A/N: As always, thank you for the reviews!

I'm pretty sure you'll like this chapter due to the amount of progress made between Gaara and Naruto as well as some other stuff. Other characters don't appear in this chapter, it's all focused around the two main guys.

Hope you enjoy it and make sure to let me know what you think!

Warnings: Strong language, sexual scenes

Dreams

Naruto let a long moan, pumping a little deeper into his beautiful lover as the silk bed sheets caressed their naked skin. The person lying under him, writhing in pleasure, was so unbelievably tight that he couldn't possibly stop the sounds of pleasure from escaping his lips.

"More." His partner begged, squeezing around him.

"You want it?" He whispered huskily into their ear, rolling his hips sensually so that his cock could reach further inside. The response he received was a lust-filled, strangled moan as the one under him arched up.

"Oooohhhh, Narutooo!"

"God, so good." The blonde hissed, body tightening up as his orgasm approached. It was gonna happen. He was gonna flood his lover as they both reached pure bliss. He couldn't wait. It had been so long. He smirked cockily, leaning down as he pounded the gorgeous body below him, and whispered into his partner's ear as sexily as he could. "You ready, baby? It's coming."

"Please, Naruto!"

"Don't worry. You'll get it." Naruto moaned loudly. "Here it co-"

"Fuck!" The blonde shouted in frustration, burying his face in his hands to hide from the morning light. No silk sheets, no gorgeous lover under him, no precious release. Just him, stuck in his stupid bed with a raging hard on and no one to ease it for him. "I was so close! Just a little more." He groaned out, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he rolled onto his side to stare at the clock on his bedside table.

5:43 am.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Naruto sighed. It was far too early to be awake, especially when it interrupted his gorgeous dream. He was literally a second away from cumming. Why did this always happen?

With a moody groan, Naruto pulled himself into a sitting position and glanced around the room. It always took him a while in the morning to work out where he was but, when he was done, his sleepy eyes fell onto Gaara's bed. 'Empty.' The blonde noted, seeing the sheets thrown back and the occupant missing. 'Guess he got up early.'

Glad that Gaara hadn't heard his frustrated and rude awakening, Naruto threw his own sheets off his body and stared down angrily at his tented boxers. His cock was rock hard, pushing against the material and making his lack of release all too obvious. He was leaking too, proving how damn worked up that dream got him. He narrowed his eyes at his crotch, giving it a hateful look, before climbing out of bed.

"I need to get laid." The blonde groaned, stretching the sleepy ache out of his body as he yawned. He really was craving sex right now- no getting around it. He'd broken up with his last girlfriend, Sakura, a few months ago and was left starved as a result. Unfortunately, he wasn't the kind for one night stands so sex was non-existent outside of relationships. Sakura had been pretty good in the bedroom department though there were a few things which sometimes killed the mood for Naruto. For one, she refused to give blowjobs. And secondly, she was way too bossy during sex. Not like his partner in the dream he just had, who begged for him and appreciated every little action. Man, if only he could have stayed asleep for a little longer.

Now the same morning question popped up- should he jerk off or just have a cold shower? Deciding it was best to just get under some icy water to kill off his horniness, Naruto prepared to head over to the bathroom before Gaara returned from wherever he'd run off to.

'Is he avoiding me?' The blonde thought to himself, remembering the tension the day before. Oh well, it couldn't be helped until his hard on was dealt with.

That was when something caught his eye. Turning to look towards Gaara's bed again, Naruto realised that the lamp had been left on. The room was flooded with natural light now so it hadn't been as obvious but Naruto could have sworn that he'd turned if off when he went to bed. Even if Gaara had woken up and gone for a walk, why would he leave the light on? Wouldn't he have turned it off before leaving the room? 'Odd.' He thought, reaching over to turn it off- a feeling of de ja vu hitting him. With that done, all thoughts of the lamp and his roommate left his mind and he focused on getting laid again. Problem was, he didn't know too many girls and certainly none he was interested in pursuing a relationship with. Ino was the only chick he hung out with but they were so close as friends that the thought of being together was just weird. Not to mention, Ino was far too cunning and in-control to fulfil Naruto's desires for a delicate and sensitive lover.

He didn't know what it was, but he liked the thought of being loving and caring towards his partner in bed- guiding them gently and showing them what true pleasure was. Taking care of them and being appreciated fully in return. That would be a dream come true. Naruto wanted his efforts to be recognised and acknowledged, he wanted to be able to please the one he was with to the utmost. Somehow, the thought of giving a partner something so special and intimate made sex far more appealing and pleasurable. That was one thing he'd never had with Sakura and one of the reasons the relationship broke down. It was also one of the reasons why, unlike Kiba, he couldn't go out and bang random girls. Without emotion, sex lost all appeal to him.

But, for now, a cold shower would have to do…

The sun was particularly beautiful that morning, thanks to the lack of clouds in the sky. There was nothing to obscure the shimmering light from view and Gaara was quite happy to bask in it. The sun wasn't warming, not with the ice-cold breeze rushing past his skin, but it was pleasant and tranquil nonetheless as he sat on the damp grass below an old-looing tree. As usual, Gaara had watched the sun rise in the morning. There weren't many good things about being an insomniac so you had to take whatever you could get and watching the little miracle of the sunrise every morning definitely made the situation seem less depressing.

However, there was still the pressing problem of how to confront Naruto. Perhaps it would be best not to mention the lamp at all. Besides, most nights Gaara would probably be getting into bed after the blonde so it didn't really matter much…unless Naruto demanded darkness in order to sleep- in which case he was absolutely screwed. He seemed really nice so far, but everyone gets grouchy when tired and if he ordered Gaara to turn out the light, what would he do? He couldn't argue his case without revealing his greatest embarrassment.

Gaara Subaku was terrified of the dark. Really terrified. He wasn't talking about the kiddy fear of monsters lurking around which could be cured by a simple bedtime story. Oh no! By terrified he meant that if left in the darkness for more than 20 seconds, he was likely to suffer a panic attack. The terror of being unable to observe one's surroundings and stay on guard, the loss of control and the resulting vulnerability- that made the night a living hell. He once had to be rushed to hospital after a power cut back in Sunagakure due to his anxiety. So waking up in darkness the previous night had really shaken him up bad. For a moment he thought he couldn't open his eyes, until he realised the true reason for lack of light.

So far, nothing had helped ease his fear. No amount of pills, relaxation techniques or positive thinking made the slightest difference. But last night, Gaara had found some comfort in the most unexpected place…from his roommate.

Naruto's presence, his breathing and snoring, had somehow helped him relax. To know he wasn't alone, that such a fit and healthy young man was there should anything bad happen, really did have the effect nothing else had before. He had found himself wishing that Naruto was awake, whispering comforting things into the darkness to ease his terror- perhaps even give him a friendly hug. It was absurd, he knew. His loneliness during the night was causing him to yearn for affection and company but, once the night was over, all those desperate feelings vanished. The night clouded his judgment and made his mind conjure up foolish and whimsical ideas. He'd never crave Naruto's companionship during daylight…never…

Loneliness suited him just fine.

"Hey, Gaara!"

'You've gotta be kidding me…' The redhead sighed, his breath resembling smoke as it passed his lips. He never believed in stupid ideas like 'if you think of someone, they will appear' but there was no mistaking that ridiculously happy voice or the way it called his name.

"Naruto," he murmured in greeting, choosing not to glance at the approaching man. He hoped to avoid the blonde as much as possible to avoid any awkwardness, but it seemed it wasn't working at all.

"What are you doing all the way out here? We're a little way from the dorms."

"I could ask you the same." Gaara hissed, listening as the footsteps came to a halt somewhere close to him.

"Oh, me?" Naruto replied, his tone making it easy to imagine his grin. "I woke up early and couldn't get to sleep so I decided to go for my morning jog. I normally don't go until about eight but there wasn't much else to do back in the room."

'As usual, his reply is unnecessarily long.' Gaara thought bitterly, teal eyes rolling to analyse his roommate. Indeed, Naruto was in typical jogging gear though well-covered due to the cold. A pair of old trainers, joggers and a thick hoody made up his attire along with a water bottle in his hand. He did seem a little out of breath.

"So, what about you?" Naruto persisted, plopping down on the grass next to his roommate. Gaara wasn't pleased. Not only had he not invited the blonde to join him, but he had sat unnecessarily close as well. He really was irritating.

"I couldn't sleep. I went for a walk." The redhead answered bluntly, dragging his eyes away from the other.

"You get trouble sleeping a lot, huh?"

"Yeah."

"How come?"

'Mind your own business.' Gaara snapped inwardly, wishing he could spit that statement in Naruto's face but not even he was that confrontational.

"Doesn't matter." He mumbled instead.

"If you ever wanna talk about it…" Naruto offered, trailing off slightly as the awkward tension rose up between the two of them once more.

"No." That seemed to deflate the optimistic teenager a little, pulling a disheartened sigh out of him.

"Hey, I'm your roommate and…well, I was kinda hoping we could, er…" He cleared his throat. "I was hoping we could become friends so…if you ever need to talk about anything, even though we don't know each other that well yet, I'm always…y'know, willing to listen and help…"

'Last straw.' Naruto had gone too far this time with his meaningless ramblings and Gaara was getting ready to tell him so. The redhead turned to stare his roommate straight in the face, preparing to shoot down any hope the idiot had of becoming friends…but stopped.

Something was wrong.

Something happened.

Naruto was staring at him with those impossibly blue eyes, full of sincerity, and a smile on his face. It wasn't his usual goofy grin, but a small and subtle smile which was even more appealing. His hair was more ruffled and messy after not long waking up and its gold shade glistened in the morning light. The tanned skin of his face was illuminated by the sun also, making the young man glow, as well as reflecting off the small beads of sweat trailing down his cheeks. He was…he was…

'Damn it.' Gaara cursed inwardly, turning his head away as quickly as he could. He hung his head in shame, trying to hide the blush he could feel forming from his watchful roommate. He could feel the heat pooling in his cheeks and in his stomach too- an odd contrast to the cold air. It irked him, made him feel sick.

"Gaara?" That smooth voice, husky from exercise, whispered out his name gently and almost made him jump in shock.

'No, no, no!'

"Y-yeah…" The redhead mumbled, refusing to look up again. This moment was almost as terrifying as the dark and he really couldn't stomach it. He just wanted to get this damn conversation over with as soon as possible and be left alone again. Yeah, that's right. Loneliness was good. Loneliness was preferable.

"I'm gonna keep jogging. I'll see you later, okay?"

'Oh, thank god! Yes, please leave!'

"O-okay." Gaara replied weakly, voice just a little shaky.

And his head remained down, eyes focused on the grass, as he listened to the footsteps fade off down the path and Naruto finally left his company. They had been in each other's presence for just a minute or two and yet…it felt so much longer to the poor redhead.

Something was terribly wrong and he was left so confused and lost. Gaara was a cool and calculative guy who wasn't often thrown off guard like this. But, right now, he felt like a vulnerable and clueless child. Something was terribly, horribly wrong.

Gaara had admitted that Naruto was hot the day before- a meaningless judgment based on fact and not emotion. Naruto's determined level of attractiveness was merely calculated as a result of observation, nothing more. But, when Gaara had stared into the blonde's face at that one moment, he had made a judgment not based on fact, but emotion alone. And that worried him. His damn brain hadn't described Naruto as merely attractive but beautiful. Naruto had looked beautiful. Attractive or hot was okay…but beautiful had so much emotion and meaning behind it…beautiful was dangerous. Beautiful had the power to make, the usually stoic, Gaara blush and hang his head. Beautiful had the power to make Gaara yearn for the affection he thought he had only desired during the terror of night.

'This is bad. Really bad.' There was a reason Gaara described himself as asexual, a reason his siblings were the only people he loved. Even in previous relationships, the redhead had never felt that kind of emotion before. Never had he actually wanted to be touched by anyone. But he had this odd desire for Naruto to hug him and hold him, comfort him. That scared him. 'Loneliness suits me. I shouldn't be wanting that. I'm better off alone.' Gaara tried to convince himself, squeezing his eyes closed in distress. If he were anyone else he would probably have cried at that moment…but he would never admit to any dampness or tears he may or may not have felt. He'd never admit to crying over fleeting feelings in the early morning…feelings for Naruto.

This was just a result of being outside in the cold for too long. Even if Gaara was capable of that kind of feeling, he'd only known Naruto a day and everything about the blonde pissed him off. That meant there was no way he could…love him? After all, they were opposites! He couldn't even count the number of times he had considered killing the man since their meeting.

'Damn it. Please don't do this.' He begged, clutching the left side of his chest tightly as he sat alone.

The rest of the day was a slow and dull one for both of them. It was Thursday and the courses didn't start up until Monday so everyone on campus had a great deal of free time on their hands. For some, that was a good thing but for both Naruto and Gaara it was annoying. Gaara had nothing to do to pass the time, having no interest in socialising or joining in with the many sports games going on that day, so he found himself left alone with his confusing and annoying thoughts of Naruto.

Naruto, usually being one to love time with his friends, also found himself wishing the day would end. He was worried that he'd overstepped the mark with Gaara again that morning and ruined any chance of being friends with him. The last thing he had wanted to do was piss the redhead off but he was petrified that Gaara would hate him now. After all, Naruto's offer of friendship had made the boy turned red from anger. Maybe Gaara did want him to move out…maybe he should move in with Kiba and Shikamaru. Problem was, he couldn't discuss the problem with anyone without them laughing at him and telling him he was trying too hard. The only one he could really confide in was Ino but she was nowhere to be seen that day. Man, things were frustrating.

So the day dragged on until it was finally getting late enough to head back to the room. Neither of them could avoid it no matter how hard they tried. But Naruto stayed out with Kiba as late as possible, into the early hours of the morning, before deciding it was time to get to bed. So, once again he snuck back into his dorm room as he had the night before, to find the exact same scene.

Ino said Gaara was an insomniac, meaning he didn't sleep much. That explained why he was up so early that morning and he probably went to sleep pretty late too, but because Naruto had returned so late it wasn't much of a surprise to find the redhead asleep once again. Just as before, he was tucked into a ball under his covers, sleeping in complete silence. And, once again, his bedside lamp was on.

'Again?' The blonde questioned silently, heading over to switch it off again. Darkness consumed them once more and Naruto followed his routine of stripping down to his boxers and climbing into his own bed. 'Maybe tonight I'll have that dream again and maybe I'll get to actually cum this time.' He thought to himself, wishing he could have his way for once, as he snuggled down and prepared to sleep. He'd have to see if him and Gaara were on good terms tomorrow. After all, tomorrow was a new day!

Thrusting, moaning, begging, dirty whispers and a tightness around his dick. Naruto was with his dream partner once again, this time with them riding his manhood eagerly while he moaned below them. He ran his gentle fingers over his lover's body as they bounced on him over and over, getting him closer to release. So damn close…so close…

His lover was panting, breathing incredibly heavy. Almost like hyperventilating. Was he that good in bed that his partner had no breath? It was getting to the point that it wasn't sexy anymore. The deep breaths sounded panicked and full of fear. What was going on…?

"Wha-?" Naruto's eyes crept open as his gorgeous dream was interrupted once more. But, to his horror, he awoke to find that the heavy breathing of his lover hadn't been part of his dream at all…it carried on even after he had sat up straight in his bed. Panicked hyperventilating , coming from the bed across from his own. Coming from the small figure hunched over on his mattress, next to the lamp which was switched on once again. "G-Gaara?" Naruto asked, squinting to try and see the other boy properly.

"…" The only response he received was more frantic breathing.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Naruto was getting worried now, his tired body instantly filled with energy as he jumped up from his bed. Gaara's silhouette flinched at his movement, his breath quickening even more and Naruto realised what was happening. His roommate was having a panic attack. Not something he would have expected from the redhead, but there was no denying it. Naruto had seen a few panic attacks throughout his time in foster homes but without knowing his roommate's medical history, he couldn't know how serious this was. What if Gaara got really bad ones? Pretty soon Naruto was starting to panic himself but he knew that the most important thing was to get the other boy to calm down.

Rushing over to Gaara's bed, Naruto alerted and shocked the redhead, only causing further panic to rise up in him.

"No, stay away!" Gaara shouted, clutching his head in his hands desperately as his struggle to breathe correctly continued.

"Hey, it's okay." The blonde man whispered, unsure of whether he was making things worse or not. "It's me- Naruto…your roommate."

No response.

"Gaara," Naruto cleared his throat, trying to rid his voice of any shakiness so that he could speak more soothingly. He slowly climbed onto Gaara's mattress, placing a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder- only to feel it tighten and tense under his touch. "It's okay. I need you to breathe slowly for me, alright? Just slow, deep breaths." He said it all with the most gentle and delicate voice he could muster, placing one hand on the redhead's chin and pulling his face towards him. "Watch me, okay. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth just like me."

"…" Gaara didn't respond but he tried his best to match his breathing to the blonde's, struggling badly but doing his best.

"That's it," Naruto encouraged with a gentle smile. "Just like that. Deep breaths."

And so they sat like that for about two minutes while the redhead slowed his breathing, finally managing to match it to Naruto's as best as he could. The whole time the blonde encouraged him gently, tracing small circles on the boy's shoulder with his thumb. However, after Gaara stopped hyperventilating, his trembling continued. His body shook with pure terror and fear- the likes of which no one should feel in their own home. And it broke Naruto's heart. "It's alright, everything's alright." The blonde whispered gently, wrapping an arm over Gaara's shoulders to comfort him. The boy tensed up under him, but fell into the embrace nonetheless with a quiet sob.

"N-Naruto…" He murmured, burying his face into the older teen's chest as his whole body quivered and tears spilled out of his eyes. Naruto hushed him, wrapping both arms around the redhead in a secure hug, and let Gaara cry on him. He had no idea what was wrong or why Gaara was acting this way but the feeling of hot tears dripping onto his bare skin pulled at his heart strings.

Could a nightmare have resulted in this? No way. Naruto didn't know him well but Gaara wasn't the kind to cry over a nightmare and was there even a nightmare in existence bad enough to cause a panic attack? Deciding to leave the questions until later, the blonde just rocked back and forth in an attempt to calm the boy down.

With his head on Naruto's chest, Gaara managed to relax by listening to the blonde's slow heartbeat. In total, it took about 15 minutes before he finally pulled out of the embrace and stared up into that kind, gentle face. It was then he realised what was happening and who was comforting him.

"You okay?" Naruto asked, offering a small smile. Once again, Gaara blushed and instantly hated both himself and his roommate. He hated himself for allowing his fear to destroy any hopes of a peaceful life sharing a room with Naruto, as well as for embarrassing himself like an idiot…and he hated Naruto for turning off the lamp and…for caring so much.

"Y-yeah, thanks…" He muttered shakily, turning away from the man he so badly wanted to kill and hug right now. "Just go back to bed."

"You sure?"

"Yes." Gaara answered bluntly, diving under the covers to hide himself. He was planning on just lying there and thinking things through for the rest of the night in silence, until he saw his idiot of a roommate reach for the lamp. Instinctively, Gaara's hand shot out and latched onto Naruto's wrist. "Please leave it on." He pleaded, in a voice so weak and vulnerable that he'd never admit to using it. But right now, he didn't care.

"Okay." Naruto replied gently, pulling his hand away. "If you need me, I'm just over there." The redhead nodded in response.

And so, as though nothing had happened, the two returned to their respective beds and turned away from one another without a word. Gaara was just thankful that the idiot wasn't asking question or pursuing the matter and Naruto was concerned about his roommate and trying to decide how to bring it up the next morning. The two of them were left in a fog of confusion and fear…

A/N: Well, there you go!

I introduced Naruto's perverted side, Gaara' emotions and Gaara's fear…as well as their first moment of connection and comfort. So, maybe this is the start of their friendship? Or maybe this will make Gaara loathe his roommate even more…

So, anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter! Thanks in advance.