Title: Love

Pairing: GaaraxNaruto

Summary: Short AU fic, just a look into Gaara and Naruto's relationship.

Warnings: Shonen-Ai, Au, Major Fluffage

Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this.

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Best friends since we were ten years old, Gaara and I. He was feared, and I was hated. Two outcasts coming together. It was rather cliched, but all cliches came from some kind of truth. I understood Gaara in a way that no one else ever could, that feeling of abandonment and helplessness, feeling worthless and alone. Not the sort of alone when your friends ditched you or something, no. This was absolute lonliness. Pure, unadulterated sorrow. Darkness that swallowed you whole, leaving you fighting and screaming underneath the covers for some sort of light to save you- but your pleas landed on deaf ears, on ignorant and hateful souls. Gaara and I knew what being alone truly was, knew what it was like to feel that empty void in your heart, to feel the burn and feek the terror as the wound that society had scarred you with opened and bled, bled misery and failure and a vunerability that you could never overcome.

I felt an undivided sympathy as Gaara turned his back on the world, only after it had done the same to him. I had a horrifying knowledge of what he went through every night, of the nightmares that plagued his angered mind, of the insults and horrid words that raced through your mind every day- words that people who didn't even know you spoke to you. Behind your back, to your face. All of this animosity that was directed towards us two outcasts was enough to turn us away from them, and towards each other.

We both had masks that over the years we had perfected. Facades that were unbreakable, even to the most hurtful remark. His was of hatred, of intimidation. That sort of 'if I don't let anyone get close to me, I can't get hurt' sort of thing. But underneath that mask of sand was a child that just wanted the one thing that no one had ever thought to give to him- love. Really, in the end, it was all anyone needed. My mask was all smiles and sunshine, but while I was smiling, trying to ignore the fact that I really was a monster- my insides were crumbling, being torn down by cutting words laced with venom.

Six years have passed since I first met Gaara at the playground. We're both now sixteen, hormones raging, curiosity at it's highest and most dangerous peak.

Mortal Kombat was flashing across the screen, barely able to keep my ADD in check.

We both already knew the predicament of this game: Gaara would win, and I would get my ass beat horribly. But I had no shame. I was sure that no one could ever defeat Gaara, he was just disgustingly good at video-games. But it was still fun, trying to sabotage his victory by nudging him in the sides with my elbows. You should have been there when I first found out Gaara was ticklish. Kodak moment, let me say.

My plan didn't work, and Gaara opened a can of whoop-ass on me and wiped the floor with my body. Literally. There was some sick shit in this game. After he dropped the controller, he punched me lightly in the arm at my attempted sabotage. "Idiot," he simply stated, though he wasn't able to keep the grin from tugging at his lips. Then, suddenly, the thunder clouds tackled each other, their screams of anger echoing throughout the entire universe.

It was nights like this that- when the thunder shook the house, the lightning lit up those darkened rooms, and the rain beat angrily against the window, threatening to break the glass- that I just wanted to curl up next to the red-head. Of course, I felt myself feeling like that every night, but somehow, it just intensified a thousand times when there was a thunderstorm. I felt shivers race up and down my spine, causing my bones to shake slightly.

Uzumaki Naruto, scared of a measley thunderstorm?

... Yes, but only Gaara will ever know of this. Ever. Evereverevereverever.

It was an unecessary fear, but Gaara understood. We just had that sort of connection. He turned off the television and grabbed me by the arm. I followed without hesitation.

I would follow him anywhere without giving it a second thought. Anywhere.

He began to strip down to his pajama pants, and I did the same, leaving us both shirtless. We stared at each other for a moment before he let a rare smile be seen... only by me. I was the only one ever allowed to see such an expression on Gaara's face. We had both agreed to this since the first day we met. He led me into his bed, which was a King sized bed. We both had more room than we needed, but yet we always wound up right next to each other, clinging onto the only source of warmth we had.

As the storm raged on, seemingly more pissed off by the minute, I layed on my side, curled into a little ball, bright blue eyes shut tightly in fear. But then there was Gaara, laying on his side next to him, small arm wrapped protectively around my waist, pulling me back into him. I immediately relaxed as I felt him near me, my shoulders going from tense to relaxed, eyes smoothing out, breath slowing down. He placed a small kiss on my temple, then led a trail of fleeting caresses of his fingers from my cheek to my neck, then back up again. He then gently urged me onto my back where he placed the most chaste and tentative of kisses on my lips. We both smiled.

We had been looking for love our whole lives in other people, it being the one thing we were ever truly denied- but here we found it, in each other. I'd take the rest of the world's hate for the love of this one man- Gaara. My Gaara. Yes, it was set it stone. It would travel through time and space, we would always find each other- no matter one.

I feel asleep to the sound of his breathing and small senseless murmurs, a smile gracing my own features. I gripped his hand within my own, giving it a small squeeze.

Never again would we ever be alone.

Never again.

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Reviews would be nice. Really nice. Uber nice.

Until next time,

kthx