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

Far away
This ship has taken me far away
Far away from the memories
Of the people who care if I live or die

"Gaara! Happy birthday!" Naruto cried, pouncing on Gaara and throwing his arms around his neck with more energy than Gaara ever had on his birthday.

"Uh, thanks, Naruto…" he said awkwardly, as Naruto continued hugging him with the biggest smile on his face. Gaara kept his hands firmly at his sides, afraid of what his blonde best friend would think if he wrapped is own arms around him and held him closer. Though, he kept his urges under control, most of the time…

Once or twice, when they were confused teenagers, he had given Naruto a couple drunken kisses which were forgotten in the morning, along with a terrible hangover.

It was as close as Gaara could get to those perfect, plump lips that just begged to be touched.

"What are you doing tonight? Having a party? Am I invited?" Naruto rambled on, his brilliant eyes sparkling with plans he had already made for Gaara's birthday.

"There's no party," Gaara told him, cringing at the disappointed look that instantly formed on Naruto's bright face. His bottom lip pulled into pout as he glared at Gaara, the one who was known for never making a big deal out of anything, even his own twenty first birthday.

"So what are you doing tonight?" Naruto went on, determined to make sure Gaara did something besides sit at home and pretend it was just any other day.

"Nothing…" Gaara told him suspiciously.

"Good then! I'm taking you to dinner!" Naruto decided brightly, skipping down the direction he'd come from, settling the matter. Gaara followed him anxiously, the blonde's offer sounding strangely like a date.

"W-wait a minute, Naruto…" Gaara stopped him, frowning uneasily. He didn't want to ruin their friendship by doing something stupid alone with Naruto…which would most certainly happen.

"Anywhere you wanna go," Naruto said, still just a cheerful. "My treat."

"Naruto, you don't have any money."

"I do so!" Naruto said accusingly, slowing his pace to match Gaara's slow strides.

"You don't have to do that…" Gaara grumbled, though, he had to admit it sounded amazing going out with Naruto without anything else to distract him from saying what he really wanted to say. But what if he accidentally let it slip that he is, and always has been, completely in love with Naruto Uzumaki?

No, everything would be fine. He'd make sure of it.

"Come on, I want you to have at least a little fun on your birthday!" Naruto went on, walking backwards so he could glare at Gaara.

"Alright," The redhead interrupted him, keeping his expression clean.

"What?"

"Whatever you want."

"Oh great!" The light returned to Naruto's face as his demands were agreed to. "You go home and do…whatever it is you do before, uh, you leave your house!"

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Home! I'll pick you up when I feel like it!"

"N-Naruto, hold on a second!"

"See ya!" Gaara watched in astonishment as Naruto scampered off, practically singing to himself as he scurried away.

Gaara stood there, trying to regain his mind as the realization hit.

That sounded way to much like a date, but he was sure Naruto didn't see how much it stirred him.

Of course, it was because Naruto was completely clueless. It was really for the better. Naruto, being, well, Naruto, wouldn't know what to do if he was suddenly told he had been the object of Gaara's obsession ever since they met. Sure, sometimes it was a bit unbearable to always be around his best friend, knowing there was no chance they'd ever be together. But he would never do anything to jeopardize what they had now, so he might as well enjoy what he could.

And go out with Naruto.

Of course, Naruto didn't tell Gaara what time he would show up, so for two hours all he did was mindlessly pace the hallways, waiting. He didn't want the blonde to think he cared too much, or that he was so desperate for company that he had nothing else to do by himself.

He fixed his hair as well as it would go, though that's a bit hard when it looked like his head was on fire no matter what he did with it. He felt like a girl, smoothing it down and swiping it into all the wrong places. He wondered what Naruto looked like, what he was wearing, what he would say…

Wait a minute, he was getting too into this! Naruto was just being nice, like a good friend should.

But Gaara still wished it was something more. He wanted to have a lover to come home to on his birthday, to see him waiting in bed with a spectacular birthday present for him. They would make love, wonderfully, like he always dreamed of, and as they would fall asleep, they'd whisper to each other, "I love you."

Gaara shook his head, clearing his head of such meaningless thoughts. Those were useless fantasies that he shouldn't waste his time lusting after.

When he was sure he looked…presentable enough, he calmly waited by the door, abandoning his pacing.

Fortunately, it wasn't long because Naruto showed up, around 7:30. Gaara looked out the window before he answered the door, catching his breath.

Naruto looked…simply amazing. His hair looked like he had just rolled out of red, but, in a very good way. It curtained his perfect face beautifully, and there was a huge, permanent smile on his face, making the unique whisker marks on his cheeks rise to his cerulean eyes, dusted with long, blonde eyelashes.

Gaara didn't think he had ever been so astonished in his life.

He flung open the door before Naruto could knock a second time, pretending he hadn't even noticed what he looked like.

"Hey Gaara!" He greeted cheerfully, beckoning the redhead out and to his…badly parked car. "You look nice."

"So…s-so do you," Gaara managed to squeak, his hand shaking when he tried to open the passenger's door. He hadn't been that nervous in a long time…

But before he could refocus, Naruto attacked him from behind, pulling him into a crushing hug, giggling as he mussed up his already tousled hair.

"Happy Birthday," the blonde said into his ear, and Gaara thought he was going to lose it with Naruto's hot breath on his skin.

"T-thanks, Naruto," Gaara mumbled, savoring the sudden hug until Naruto pulled away.

"Well, we better get going!" Naruto grinned, shoving Gaara into his car and jumping in the other side.

"Where are we going?"

"Remember? You decide!" Gaara sighed happily; maybe this night wouldn't be so bad.

They ended up going to a place Gaara had known since he was a child, where him and his siblings used to go on a special occasion. Naruto was very impressed by Gaara's choice, and promised to pay for everything.

"I couldn't let you do that," Gaara insisted.

"Yes you could, and you will!" Naruto dragged Gaara over to a table, his hand lingering on the redhead's arm for a second longer than he could take. "You feel older?" Naruto asked joyfully, leaning back in his chair, too far. Gaara pictured himself darting up and catching him as he fell backward, and they would lock eyes, and read each other's minds, and they would live happily ever after.

All because Naruto fell back in his chair…

Not that he never did that before.

"Not really," Gaara answered, but it was a lie. He was 21 now, four years since he first fell in love with Naruto. Every day felt like an eternity, every day was just another awful time when his feelings were not returned. But he'd answered all Naruto's questions with a happy answer, an answer that pleased the blonde. Naruto's contentment was all that really mattered.

"Ah, I do…" Naruto grimaced.

"You're only two months older than me," Gaara reminded him with a smirk. "How can you feel old?"

"Well, I don't know." Naruto shrugged cutely, and scratched the back of his head, a wonderful habit Gaara loved to watch. "Okay, I'm hungry!"

They both ordered their dinner to a rather nervous waiter, who obviously suspected they were there on a date. Naruto didn't seem to notice, but Gaara definitely did. It depressed him a little bit more, knowing it wasn't true.

"So, Gaara, what have you been doing lately?" Naruto asked lightly, awkwardly trying to make conversation.

"Uh…" Naruto made a face, amused by the lack of interest in Gaara's life.

It was quiet for a moment, and Gaara was holding his breath. He would have said something, if he hadn't been staring at Naruto while he spaced out…

"Gaara, can I ask you something?" They were about ready to leave, and Gaara thought it had gone pretty well. He didn't talk much, he was happy to listen to Naruto the whole time. It was really nothing except worrying about school, getting a roommate to help him pay the rent, complaining that the restaurant didn't serve ramen…Gaara nodded when he needed to, put in something to say when he wanted, and that was how he liked it.

"Sure." Gaara suddenly wanted so badly to just confess everything, but he had those urges a lot. It was nothing but a broken heart, even though he hadn't even had a chance to have it be broken. It was just permanently twisted with longing.

"Have you ever done it with a guy?"

"What?!" Gaara looked down, hoping his blush wasn't too red to be noticeable.

Why would Naruto want to know that? They had never talked about this before, since neither of them had had a girlfriend in months. And there was that one little problem that Gaara had never told his best friend he was gay…

"N-no, I haven't!" Gaara mumbled. At least he was being honest there. "H-have you?" He was a bit thrown off by Naruto's abrupt curiosity, and he didn't want to have to deal with any more of these kind of questions. He didn't want to lie, but he knew he would have to if he got more personal.

"No…" Naruto looked thoughtful. "Did you ever think about it?"

"Well…" Would he completely lie and tell Naruto he had never thought about it?

Maybe that was the best way to go. If Naruto thought badly of him because of his sexual orientation, Gaara would just about go insane.

While he was internally debating, Naruto reached into his pocket like he was about to pull something out. But he waited, eyeing his pocket uncomfortably.

"No, of course I haven't!" Gaara decided, pretending to laugh like it was the stupidest thing in the world. "I'm not gay."

"M-me neither," Naruto agreed, but his voice was shaking. His hand slowly slipped away from his pocket and hung limply at his side.

"Why, what's the matter?" Gaara sounded harsher than he had intended, but he couldn't help it. His heart was thumping so hard he thought it was going to explode out of his chest. Had he said the wrong thing??

"You sound as if it would be the worst thing in the world…" Naruto's answer was so small, Gaara leaned forward to hear it. He had never seen Naruto so quiet and even upset before, and it was…frightening. It really did look like Naruto was about to cry.

"Well…wouldn't it?" Gaara couldn't even control what he was saying anymore. He just burst out with whatever he thought was the right thing to say. And it seemed like none of them were the right thing at all…

"Sure, if that's what you think," Naruto stood up briskly, his lips pressed together in a thin line.

"What's wrong with you?" Gaara followed Naruto as he walked swiftly towards the door, his eyes narrowed. What had he said? What had he done wrong? What was he supposed to do now? "I didn't say anything!"

"Whatever, Gaara!" Naruto increased his pace, his voice breaking as he shouted Gaara's name. "Stop following me!"

"Naruto, what did I do?" Gaara reached out and grabbed Naruto's sleeve, spinning him around so they were face to face.

A lump rose in his throat as he saw the blonde's sapphire eyes blurry with tears, streaking down his red cheeks.

They stared at each other for a long moment, and something seemed to break between them at that exact second. Something mysterious, but something important nonetheless.

Naruto snatched his hand away from Gaara's and darted away, and this time, Gaara did not follow.

Instead, he watched the blonde go with a heavy heart, his own eyes stinging.

What could he possibly have done to make Naruto this upset? Seeing Naruto so angry and depressed was like a freshly sharpened arrow in his chest, piercing through his thin walls of sanity, pushing out the other side of his body.

He had lost his Naruto, the one he thought he would always be friends with, even if it was just "friends." And now, he was just standing there, motionless as his perfect angel ran from him, leaving him behind.

But he felt like he couldn't chase him, afraid of putting even more distance between them. But he couldn't just forget.

He'd get through to Naruto, whatever was going on with him, no matter what it took.

A/N: I'm baaaaack! How long's it been, four months? Yeah, that seems about right. Sorry, Akiama Bara, for taking so long to write this for you! I'm UBER sorry!! *cries* But here it is! A pretty little threeshot all to yourself! I hope you like it! Because this is the only thing I'm updating...I don't have time... OH WELL! Please review, my peeps!
Song: Starlight
Artist: Muse

~ The Cupcake Monster