A/N: I was writing this during school. It's pretty random. But oh, why can't I get this pairing out of my head? I really need to write that AllenXLavi(Rabi) oneshot I've been promising myself. And maybe another HiroShu. Or hell, more AkuRoku! Just not all this NaruGaa… I swear, I feel like a mindless yaoi drone. (sweatdrop)

Oh, and this IS a mini-ficlet, so it will have more than only this chapter. so if you like this, be sure to add it to your watch list, since it will be updated at one point! But don't expect some forty-chaptered fic like DB. I said "mini" and not "major", m'kay? X3

Gaara's POV

I try to calculate what it would take to mentally shut down. I'm thinking far too much yet again. I should really learn to live in the moment and not sort out every minor detail. Some things don't need to be thought through or explained; some things simply are.

Like the feeling I get when I'm around him; I should cease my endless questioning of it's origins and reasons and accept that it merely is. I don't understand it, which bothers me; as often as I contemplate why these feelings could be, I still have no answer. My sister attempted to explain it on more than one occasion to me, but she doesn't know what emotions I'm suppressing, not truly. She can't understand or help me to reason them.

And I've given up the first time with asking my brother, which was a horrible mistake. Unlike my sister whom I credit for the effort and desire to try and help me, Kankurou didn't give me any useful knowledge whatsoever. Instead, he ended up giving me this vast sex talk about dozens things I couldn't even fathom. He also mentioned and explained things I never wanted to know, let alone wanted to hear coming from his mouth. Perhaps he thought I was the appropriate age to finally know certain things… how wrong he was. I may be nearing sixteen, and I may be more human now that my demon is gone, but I am no where near ready to participate in such activities.

Yet here I am, wrapped up in the arms of the cause of this mess, the exact 'him' I mentioned previously. In this mind-racing moment, his lips are overlapping mine and shaping around them, the combined moisture making puckering noises between us.

I'm trying not to think and simply move, but I'm failing horribly thus far. It's as if both my mind and emotions (not to mention parts of my body that Kankurou so 'nicely' explained), are triggered in the oddest ways when he's near, and worse, when he's touching me.

I can feel him even now; his hands are exploring the shape of my chest, sides, and back over my clothing. Vaguely, I decipher that the careful movements show that he's itching to remove the fabric, but I'm much too stubborn (if not a bit shy) to allow him. He can wait; if he's waited this long to make any sort of move, what's a bit longer?

"Gaara," he mumbles into my mouth. The way he speaks my name… it's whispered, breathy, aching with need, and filled to the brim with a sort of deep warmth that perplexes me. What does he need? What is that warmth? Hopefully none of it is related to the things Kankurou was telling me about.

He breaks the kiss. He's breathing rapidly, his hands frozen from their movement, landing them on the small of my back and in my crimson hair. The hand on my head falls to my shoulder. I look up to his face, which has his eyes slowly opening. A soon as his gaze locks with mine, I find myself focusing hard on the blue depths, the combination of flawless iris design, open-book emotion, and intense color rendering me immobile.

"Relax, will you?" he says to me, his voice light and amused, no longer laced with so much crushing need (which I suddenly realize is from his loneliness). "I promise I won't go too far if you don't want me to."

"Naruto," I respond calmly, my tone revealing that I'm willing to give in to his request. My face, I know, is as blank as ever, but the blonde has a talent for seeing passed my mask and into my soul through my eyes. He's the only one who can do that, and somehow it doesn't disturb me as much as it should.

To 'relax', I gingerly unclench my shaking fists. I lower them from their pressured place on Naruto's chest. My hands fall limp and numb to my sides, but Naruto is having none of that; he lifts them to his neck, and I tighten the grip on my own hands so they don't fall once more.

Smiling, he cups my chin. "Are you blushing?" he chuckles softly. He sounds amazed, as if it's impossible. It's not impossible; my complexion is so pale, I'm prone to plus like the Hyuuga girl. Only I rarely do because I'm never in the right circumstance.

I feel my face form the inside out, and find that there is indeed heat on my cheeks. I hadn't noticed until now, but it makes sense; I'm in the proper circumstance, aren't I?

I glance down, unsure of myself. How? How can he makes me feel so helpless with my own emotions? I hate it, yes have no choice.

He's having none of this either. Naruto tilts my head upwards and puts a chaste kiss on the corner of my mouth. "Do you know why I'm doing this?"

Truth be told, I'm been making assumptions in the back on my mind over exactly that this whole time. I thought he liked that pink-haired medical nin, Sakura. And, from what I can tell, you only kiss and hold people you like (if they are not family). Hence, I've been asking myself silently: why is he kissing me?

"No, why?" I murmur. I note that my voice is lower than usual.

The kitsune's gaze appears warmer all of a sudden. A small glimmer in his cerulean orbs nearly resembles the sun reflected on the surface of a body of water. I blink twice. My heart drums in my chest, sending throbbing waves through my entire body, but I could feel it most in my fingertips and temples.

Naruto exhales slowly, his heated breath floating over my face as he prepares his answer. "I'm doing this because I couldn't take it anymore. Being lonely, I mean; I couldn't take that. And… I know that you're lonely, too, and I thought…" He drifts off for a moment, pulling away slightly. "I didn't – couldn't – think of anyone else for a long time. You kept coming up to the front of my mind: what you look like, what you've been through (some of it I was with you for), the sound of your voice, your job title (since I've been pining for something similar for myself)…" He pauses. I can tell by the strain in his voice that the gears are turning in his head, struggling to verbalize what his reasoning is.

I cock my head slightly, indicating how puzzled I am. I lift a brow muscle, prodding him further.

Naruto smiles hazily. "It's been weird for me, dattebayo. Having all these thoughts and dreams late in the night when I can't sleep or am too deep in sleep to know reality from fantasy... they're all about you. And most of them are… well," he grins sheepishly, one hand scratching his cheek, "Let's just say those dreams and thoughts are things I should normally think of girls for." He shakes his head more to himself than me, his smile fading. He rakes a hand through his bight yellow spikes. "I had to beg the old hag just to come here on any lame mission I could to see you, I've been so obsessive. It's not like me. I feel like I'm losing my mind." He pauses a second time, blowing out air from his lightly tanned lips. "What I'm trying to say is: I think, all this time, I've been falling in love with you, Gaara."

I freeze. For once, my analytical mind is able to shut down. I can't even utter the single thought I do have: What?!

xXxXx

Naruto's POV

I wait patiently for him to react to my confession. Right now, he's just frozen in place, staring seemingly past me.

I chew on my lower lip. I can taste remnants of Gaara's spit on it. Mindlessly I lick it, scooping up all the rest of that taste. I dunno why, but I like it… I never thought I'd say this, but: I kissed a boy and I liked it. Which is strange in itself, because that 'boy' is one of my comrades! Someone I've fought against, battled along side of, went into a Kyuubi rage for, cried over, and with Chiyo-baasama's help, I even gave part of my life for. Sure, I crushed on Sakura-chan for years, and she's one of my comrades – a teammate, in fact – but… this is different. Gaara's different. He's not some air headed girl or some weak thing, even if I feel like I have to protect him with all my being. No, he's different, because he was a Jinchuuriki, too. He knows what it's like, and he understands. And he cares. And, best of all, he's not afraid of me.

There's more to it, though… Gaara doesn't compare to Sakura for other reasons: he's capable, strong, and swarming with complexities I want to get to know. Because I know they're there; I know he's hiding everything inside himself… it's only a matter of time until I get to the bottom of it.

Slowly, painfully, I feel the redhead in front of me unfreeze and cast his eyes on my face. I inhale involuntarily – a sharp, tension-built sound – as I hold back the urge to bug him about his thoughts or say anything else in the silence. In my stomach, something squirms. I pretend it's not my nerves; instead, I think of it as Kyuubi waking from a nap.

"Naruto…" Gaara breathes, and I hate that he keeps saying my name in that manner. It makes me kind of tingly, which is weird, but somehow not unwelcome. He purses his lips in thought, but aside from that, I can't find any trace of emotion as I search his face. "How do you know?" he asks wearily.

How do I know? Know what? That I'm crazy for falling in love with one of my best friends? Because I know that's just plain fact. I'm not sane if I'm in love with another guy, I know that much; everything I thought about in the past lead to the conclusion that I was – am! – attracted to girls. So how this fits, I have no idea.

But he's actually asking how I know that I'm in love. As for that answer… well… uh… I dunno. I just do. This feeling I get, it's so strong; how can it not be love? And those dreams… I've never had dreams about anyone that, erm, vivid. Or wet. They're just echoes, though, of all the thoughts I try not to think during the day, and especially not while training. I'd be pretty embarrassing if I had to run for a cold shower out of the blue.

Besides, if I didn't love Gaara, then I suppose that means I don't know what the hell love is.

Hmm. Now, how to explain this to him?

Wait a second… I think I already know how.

"Gaara," I say, not choosing my words as carefully as I probably should, "If this isn't love that I feel for you, then you can kill me right now; because, otherwise… I don't know how to live without knowing what real love is."

Yeah, I'll admit, that was pretty stupid of me to say; I'm being too melodramatic. Plus, I doubt Gaara would ever kill me. I know he cares about me in his own way, even if he's pretty much deadpan all the time.

It takes a minute, but the young 'Kage seems satisfied with the answer, no matter how dumb it is. Part of me says, 'for now he's satisfied with it, but he'll pry for something better later on', but I ignore that part; it doesn't know what it's saying.

Being slow with my actions so he has a lesser chance of pulling away, I study Gaara with my eyes as attempt to bring him closer so we touch chest-to-chest. A look of comprehension flashes in his aqua orbs. Not feeling any flinching or resistance, I finish what I started and caress him. I breathe in the scent of his hair while speaking into his ear with a hushed voice. "Tell me," I demand sternly, "What are you feeling right now?"

Through his robes in our embrace, I feel his shoulders tense up. Without looking, I can picture the contorted expression that's probably leaking through the calm mask on Gaara's face. His heart thuds against my breast, making me realize that I should've known better than to ask him something like that. In retrospect, it hadn't been a very decent demand, because I doubt he even knows what, exactly, it is he's feeling. I wait for an answer anyhow, part of me hoping that I get proved wrong and Gaara does say something. But if he never answers, I don't care; at least he's letting me hold him. I'm betting that's a privilege even his siblings don't have.

"I… Naruto," he begins with a wavering voice, once again saying my name in that way. I hold back a pleasant shiver. "What if I cannot return your feelings?"

That stops me for a moment. I open my eyes and blink. I get it now: he's afraid. Gaara's afraid that I might do something irrational if he doesn't say, 'I love you, too'. In any other circumstance, or with any other person in the same circumstance, I probably would do something wild or stupid (or both). But…

I clear my throat. "If that's true, then I would keep my feelings to myself and stay your friend," I reply honestly. My heart aches thinking about it: never being able to kiss or touch intimately? That's a bit more than I can handle, but I'd pull through for his sake. I don't want Gaara pushed into anything he's not comfortable with. Because I never want to – or will – hurt him. Not in any way, shape, or form. That head-butt all those years ago had been the last time.

"You… would?" he questions.

I stroke his bright red hair and squeeze a bit tighter. "Yes, Gaara; I would."

His chin digs into my shoulder as he seemingly nuzzles me, and when he speaks a weird thing happens: his voice breaks. "In that case," Gaara's murmuring into my neck, the vibrations of his vocal cords and lips sending shivers down my spine, "I can safely say that I don't know what I feel. I have mixed emotions. But I want to love you. I want to be able to say that you hold my heart. I almost can; because when you're around, it doesn't hurt any longer."

Gaara's words seemed to have been spoken versions of thoughts he's had for a while now. Although the way his voice shook made me think twice. It's almost like he made it up on the spot.

I pull away enough to look my 'Kage friend in the eye. But his eyes are closed tightly, solid black being the only thing I see. He's shaking – hardly noticeably – as though he's nervous, his breathing coming faster than usual. That makes me worried for him. I rack my brain for things to say that will calm him, because I'd never forgive myself if he suddenly started crying. After all, I' the one who put him in this situation to begin with!

Something comes to mind, and I force a trembling smile. "I have a proposition for ya," I tell Gaara.

His eyes pry open and he blinks. His face fills with curiosity. My smile strengthens.

"We'll take things one step at a time, alright? That way you can figure stuff out and won't feel rushed, 'ttebayo," I compromise.

Gaara nods once. "Arigato," he mutters under his breath.

My chest puffs up with a small sense of pride in myself. I feel like I've accomplished something big. Reluctantly (since I could hold him all day), I release the redhead and give him a thumbs-up. "No problem."

But it was a problem. Taking things slow I guess I can do, but it might be hard for me. I have this odd craving for Gaara that's sometimes hard to suppress. Like, when I hold him: it feels like I'm pouring my heart into his chest and that our souls are touching. And the more I get of that feeling, the more I want to create. It could be the teenaged hormones (Ero-Sennin liked to school me on the differences between the birds and the bees and love), but the closer I am to Gaara physically the closer I want to get. It won't be long before I'm begging him to let me make love to him. That's the exact kind of body-and-soul mingling things I started to dream about and wake up uncomfortable because of.

Uhg, there I go again. I better stop before I do something idiotic.

So, still smiling faintly, I leave Gaara's office and head for the room I'm staying in at the Kazekage mansion. It's on the floor below this one, so I have some stairs to climb. I don't mind, though… as long as I'm within range of Gaara, I'm content. I didn't get that sort of feeling when I was still stuck in Konoha.