Starlight

Full Summary: Gaara and Naruto are best friends. Little does Naruto know that Gaara has deeper feelings, feelings he has managed to keep hidden for their entire lives. One night, on Gaara's birthday, things go horribly wrong. Can one little misunderstanding ruin the bond they have, or will it just make something new...? Present for Akiame Bara :)

Warnings: YAOI LEMON, mild OOC, AU, some language

Pairing: GaaNaru - Gaara and Naruto

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me


A starlight
I will be chasing a starlight
Until the end of my life...
I just wanted to hold...you in my arms

The next day, Gaara slept in late. He usually had a very strict routine, even on the weekends, waking up early to plough through his day. But he hadn't slept at all, and he was exhausted. Every time he closed his eyes, he would see Naruto, his face torn with tears, his happy features twisted with dark emotions. He'd start awake, his heart thumping uncontrollably, and he'd run his hand through his sweat-matted hair, sitting up so he could catch his breath.

It was almost noon when he finally rolled out of bed, throwing on the shirt he had been wearing yesterday.

After a while of internal debating, he decided to call Naruto. He held his breath as it rang, and rang…and rang. He got Naruto's voice mail, as he expected, and he almost slammed the phone down when he realized he'd have to say something.

"Naruto…" He began, clearing his throat awkwardly. "It's me. I really want to talk to you. Please call me back." He paused, wanting to end the message with something that would make Naruto want to call him back. "I'm really sorry…I already miss you, just…g-get back to me." He ended it as his voice started to break, his heart convulsing at how many things he couldn't say. Yes, he missed Naruto, but more than he would ever know. Whatever he had done to affect Naruto in this way, he was going to do anything to make up for it.

Maybe if he told Naruto his true feelings, he would see that the redhead was just trying to cover up the fact that he was deeply in love. Maybe, just maybe, Naruto would forgive him if he knew.

But it wasn't likely.

He sat on the edge of the windowsill, waiting for Naruto to call him back. After about an hour, he left another message, the same as the first one. Naruto was avoiding him on purpose, and a lump rose in his throat. He couldn't remember the last time they fought, in fact, he couldn't remember a time when they weren't together. It was always Naruto and Gaara. If you were talking about one of them, you had to mention the other.

But now…it was like a half of him was missing, ripped from his body where he was left to gather up the remains. It was torture.

He leaned his head against the cool glass of the window, squeezing his eyes shut and pretending he was somewhere else. He replayed the incident over in his mind, what he had said to Naruto and how he instantly reacted. He hoped Naruto would forgive him. Nothing was worse than being clueless.

He was about to doze off, when his phone rang loudly next to his hand. It flew to his ear before it could ring a second time, with a very desperate,

"Naruto??"

"No, it's Sakura." Gaara groaned, not in the mood to talk to the insane pink haired woman.

"What do you want?"

"Well, good afternoon to you too, Gaara," Sakura huffed.

"Just get to the point."

"Well…Naruto ran away."

"What!?" Gaara went rigid.

"I went to his house to see if he wanted to go out, and he was gone. The window was open."

"H-how do you now he…he ran away?"

"Got any other explanations?" This is all my fault!

"I was just calling to see if he was with you…" Sakura said, unnerved by Gaara's sudden distress. She knew that whenever Naruto had a problem, Gaara was the first person he came to for advice. If the blonde wasn't there, then…

"I'll go look for him," Gaara concluded, getting to his feet and hurriedly getting dressed. Gray clouds gathered outside, puffy with rain.

"B-but Gaara, it's going to storm!" Sakura protested, but only received the dial tone.

Gaara threw on his jacket and burst into the chilly weather, tears freezing on his cheeks. He knew Naruto was out there, even though it was almost impossible to assume he had simply run away. He could have done anything, gone to another friend's, or he could be just wandering around town.

But he hadn't answered his phone all day, and he had a very good reason for wanting to leave.

Gaara ran until his legs ached and his chest burned, screaming Naruto's name down alleyways and around buildings. He felt a cold drop sting his nose, and more came pelting down on his face. The rain came quickly and abruptly, immediately soaking through his clothes and numbing his skin. But he ignored it, trying to think where Naruto would go.

Then, it came to him. It was stupid, especially at a time like this, but he turned on his heels and darted in the other direction.

The harsh cold of the rain made it harder for him to continue running, but the huge, ancient tree was in his view. He sprinted up the slight hill, slipping several times on the damp grass. His hands were scraped and bloody, but what he saw when he reached his destination rid all the pain.

Standing on the very edge of the shore was Naruto.

It was their place, the place they went to everyday. There was their bench, riddled with holes and engravings from past generations, standing lopsidedly under their tree, the tree Naruto fell out of and broke his arm when they were nine.

The unsettled waves of the lake crashed against the rocks, and it was like a scene out of a movie. Naruto turned his head slowly, his overflowing tears visible even in the downpour. His eyes widened as he saw Gaara, his shoulders shaking with cold.

"Naruto…" Gaara took a step forward, wanting nothing more than to just embrace the blonde and wipe away all their anger and sadness at each other.

Naruto didn't budge as Gaara approached him until they were mere inches apart.

Without saying a word, he launched his fist at the redhead, missing by an inch as Gaara ducked in surprise.

"N-Naruto…?" Gaara dodged to the side as Naruto tried to punch him again, his teeth bared, though he was sobbing violently. His movements were clumsy, and soon he had fallen forward into Gaara's outstretched arms, still clawing at his back. Gaara didn't hesitate to hold him while he cried himself out, loving the feel of Naruto back with him once more.

Though things weren't quite right yet.

"G-Gaara, I-I…." Naruto sniffled.

"Just tell me what's wrong," Gaara said softly. "Tell me why…" He would have went on, but he felt Naruto go limp in his arms.

He titled the blonde's chin, his gaze softening. He didn't know if Naruto had passed out, but he was shivering terribly. He had probably been standing out here for hours.

Gaara slipped his arm under Naruto's knees and lifted him up off the ground, cradling him against his chest in an attempt to shield him from the rain. He removed his own jacket and wrapped it around Naruto before padding away from their place, the place that should only hold pleasant memories.


Gaara carried Naruto back to his place, trudging on through the slushy streets as if he did it everyday. He was so confused and hurt, he didn't know what was going on anymore. What was wrong with Naruto!?

Gaara kicked open the door and heaved Naruto on his bed, stripping him of his drenched clothes and tucking several blankets around him.

While he lingered around for Naruto to wake up, he let his mind go blank. He watched the blonde sleep, fascinated by the regular motions of his chest, how his lips were just barely parted.

He instinctively took Naruto's hands and rubbed his fingers, his eyes cried raw. Time seemed to blur past him, and before he thought a single minute had passed, Naruto was alert and resembling a deer caught in front of headlights…

"Naruto!"

"Gaara, what's going on? What am I doing here?" Naruto struggled away from Gaara, but couldn't find the energy to move any further.

"Naruto, please tell me what happened!" Gaara pleaded. "Tell me so I can make it better!"

"You wouldn't care," Naruto grumbled.

"Of course I would! I care about you, Naruto!"

"No you don't." Gaara sighed in frustration, wishing he could show Naruto just how much he cared about him. Naruto had never doubted that before…

"What made you think this?" Gaara asked tightly. "Why are you acting so strange all of a sudden?"

"Because!" Naruto turned away. "You said…y-you said…"

"What??"

"You said it would be the worst thing in the world!" Naruto cried, clenching the bed sheets until his knuckles turned white. "I was just…I was…I thought…"

"What are you talking about?!" Gaara heard his voice rising.

"You said…that…you weren't gay…" Gaara's breath hitched when it all clicked. "It would be…t-the worst thing in the world! I thought you…" There was a painful silence, which was broken by Gaara's unashamed laughter.

"W-why the hell are you laughing?" Naruto demanded hotly. "I just practically admitted to you I'm fucking gay, and all you can do is laugh!? I knew it, I knew you didn't care! I shouldn't have--"

"No, w-wait, Naruto!" Gaara grabbed the blonde's arm and forced him into an embrace, completely serious now. Naruto jolted against Gaara's hold, but the redhead was stronger, keeping him imprisoned.

"Naruto, I can't believe it…" He muttered into golden locks. This was the moment he had been waiting for. "I love you, Naruto, and I always have! I thought you'd dislike me if you knew so…I kept it secret from you all this time."

"……a-are…a-are you telling me the truth, Gaara?" Naruto swallowed thickly. "When I asked you…a-and you said…no, I was really hurt. I thought you'd want to…w-with me…"

"I do love you! So much!" It was like a dream. Everything Gaara had ever wanted, was happening right in front of him. He could finally have Naruto, they could finally be together. Gaara should have told him the truth from the beginning, but that wasn't important. It felt so natural to tell Naruto 'I love you,' and he wanted to say it over and over again.

"W-well…why the hell didn't you ever tell me?" Naruto breathed, leaning his head on Gaara's chest, feeling the beating pulse of his heart.

"I wanted to!" Gaara insisted, his voice cracking a bit. He expected to wake up at any second, alone, and remember the fight him and Naruto had had, and still be confused as why the blonde was so upset.

But it was all over, so fast. They would never fight again, they would never be unhappy, they would never have to worry about secrets. They'd tell each other everything, they'd help, they'd give advice, they'd just be there for each other. They would match together perfectly, melding into one puzzle piece, one that wasn't meant to be lost or broken.

It was all just one big misunderstanding, and now that they had solved it, things would brighten, they could be together.

"Naruto, Naruto…" Gaara chanted, burying his nose in the soft golden locks of his precious love, the one he always desired, the one he had lusted after for such a long time. And now his feelings were finally returned.

It was like the world had ended and came back to life all in the course of two days. And that was just the way Gaara wanted it to end, with him and Naruto standing over the fixed wreckage.

"Oh Naruto, I love you so much…Naruto…" Gaara refused to believe he was crying, though he felt the very distinct sensation of wetness streaking down his cheeks. It was really happening.

"G-Gaara…" Naruto whispered. "It isn't like you to admit things like this to me…I-I'm happy…" He snuggled closer to Gaara's chest, clutching desperately at his shirt. "I feel foolish for acting so childish…"

"No, you shouldn't!" Gaara assured him. "You had a reason to be upset, I was a real jerk."

"But, you didn't deserve that…" Naruto pulled back and ghosted his lips over Gaara's, just barely touching them. Gaara wanted so badly to press them together, but he let Naruto take it at his pace. Finally, after some nervous hesitating, they kissed intentionally for the first time. Their eyes slid closed at the same time, and their fingers intertwined. All was still, just the sweet touch of Naruto's lips, and then, Gaara felt something.

It was happiness.

Naruto was the one who broke the kiss, face flushed and panting. Then, he mirrored Gaara's own face, tears dropping in waterfalls, and the next kiss they shared was mixed with saliva and both of their joyous tears.

"I'm sorry I avoided you!" Naruto cried, throwing his arms around Gaara's neck and crying into his shoulder. "I'm sorry I wouldn't return your calls, I'm sorry I ran away, and I'm sorry I acted so childishly! I was mad, and I was hurt, and I was confused…I was just acting selfish because you didn't…I thought that you…that you weren't interested…" Naruto trailed off. Obviously, this whole ordeal had shaken him more than Gaara thought. He couldn't imagine what Naruto must have felt, being unconsciously rejected so harshly. He should have been honest from the very beginning, but it was too late for that.

"Let's just forget about all of it…" Gaara muttered, stroking Naruto's back. "I'm sorry too. I really love you, and that's all that matters, right? I can finally admit it to you after all these years, so it's okay! Please don't feel bad, it was my fault…" He hugged Naruto so tight, he carved the curves of his body into his own.

"S-sorry for ruining y-your b-birthday…" Naruto sniffled.

"Ruined it?" Gaara almost laughed, pulling back so he could gaze into Naruto's teary blue eyes, which were flawlessly beautiful even in tears. "You made it all the more better!" He rubbed the golden head in comfort. "Naruto Uzumaki loves me."


A/N: I have come back from the dead. Seriously. Well, anyways, here you go...terribly sorry it's been so long...I hope none of you are too upset with me o.O And yes, I skipped a couple lyrics in the song, the little paragraph in the beginning...one line just didn't work for me -_- so...well, you get it.
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