It was nearly two in the morning when Gaara finally woke up. He remained motionless, going over everything that had happened earlier. He remembered waking up and feeling very sick. Then Lee was there. He had let his guard down. He knew that if it had been anyone else, he would have sucked it up and acted perfectly fine but there was something about Lee that made him feel safe. He knew that Lee would never take advantage of the situation he was in and was pretty sure he wouldn't hurt him anyway. He trusted Lee. He didn't know why the taller male made him feel this way but he was happy. Gaara was actually happy. If it surprised anyone, it surprised Gaara the most. He never thought he'd ever be happy, yet here he was, lying with his head in Lee's lap, content as ever. He shifted slightly and noticed a pressure across his stomach. Lee's arm was draped over him. His hand was lying on top of Lee's and their fingers were entwined.

His heart didn't pound anymore. Instead, there was a warm fluttering in his chest and it lifted him somehow. He felt as if he could lay there forever. There was something in him though, that told him that this was a bad idea, that this was one of those barriers he wasn't supposed to cross. He knew he would never do this with any of his other friends. He braced himself for the blow he was sure was going to come. There had to be some sort of repercussion for being this happy. When it never came he was surprised to feel a soft touch glide across his cheek. He lifted his free hand to hold Lee's and gently held it against his cheek. He leaned into the touch and sighed, momentarily losing himself. He opened his eyes to see Lee staring down at him, shock evident on his face.

Gaara quickly let go of his hand and sat up, freeing himself from Lee's hold. He looked down at the floor, trying to avert Lee's eyes. He didn't think he'd done anything wrong but he couldn't bring himself to look at his friend. Then he felt a warm hand press against his forehead.

"Your fever is gone." He looked over to Lee who was smiling at him. "How do you feel?"

'Stupid. Dazed. Confused. What the fuck is happening to me?'

"Better. Thank you Lee." His mouth twitched upward ever so slightly in the smile that Lee knew only too well. "I'm hungry though." Lee frowned.

"When was the last time you ate, Gaara-sama?" Gaara sighed. He knew he could never share these feelings with Lee so long as he stayed so formal with him. It made their connection seem less personal and it made him sad to think that.

"I had some toast around eight this morning." Lee's expression went stern.

"Well it's no wonder you got so sick!" Gaara was surprised by this sudden energetic outburst. "You need to eat properly to keep up your strength, especially in this kind of heat! You live in a desert; you should know that better than anyone." Gaara felt ashamed. He couldn't understand how Lee could make him feel so many different things but knew Lee was upset and he didn't want that. The truth was, he never really ate much to begin with. He wasn't anorexic but didn't see the point of eating anything when you weren't hungry. He was usually too busy to worry about food anyway. Maybe he should eat better, if only to make Lee happy. "Come on, let's go." He stood and helped Gaara to his feet, then led them out the door and Gaara locked it behind them.

"Where are we going?" His voice hinted curiosity.

"We're going to get you something to eat." Gaara followed Lee silently, surprised that he cared so much about his health. He was grateful for it and that warm fluttering started to burn in his chest.

When they got outside, Lee was amazed by what he saw. All the village people were outside as if it were daytime. It seemed to be more crowded than usual. There were lights lit up all through the street, bobbing in the slight breeze from their strings or lamp posts. All the shops were lit up, people going to and fro. It was a side of the village Lee had never seen before. A cool, light breeze swept over them and Lee turned to Gaara, a huge smile on his face.

"This is amazing." Gaara was amused by Lee's excitement.

"When the heat grows too much for us, we switch everything around. People usually stay indoors during the day for the most part and come out at night when it's cooler and the sun isn't beating down on us."

"It's incredible!" Lee exclaimed, bobbing up and down slightly. He never knew the village was this beautiful at night and wondered why the city wasn't always like this. They would make a killing on tourism. "The lights are so pretty! Everything just feels so… alive." He sighed the last word, completely lost in the splendor of it all.

Gaara let out his low, deep purr of a chuckle that immediately snapped Lee to his senses. He loved that laugh more than anything else, except maybe for Gaara himself, and found himself thinking of different ways he could make the redhead do it again, wondering if any of them would work.

"So where's the best place to eat around here then?" He folded his hands behind his head and rocked back on his heels, silently observing the lighted shops scattered across the street.

"There's a little place around the corner that I like to go to. It's small and not as well visited as the stalls on the main street, but the food is very good." Lee nodded and motioned for Gaara to lead the way.

They walked in silence as Gaara led them down the street. Lee was looking around, observing the village he thought he knew so well and Gaara kept glancing at him. He liked Lee this way. He was so alive and vibrant when he was happy. He found himself staring at him, carefully memorizing the curves of his face, the dimples that formed on his cheeks as they were scrunched up when he smiled. His soft hair bounced ever so slightly with every step he took and swished around with every sharp turn of his head or light gust of wind. He wanted to touch it, just to see if it was really as soft as it looked but refrained from doing so, deciding it would be too awkward and he had no idea what Lee's reaction would be. Then Lee looked over at him and their eyes met. Gaara quickly darted his eyes away and could feel heat rising in his face and knew he was blushing. Lee didn't say anything about it though. Either he didn't notice or he was too nice to comment on it and didn't want to start an awkward conversation.

Gaara led them around the corner that led to the street Lee had wandered into by accident earlier. Lee could see the tea house a little ways down the street, a soft light spilling out the window and into the night. He recognized the girl that had served him earlier sitting at one of the windows and wondered if she was still working. He guessed she wasn't as her hair was down and she was staring up at the clear, starry night, spacing out.

They didn't walk into the teahouse, however, and walked past it toward a slightly smaller building he didn't even notice earlier. He probably wouldn't have noticed it now either except for the dim lights that were shining through the windows.

They made their way into the small building. There were six tables, only one of which was occupied by two other people. It was a clean, quiet place. Dim ceiling lights cast a soft glow on them as they sat at a table in the far corner. Lee was glad the tables were small. He wanted to sit as close to the young Kazekage as possible, which was possible even sitting directly across from him. All he had to do was stretch out his arms a bit and he could reach him.

An old lady, who Lee quickly learned was named Toki-san, hobbled over and lit the candle in the middle of the table. Lee wasn't surprised when she asked Gaara if he wanted "the usual" and he nodded. He figured the redhead came here often. It definitely seemed like the kind of place he would go.

"And what would you like dear?" She turned to Lee and smiled, wrinkles creasing her old, wise face.

"I'll have some yellow curry please." He said respectfully.

"Of course dear." She turned around and shuffled back into the kitchen. Lee watched her walk away and get swallowed by the surprisingly bright light of the kitchen until she closed the door behind her.

Lee looked around silently. He felt awkward just sitting there. His sudden spontaneity vanished as quickly as it had come when he walked into the tiny tavern. He could feel Gaara's sharp gaze on him and tried his best not to look at him. He wouldn't know what to say; he'd never been this close to the Kazekage before. He fidgeted in his seat a bit and accidentally rubbed his leg against Gaara's and blushed immediately.

"S-sorry, Gaara-sama." He sputtered.

"It's fine." He paused for a second. "Are you ok Lee? Suddenly you don't look too well." Cautiously, Lee looked at him. To anyone else, Gaara's face would have seemed blank and expressionless but Lee, knowing the Kazekage so well, saw small traits of worry etched across his pale, flawless face.

"Yes, Gaara-sama. I am fine." Lee gave him a small smile and knew Gaara knew he was lying. Gaara narrowed his eyes a bit, staring at his tall friend. Then he let out a low chuckle, which made Lee look up at him, shocked.

"Lee." Lee nodded, eyes wide. "How many times do I have to tell you, there's no need for formalities? You are my friend so there's no need to be so formal." The slightest hint of a smile danced across his lips. Lee's cheeks flushed a deep crimson color.

"But to not be formal would be rude and disrespectful. A subordinate shouldn't treat his superiors with anything but the utmost respect." This comment caught Gaara off guard and he was shocked. He never thought of himself as superior to Lee. He thought they were equals. He even looked up to him in some aspects.

"I'm not your superior, Lee. We are equals."

"That's not true. You are the Kazekage; you run your village. I am merely a jonin. I work under the Hokage, under you. I am lesser." The way Lee's voice faltered a bit at the end troubled Gaara. He had always thought of Lee as the cheerful bright ball of sunshine that was so determined to be the best. He didn't understand why but it hurt him to see Lee look so sad.

"Rank isn't important. We are all people after all."

"Yeah, but still…"

"So stop worrying. You are my equal and that's that." Lee looked over at him, shocked. "There are to be no more formalities between us. We are friends." Lee dared not argue. He simply nodded and smiled.

"O-ok."

Any further conversation was ceased as Toki-san came back with a tray of food and placed it on the table. Gaara nodded to her.

"Thank you Toki-san." She smiled, showing cracked, discolored teeth and bowed.

"Of course Gaara-sama. You are always welcome here."

She walked away and left the two young men to their meal. Not much was said as they ate as they were both pretty hungry. Neither of them really knew what to say anyway so they both thought it was for the best. Toki-san came over to see how they were doing and if they needed anything about half way through their meal. They told her they were all set and nodded their thanks as she walked away again.

Lee finished his last bite of rice and put his chopsticks down. He looked at Gaara who had finished eating a few minutes before him and was waiting patiently for him to finish. He gave Gaara a huge grin when he saw the small redhead was smiling at him. He felt a lot better now that he had some good food in him.

"That was fantastic!" He gushed. "Oh my god that was the best curry I've had in forever!" Gaara wasn't at all surprised by Lee's over-excited reaction. He was sure that if Lee could spout hearts from his eyes he would have. He gave a small chuckle at this thought, which earned him a curious smile from Lee.

Toki-san came back and handed a small folded up paper out to Lee, who guessed it was the bill. He reached out to grab it but Gaara pushed his hand away. The slight contact sent shivers up Lee's spine.

"I'll take it. Thank you Toki-san." She nodded and went back to her duties in the kitchen. Lee reached for the bill again but Gaara held it out of his reach.

"But Gaara-sa… Uh, Gaara. I'll get it. Really. I was the one who suggested we go out anyway."

"Lee," he said as he unfolded and looked at it. "As you are my guest it would be improper for me to ask you to buy me food." He put the money in the paper and set it down on the table.

"Yeah but…"

"Besides, I don't mind. That's what friends do." Then Gaara did something Lee had only seen him do once before. He smiled. It was a real smile that didn't stop at the corners of his mouth and extended deep into his cheeks. Lee was in awe and was surprised to see that he had two small dimples in his cheeks. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and he was sure he was the first person who had ever seen it. He beamed at Gaara who suddenly snapped awake, as if he had been spacing out, and his smile vanished. They walked out of the small building and into the dark, star-lit street.

"You have a nice smile Gaara." Lee looked at him, silently hoping he would smile for him again. He only stared back blankly. "You should smile more often." He urged and laughed when Gaara only gave him a stern look in response.

Gaara sighed as he looked at the dwindling pile of papers before him. No matter how hard he worked, he couldn't get rid of everything. At least the pile was getting smaller anyway. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, placing his hand over his eyes. He had a migraine and at least six more hours of work ahead of him.

He let his mind wander a bit, deciding he needed a break. His thoughts carried him back to earlier this week, the first day of Lee's visit. He was pleased when Lee had told him that he wanted to be in Suna for his vacation. But when Lee hugged him, he just didn't know what to think. He was happy but confused at the same time. The next thing he remembered after that was waking up, feeling wretchedly sick, and Lee taking care of him. He was surprised when he woke up and Lee was still with him. He hadn't expected Lee to stay but was glad that he did. Then they went out to eat together. The food had been good but he couldn't stop thinking about Lee and how he was making him feel. The weird feelings he'd slowly developed up to that point were growing like wildfire inside him. Then he had smiled. It was a genuine smile that he'd only seen other people smile and had never done so himself. It startled him. He didn't know what had possessed him to do so but it just felt so right. He'd never had a reason to smile before and now… Lee was the reason. Lee was changing him. It worried him a little but he was happy.

He felt bad though. That first day was the only day they had spent any real time together. He'd been so caught up in his work, trying to get everything done, he hadn't had any extra time. Lee had visited him a few times and asked if he wanted to hang out but Gaara had to refuse and stay locked up in his office.

A light breeze wafted in through the window, gently ruffling Gaara's hair. The weather had calmed down quite a bit and ever since the day before, people had started going back to their normal routines. He listened to the hustle and bustle of the village outside and wondered if Lee was out there with them and secretly wished he would come save him from his office hibernation.

No sooner had he amused the thought, he heard a knock on the door. Before he could even utter a reply his door swung open, slamming on the wall behind it. A very angry Lee stood in the doorway, looking around. He slammed the door shut behind him and when he saw Gaara, his angry expression quickly shot into a huge grin.

There was definitely something off about him as he walked toward Gaara's desk, stumbling slightly. He slammed a hand onto the desk, right in front of Gaara, and put his other on his hip. He leaned forward so he was only an inch or so from Gaara's face and almost fell off balance. Gaara was shocked. He'd never seen Lee act so oddly before.

"Hellooo, Gaara-kuuun~" He sang out the greeting as if it were his favorite song. "What brings you here, hot stuff?" He giggled. He plopped down and sat on Gaara's lap, effectively straddling him and anchoring him to his chair. Gaara's face immediately went bright red and his eyes widened.

"Lee? What's wrong with you?" He asked slowly and cautiously. It was hard for him to think when he was this close to Lee, who made a very serious face.

"I'm very upset." He paused for a second to throw his finger into the air for effect. "That so called firewater you silly sand people have isn't spicy at all. It's disgusting." He giggled and wrapped his arms around Gaara's neck. Gaara had no idea how to respond to this. Lee was drunk. He'd heard how Lee got when he was drunk and didn't want to anger the tall boy who was currently pinning him to his chair.

"Lee." He said carefully. "Firewater isn't spicy water. It's whiskey." Lee looked up at him, obviously shocked.

"Seriously?" His mouth was a wide "o". Gaara nodded silently. Lee just giggled again and nuzzled his face into Gaara's neck, planting tiny kisses all over it.

"Well that's a funny thing to call it. Someone might get confused. What if I had drank it? I'd get drunk."

"Lee, you are drunk." Lee only giggled again.

"Really? That sucks. Ha ha." He hummed into Gaara's neck, tracing small circles on his chest with his finger. Gaara was in over his head. He had absolutely no idea what to do. He lightly pushed on Lee's shoulders, getting him to sit up.

"You need to rest. Some sleep would be good for you." He tried to push Lee off of him but he wouldn't budge. Lee grabbed Gaara's hands and forced them behind his head. He gripped them in place tightly as he leaned into Gaara, his face only millimeters away. His eyes narrowed seductively and his breath was hot against Gaara's face, making his heart pound fiercely in his chest. He was too shocked to move. He wanted to be close to Lee but at the same time he knew he had to get away from him.

"Silly Gaara." He took his free hand and traced Gaara's bottom lip with his thumb. "Don't you know I love you?" Gaara's heart exploded in his chest. His mind swam with ten thousand things at once and he couldn't think. He never thought it was possible that anyone could love him, yet here it was, out in the open. 'No. He didn't mean it.' He tried to reason with himself. 'He's drunk. There's no way. It can't be true.' Then he felt Lee go limp on top of him as he spun back to reality. Lee had passed out and fallen asleep on top of him. Gaara was glad he had fallen asleep and not tried to… well, do anything. He knew that if he had, Lee would never forgive himself when he sobered up. He was just that kind of guy.

Gaara slid off his chair, picking Lee up and carrying him over to the couch. He staggered under his weight a bit. Despite how lanky and skinny Lee was, he was heavier than he looked. He placed him on the couch gently, sliding a pillow under his head. He sat on the edge of the couch and tenderly caressed Lee's cheek. Drunk people were always so blunt with everything but he knew there was always some sort of truth behind what they said. He wondered if Lee truly felt that way about him as he smoothed Lee's bangs back, out of his eyes.

He stood up and walked back over to his desk. He sat down, pulled out some papers and started scribbling on them. He still had to finish his work, no matter what. He stared over at Lee who was sleeping peacefully. Then he wondered how he felt about him and his heart sank. He knew something was there but love? He'd never loved anyone before. How was he to be sure?