Notes: As much time I spent looking at language of flowers websites, I didn't bother checking to see what would grow in which climates. Oh well.

Lee stared at the purple and white flowers. Gaara had thrust them into his hands like he wasn't sure what to do with them and left, which was so very confusing. Nobody had ever given him flowers aside from when he was hospitalized, and then it'd been only one. He took the bouquet to Ino, since he'd heard kunoichi talk about flowers having meanings—perhaps they weren't quite what he suspected. As she talked, his jaw crept closer to the floor.

"Let's see, we have cinnamon and almond tree, lilacs, hydrangeas, and hellebores. What a sweet bouquet! Good color harmony, too. The flowers ask forgiveness and hope you're willing to sincerely answer this person's first love."

"R-really? Those flowers say all that?" Lee wondered where the bottom of his stomach had gone.

"Yeah, whoever this was thought out their message well, and didn't skimp on going to many areas to get specific flowers. These come from a variety of climates." Ino's eyes were bright, attentive, and very curious. "Would you like to make a response bouquet?"

The taijutsu specialist's brain still had trouble functioning. "N-no thanks, not now. Maybe. Later? Good. Yes."

"Lee?"

Ino's voice seemed awfully saccharine. Part of him was still coherent enough to warn him about how dangerous that tone was. "Yes?"

"Be sure to tell me later who it is, alright?" Her smile turned downright predatory. "Because I will find out, sooner or later."

Lee thanked Ino and fled before she lost her patience and used her mind control jutsu on him. Girls could be so scary. Why did Konoha's biggest gossip have to work at the flower shop?

Lee looked at the tangled field of sweetbriar, clover, catchfly, and morning glories and wondered what they meant. Did every plant have a meaning? Well, he wasn't about to go back to Ino and ask, that might prove dangerous, but it was a nice distraction from the bouquet currently in a ceramic cup at his apartment. Funny how flowers could loom large in his mind when they weren't even nearby.

Surely Ino had misinterpreted the flowers, because Gaara giving out flowers was weird, but to be asking about love? Impossible. It didn't take a genius to know Gaara had serious mental issues and Lee had no illusions of what people thought of him, especially his looks. The more he tried to be like his handsome sensei the worse the unkind comments became, which didn't make much sense at all.

He wasn't like Sasuke had been, a trail of admiring girls following him around. Quite the opposite, everyone seemed to want Lee to go away. He wasn't sure why, and it hurt a little but surely if he tried harder people would like him more. Neji had eventually worn down, Tenten was tolerant these days, and Naruto recognized his strength, so it was just a matter of time for the rest of the village. Too bad Sakura was taking such a very long time. She was a wonderful friend but he could never convince her to take that next step.

Lee flopped down onto the grass with a sigh and smacked himself in the head. Such thoughts were no good! He'd never get anywhere without a positive attitude! Concentrate on sunshine and butterflies, on the cool wind, on the color of the flowers and the shade of the trees! Was that Gaara hanging upside-down on a branch?

For a moment, Lee wasn't sure how to address him. "Gaara-kun" didn't seem quite right any more, since he was the newly appointed Kazekage. On the other hand, he was a year younger and -sama was too heavy a title. He was tempted to drop honorifics altogether, but that would be too familiar, and…oh, why did things have to be so complicated?

"Gaara-san! I didn't see you there," Lee waved his arms, smiling broadly. Being unsure about a bunch of flowers was no reason to be unfriendly. "Would you like to sit with me?"

The only reply was Gaara appearing beside him in a whirl of sand, staring blankly at Lee's gestures to take a seat beside him. He sat down about three feet away.

"It's nice to see you again," which was certainly true even if Lee felt confused right now.

Gaara stared at him as if he was sizing Lee up, gaze uncomfortably intense.

Lee began to fidget.

"It is." It was almost too quiet to hear.

He froze. Surely Gaara hadn't meant, had he really—? Lee was hearing things. Well, might as well cut to the chase.

"About those flowers…" Lee chewed his lip, unsure of how to proceed.

"The florist picked them for me. She'd said she knew which ones would be best." There was a pause, and Gaara's voice seemed almost hesitant. "Did she choose well?"

Lee held back a sigh of relief. So Gaara didn't know what they meant! It was all one big misunderstanding.

"Yes, they're very nice, thank you." Even if it was weird to receive flowers from a guy, it never hurt to be polite. Sakura was always very polite when she refused his white daffodils and lotuses.

Gaara didn't follow up with a "you're welcome" or anything at all. He just sat and stared at the grass blowing and flowers bobbing in the wind. The long stretch of silence eventually compelled Lee to speak.

"I asked Ino-san what they meant. The flowers, I mean. She works at a flower shop. She said…" Lee couldn't help blushing. Talking about Love did that, even if it didn't involve Sakura. "She said they meant you were sorry about hurting me and that I was yourfirstloveandyouwantedtoknowifIlikedyouback?" Lee's words had become faster and higher pitched towards the end. Really, it was silly to so embarrassed by this, of course Gaara didn't—

"That's correct."

Maybe this was a genjutsu! That made sense; somebody was playing a joke on him! Surely he heard wrong, surely this wasn't happening. Gaara couldn't mean…

"I'm…not sure. But when I'm with you, it feels strange here," he put a hand on his chest. "I know that means something. I want to know what it is."

"You really think you might…" Lee couldn't finish the thought—it was too crazy. Saying it aloud would break some silent pact with reason and expectation.

The Kazekage said nothing, only stared at him with those strange, flat eyes, making Lee horribly uncomfortable and mildly embarrassed. He was used to being stared at, but this was different because it was so analytical.

"I can see why Sakura had trouble discussing this." It sounded strange to hear Gaara say her name, like it didn't belong. Lee hadn't realized Gaara had bothered to learn it…then the actual sentence filtered through, and the rest was lost to shock.

"You talked to Sakura-san about this?"

"Yes. I asked her to explain love, since she receives so much. She tried to demonstrate but that was insufficient."

"D-demonstrate?" Where had reality gone? He pinched himself, to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"She kissed me."

Lee sighed and tried to put his broken heart back together, tears streaming down his cheeks. Sweet Sakura had bestowed a kiss on Gaara before even accepting one of his gifts! Oh, cruel world! Lee slumped over, dejected.

"She doesn't love me. Or you." Gaara might as well have punched him in the gut. "But you say you still love her. Is love always idiotic?"

Despite the sting, he had to defend the most Noble of emotions! "They say it's blind, but I don't think it's dumb. Love doesn't stop if it isn't returned, although it's better when it is. Love doesn't demand anything, it's unconditional. That doesn't mean it's stupid, it's just loyal."

They sat in pensive silence for a while. Lee was surprised at how verbose the normally taciturn Sand ninja was being. Idly, the black-haired boy plucked a yellow wallflower and began pulling off petals. He loves me, he loves me not. This is crazy. The silence was full of things he couldn't say.

Together they watched late afternoon fade to twilight, and the fireflies started to come out. One landed on Gaara's sandal and began her buggy communication as he started talking again. Konoha's unusually warm weather meant spring and summer were especially long, but it was nearing the end.

"Love is hard to understand. It was easier when I thought I was loving myself and needed nothing more. Now I know bonds with other people are important, defending people is important." The words were too heavy. Gaara waited until the air cleared before he spoke again.

"I want to protect my village because it's my home. I want to protect Kankurou and Temari because they're my siblings. I want to protect Naruto because he's like me, he changed me. I want to protect you because I almost killed you."

Saving him from Orochimaru's lackey was one thing, but putting him up there with Naruto and his siblings? Shock didn't even begin to cover it. Sure, Gaara was a friend in Lee's book, but he hadn't expected reciprocation, they weren't close. Lee didn't have Naruto's magnetism and rough charm and he certainly hadn't beaten a personality change into anyone.

"I didn't want to see you hurt any more, but you were the first person who ever hurt me. You weren't afraid."

Really, that didn't make much sense at all. Why me? It took the Konoha shinobi a moment to realize he'd spoken aloud.

"The Sand protected you from Kimimaro before I told it to. You were the first person it saved instead of killed," his voice dropped to a whisper. "It…knew I needed you."

Gaara had verbally punched him in the gut again, in an entirely different way. Lee wasn't sure why his heart was beating so fast, why he felt robbed of words. What could he say to that, anyway? Just in case, Lee pinched himself one more time. Still not dreaming.

"I, um…wow," he winced at how horribly inadequate his words were.

He'd thought he'd pursue Sakura until the end of his days. Confessions of love, or the closest thing the former psychopath would ever get to one, were not something he was prepared for. It was strange and scary yet exciting in a way he couldn't hope to explain.

For several more minutes, they watched the fireflies. Gaara unconsciously shifted closer as the temperature dropped.

"My siblings seem to think we'd make a good match."

Kankurou and Temari not only approved, but encouraged Gaara's decision? He needed to sit down. He was already sitting down. His siblings and the Sand accept me?

One very distinct thought crept into his mind. If I hurt Gaara's feelings, they'll kill me. Sand shinobi weren't known for their mercy—not as ruthless as Mist, but certainly not anyone to mess with. The redhead was still staring at him with a look Lee had trouble reading. It could almost be called scared, hopeful, hungry, or vulnerable, which would make more sense if they weren't all blended together and were on somebody else's face. It was as if he was braced for rejection.

Yet…turning Gaara down had never entered his mind. To have somebody reach out instead of Lee doggedly pursuing until they conceded was a total anomaly. Gaara wanted to be with him. He was Gaara's first love—no, he was the person Gaara desired to discover love with, which might be even more important. Something precious and frightening and raw was before him, waiting.

Once, he thought he'd live to protect Sakura, who was pretty, sweet, and kind. She'd changed over the past year, and sometimes he wondered where the weak girl of the chuunin exam had gone. She was her own woman now, more beautiful, distant and strong. It was painfully obvious she was waiting for Naruto and Sasuke, and wouldn't give up on them. She was in love too, and love was enduring. She was supposed to be his One True Love, but she didn't want him like that. Was love still true if it wasn't returned? He shouldn't be feeling this way, he should be more faithful to Sakura! But if she didn't want him, if Gaara needed him…

Lee could never refuse that hand tentatively stretching out—it might not extend ever again, to anyone else. He didn't even want to, which felt unfair to Sakura, but right. Maybe it was selfish, to accept what was offered instead of waiting for what would never be, but Lee's gut told him something else. This was the right decision. Guy-sensei always said to follow his heart! Somebody needed him, and Sakura didn't any more. He might not feel quite the same way; he really didn't know what to think of it, but how could he say no? Love was more than need, it had to be, but the words keep echoing in his head.

Gaara's look was wild and expectant, as if he'd heard everything in Lee's head. There was a firefly in his hair blinking intermittently, which was charming, in a peculiar way.

"Gaara…" If he was going to do this, there was no need for honorifics. He'd put Sakura up on a pedestal, an angelic figure to be protected—that wouldn't work with Gaara, he didn't want or need any coddling. Round black eyes met pale blue-green. "It was a bit unexpected, but I'm honored that you chose me, and…" Inhale, exhale. Listen to your heart. "I accept." Lee broke into a Nice Guy pose, "Let's date!"

Slowly, the look of shock faded and the tiniest of smiles appeared on Gaara's face. Lee was the second person ever to witness one. After seeing it, he would never doubt or regret his decision. Gaara had smiled for him! He resolved to make it appear again—it was too beautiful not to share. The black-haired boy continued to grin like an idiot for a while.

"Now what?" asked Gaara, running a hand through his hair, dislodging the lightning bug.

Lee scooted over and leaned until their shoulders touched, hands brushed. It was…nice. He could get used to doing this all the time. "I'm not sure, but…we'll figure it out! Our Youthful Passion will guide us!" They had a long way to go, but since they'd be together, it wouldn't be bad at all.

Yellow daffodils (what Sakura gave Lee in the hospital) mean hope and waiting
White daffodils and lotuses mean pure, idealized, noble, romantic, sometimes platonic love
Yellow wallflowers mean apprehensive, growing love