let his feet take him wherever and found himself at that fated place only minutes later; right behind the gym where him and Gaara had bumped into each other after losing their friends.
Lee laughed a little shakily and felt his eyes burn with tears again. He lost count of how many times he had cried these past years. He had never cried so much in his entire life, it was slightly fitting that the reason was Gaara…
Lee's breath hitched and he rested his forehead against the tan wall. He stayed like that for…he didn't know how long, but he was brought out of memories when he heard someone call his name. Lee subtly frowned in confusion and turned but who he saw made him freeze, his eyes going wide.
Gaara stood there, chest slightly heaving and looking like he just ran.
"G-Gaara-ko-" Lee cut himself off, sure that the man would want to hear that endearment come from him. He couldn't help but to let his eyes wander, taking in all the ways that his ex-lover had changed. His heart thumped and he forced down his blush. Gaara had gotten taller, broader…they were now the same height but Gaara's body dwarfed his own easily. He still had those dark circles around his eyes and they seemed worse than before and his eyes… His eyes were still intense, as if he could stare right through him.
Lee looked away.
Gaara moved and he was suddenly right in front of Lee. Lee pressed himself against the wall to create the space he desperately needed but there were barely five inches between them.
"You said 'was'…" Gaara said, making Lee slightly jolt. Lee looked confused for a moment before Gaara continued, "You said you were dying, you had a tumor."
"Oh," Lee whispered, "yes. I did, but…I found Tsunade-san. She…she fixed me." Lee smiled hesitantly, "She made it 50% instead…and I took the chance."
Gaara's breath catches. 50%...only 50%, so much could have gone wrong. Lee could have died without him ever knowing. His hands shook at the thought. He was mad- no, he was furious that Lee did this without him, that Lee had never told him. But he was also angry because he understood. Of course Lee wouldn't tell him, Lee was too kind, he'd rather have someone forget he even existed than to have the person mourn for him.
"You idiot." Gaara growled, his eyes narrowing. He lifted his hands and gripped Lee's arms firmly, "I will chain you to the bed if you ever even think of leaving again."
"H-huh?" Lee stuttered, his brain not catching up with what was happening. Surely Gaara didn't mean…?
"You said I was still your one and only." Gaara said, leaning in, "You're still mine…just like how I am still yours."
Lee's breath caught and a fluttering feeling erupted inside him.
Gaara kept his intense gaze on Lee as he slowly breathed over Lee's lips, "You are still my fiancé. I will marry you and tie us together. Forever."
Lee shivered and though Gaara had made it sound like a demand, like it was a fact that they would marry, Lee smiled. Lee smiled and said, "Yes."
Then, they kissed.