Chapter Text
"I just don't see why it's necessary! It seems like a waste of resources and funding to me! So what if some of the other villages have gone soft on their youth? Children need discipline! Don't you agree? ...Sir Kazekage?"
Gaara blinked, and looked to the council member walking beside him. The old man had done nothing but complain since they left the meeting, and seemed to be intent on venting his frustrations to Sunagakure's leader. Gaara often found himself clashing with the man's ideals, which were usually harsh and that of a bygone generation, so as to why the council member decided to come to him with his problems, he didn't know. It was annoying and pointless, to say the least. "I happen to disagree. Looking at data that Konoha has shared about their youth's training and mission practices-"
"Oh, there you go again! Konoha this, Konoha that! If you love Konoha so much, why don't you just move there?! Let someone more practical and experienced be Kazekage!"
Fixing the old man with a cold stare, Gaara steelly replied, "We can all learn from our allies and past mistakes. Perhaps if Suna and the other villages hadn't sent all its children to die early deaths in wars and on missions above their rankings years ago, we'd have more trained shinobi to protect the villages now. It's foolish to expect today's youth to give their very best and their lives for a village that trains them into an early death and only sees them as fodder for war. We can't force children to become shinobi. We must offer other paths for them, and the ones that do decide to fight for Suna deserve better training methods that nurture their skills and talents, not archaeic methods that grind that passion into dust and blood."
The man gaped at him as they came to a halt outside the Kazekage's office. "You dare-?!"
"Excuse me. I have work to do." Gaara opened the door and walked past, slamming the door in the elder's face. He closed his eyes, gave a heavy exhale, then headed for his desk, trying to ignore the dull ache beginning in his temple. It'd been some time since a meeting or interaction with a council member had given him a headache... Normally he could handle the stress with neutrality and silence, but something about the council member's words struck a nerve in him and he couldn't stop himself from snapping back this time. Was it the elder's refusal to see the error in how Sunagakure treated its shinobi youth in the past? Or his words about Konoha in particular?
With it being today of all days, it was admittedly mostly the latter... 'If you love Konoha so much...' It wasn't that he loved Konoha... But the person he loved resided there.
Naruto.
Still with his eyes closed, Gaara sat down and placed his head in his hands. His birthday wasn't going nearly as well as it had last year... It had been exactly one year since he and Naruto had confessed their feelings for each other. Both verbally and physically. It had been the best birthday he'd ever had... Finally knowing Naruto felt the same way, and experiencing that kind of love with him... It had been wonderful. Since then, they had dated mostly through coded letters and secret visits between them, but the visits were never for long and it had now been months since they'd last seen or written each other. So Gaara had been looking forward to possibly seeing Naruto after so long, to celebrate his birthday as they had last year. Naruto had randomly surprised him then, after all, after showing up without a word on his way back from a mission. He'd spent the whole day hoping to be surprised in a similar fashion this time, too. But as the sun was now setting outside the windows, and the silence thickened in the darkening room, his shoulders slumped as he was forced to finally accept that Naruto wasn't coming. The hope he had carried in his heart all day was at long last flickering out.
"Hehe...!"
Great. He missed Naruto so much, he was starting to hear his laugh in his head. Not that it hadn't happened before. He actually heard it all the time when he thought about him. That and his signature catchphrase: 'Believe it!' What he wouldn't give to hear him say it right now... To hear him say his name, say he loved him, or say anything, really. He just wanted to hear his voice... Not in his head, but out loud. He wanted Naruto here...
He felt something touch his foot, and he froze as he heard more stifled snickering. What on earth...? He looked under the desk and nearly jumped out of his skin as he was met with the sight of Naruto, very visibly uncomfortably tucked inside the space between Gaara's legs and the wood of the desk backing. Gaara's eyes widened in wonder as he gazed at his very welcome intruder, and Naruto burst into laughter, causing his boyfriend to hurriedly place a hand over his mouth to hush him. "Naruto! Shh!" His heart was beating quick and his face flushed as he felt Naruto's lips against his fingers. He... He was here! Naruto was right here, before his eyes! Unless he was hallucinating...
"S-Sorry, Gaara! Couldn't help it! Y-Your face...!" Naruto's fingers gently squeezed Gaara's leg as he used it for support amid his bout of hushed laughter. He caught his breath long enough to tease, "I can't believe you didn't see me under here!" Then he started laughing again, the sound like music to Gaara's ears. He'd missed this... He'd missed him.
Blushing, Gaara wheeled his chair back. "What are you doing under there?" he asked. "What if someone saw you?!"
"Relax! No one saw me!" Naruto beamed as he uncurled himself, resting his elbows on Garra's legs and looking up at him with bright, shining eyes. "No one knows I'm here! I promise!"
The door swung open as Temari walked in, looking at a paper in her hand. "Hey, Gaara? I was told to ask you about this..."
Gaara quickly shoved Naruto back into hiding and wheeled his chair closer to the desk. He cleared his throat and awkwardly asked, "Can it wait? Is it important?"
His sister looked at him. "There's a few things that need clarified, but it's not that important. Why?"
"Er... I just have a headache right now. If it's something that doesn't need done right away, I'll see to it later, if you don't mind."
She put a hand on her hip. "If I don't mind? You're the Kazekage, Gaara. It can wait!" She grinned. "My workaholic brother needs breaks, too!"
He grinned back. "Thank you. I appreciate it."
Behind her, Kankuro walked in, stretching and yawning. "What a day! That meeting wore me out! I say we call it a day and head home early!"
Temari frowned at him. "You don't need a break. You have some paperwork to do, too, don't you?"
Kankuro scowled. "Come on, Temari! It's Gaara's birthday! I'm sure he doesn't want to be stuck here all night. Naruto's probably waiting for him at the ramen shop!"
"Naruto? He's here?" Temari questioned, head snapping over to Gaara. "You didn't say anything to us about Naruto being here!"
Beneath the desk, Gaara felt Naruto grip his ankle tightly. "Er... He's not. He's not here," he lied.
Confused, his brother stared at him. "Huh? I could have sworn I saw him earlier... Are you sure?" He squinted at Gaara in suspicion. "His orange getup's hard to miss..."
Not knowing what else to say, Gaara simply said, "I'm not sure who you saw, but it wasn't him. He's not here."
Temari's expression softened. "Sorry, Gaara... I know you wanted to see him. He might still turn up, though! Give it a few days!"
Gaara smirked. Oh, if she only knew... "Thanks. ...You guys can go home without me if you want. As soon as this headache clears up, I'll finish with papers and head out."
"Sounds good to me!" Kankuro gave a thumbs up. "We'll have grub waiting for you! Don't be too long, bro!"
"I won't be."
Temari began to walk to the desk. "I'll just give you this, then. There's a note explaining what needs cleared up-!" Sand shot from Gaara's gourd leaned against the wall, and she was startled when it snatched the paper from her hands. She shook her head as the document was carried through the air, and within seconds it landed on the corner of his desk. "Geez! Okay, we get it! You want us out of your hair!" But she smiled at him. "Don't push yourself!"
He smiled back as his siblings turned to go. "I won't." As soon as the door closed after them, he made sure to lock it with his sand. As he wheeled backwards again, he gave Naruto a deep sigh of disapproval. "I lied to them. I don't like that. I thought you said no one saw you?"
"...I thought no one did," Naruto mumbled. He looked up at Gaara, very much looking like a sad puppy with his big, pleading eyes and pouting lip. "...This isn't really how I wanted this to play out," he moped. "I thought it'd be more fun."
Gaara chuckled. "You thought hiding under there would be fun? How long have you been here?"
"I don't know..." Naruto lifted his eyes, trying to remember. "Long enough," he settled for.
Gaara leaned down to his level and softly murmured, "Well, thank you for waiting." He closed his eyes and planted his lips on Naruto's, and sighed deeply as Naruto kissed him back. He'd missed this so much... As Naruto slipped his tongue in, Gaara found himself smiling into the kiss. He could always taste ramen when they kissed... He felt excitement begin to course through him and prodded back with his tongue, eager to show Naruto the same passion. All it took was a kiss or touch from Naruto and his entire being began to melt at the simple gestures. For most of his life, he'd been deprived of affection, even from his own family. To receive such loving touches, from the person he loved so dearly... It was like being blown over by a gust of wind.
When their lips parted, Naruto smiled brightly at him and joked, "Soooo... Happy to see me, then?"
Acutely aware of the growing bulge beneath his robes, Gaara had to chuckle. "Of course I am. I'm always happy to see you... More than happy!" Offering his hand to help him up and out from under the desk, it was then that Gaara noticed the bags under Naruto's eyes. He hadn't been sleeping well recently, it seemed. He must have been busy with missions. He looked exhausted... Less like his usual self and more worse for wear... He gently asked, "How have you been? It's... been a long time."
Instead of answering, Naruto ignored his hand and instead reached for Gaara's crotch. As he began to massage it, Gaara's eyes fluttered shut. "...Sorry it's been so long. Stuff happened..." Naruto didn't elaborate, but before Gaara could ask what he meant, he added, "But today's your day! Let me give you my birthday present!" He brought his hand up under the Kage robes and lifted them, darting his head under.
"..." Gaara got the feeling Naruto was trying to hide his face. He decided to be a bit mean and rolled the hem of his robes up to reveal his boyfriend's face again. "Naruto."
Naruto avoided looking at him, busying himself with unbuttoning Gaara's pants. Gaara frowned, then placed a hand over Naruto's to stop him. "You didn't answer my question," he stated. The sight of Naruto kneeling before him was hard to resist, for both him and his body, but he could tell something was bothering him. "What 'stuff' happened?"
With a small sniffle, Naruto wearily closed his eyes. He didn't say anything for a few seconds. When he eventually brought himself to answer, his voice was quiet and defeated, strained with emotion and hurt. "...We couldn't bring him back. ...Again."
Oh...
Gaara leaned over to frame Naruto's face with his hands. He rubbed his thumbs over his boyfriend's whisker scars, and Naruto shakily inhaled before rasping, "We were so close... So close! He was... He was right there...! But...!" Another shaky breath. "Why?! Why won't he just...! Come back with us?! Why can't I-?! Why can't I get through to him?! Like I did with you?!" A tear fell down his cheek. "I just-! I don't understand!"
Gaara understood. He understood all too well, what path Sasuke Uchiha was on. He'd been on that path himself, once. Until Naruto showed him the light...
He lovingly bumped his forehead against Naruto's shinobi headband. The touch was but one of a few intimate gestures they had between them. Bumping foreheads reminded them of how Naruto had knocked some sense into Gaara years ago... At the motion, Gaara's heart swelled, and he heard Naruto sniffle again. "...I'm sorry," was all he could manage to say in an attempt to comfort him. Because he knew...
If Naruto couldn't bring Sasuke out of that suffocating darkness, like he had with him... Sasuke was gone. If Naruto couldn't reach him, no one could.
Gaara ran his fingers through Naruto's messy blonde hair and merely listened as he continued to cry. He didn't know how to console people when they were upset... When he was very little, before he became a 'monster', his uncle and siblings would make him feel better by giving him things he liked, like his teddy bear or his favorite food. And now, Temari and Kankuro would give him words of encouragement, a new plant, or hugs, even, if they saw he needed cheered up. But Naruto... Naruto was always so cheerful and full of energy. He was always smiling or laughing. Not crying... He was always the one to make others feel better, not the other way around. He wished he knew what to do for him...
"I'm... sorry," he repeated, hating how useless the words sounded having been said twice. "I don't know what to say, Naruto..."
"I know..." Naruto lifted his head to look him in the eyes. There was so much sadness in them... Gaara didn't know how to fix that. He wanted to be able to take all that pain and suffering away, but... He knew it wasn't that simple a thing to do. He knew how betrayal felt. It hurt. So much... Right in the heart... "But that's okay. You don't have to say anything..." Naruto rubbed his eyes, and made to stand. "I-! Ah! Ow!" He hit his head on the desk, and when Gaara's mouth quivered into a smile, he protested, "Don't laugh! That hurt, Gaara! Your desk is hard!"
"Like you?" Gaara teased, eyeing the erection visible through Naruto's pants. At least he wasn't the only one excited for their reunion...
Following his gaze, Naruto blushed and scratched his cheek. "U-Um... It's just... It's just been so long..." he faintly replied. Then newfound determination came to his facial features and he began to kneel again. "So let me-"
"No." Gaara tried his best to keep his face even as Naruto brought his teary eyes to his.
"Wh-Whaddya mean 'no'? ...I ruined the mood... didn't I...?" he quietly mumbled, blushing harder.
"No," Gaara repeated, closing his eyes. A second later, sand swirled around Naruto.
"H-Hey! What's this?!" Naruto gasped as the sand gently forced him to sit upon the desk. More sand covered the windows, bringing the room into darkness. "Gaara?"
Gaara's heart was pounding as he stood and removed his Kage robes. He could feel Naruto's eyes on him... Watching his every move... He folded the robes up and set them on his seat, then pushed the chair and its contents out of his way.
"Wh-What are you doing?" Naruto asked as Gaara kneeled before him. His eyes widened in realization when Gaara's eyes drifted to his crotch, then he reverted back to looking confused. "But...!"
Gaata's own erection throbbed at the befuddled look Naruto wore. He reached for the button to Naruto's pants, and as Naruto made to move, his sand reappeared to keep him still, wrapping around his legs and torso. "I may not know what to say, but..."
"Y-You don't have to do this, Gaara! It's your birthday!" Naruto sputtered. He reached out to stop him, only for his hands to be caught by sand as well. "Gaara!"
With a mischievous smile, Gaara unzipped Naruto's pants and pressed his hand against his bulge. "Aren't I allowed to do what I want on my birthday?" he proposed.
"That's-!" Not having a comeback, Naruto grit his teeth as fingers massaged him. "This is your office, though! Your Kazekage office!"
"That didn't seem to bother you before," Gaara replied, enjoying how flustered Naruto was becoming now that he was the one receiving a 'gift'.
"But aren't people going to wonder why you have the windows covered?!"
"I cover them sometimes when I have a headache or want to block out noise." Gaara peered up at him. Seeing Naruto anxious like this, he looked very cute. "...I've missed you, Naruto."
At those words, his boyfriend's fretful worrying calmed, and Naruto's eyebrows lifted as he finally smiled again. "Yeah... I've missed you, too," he whispered.
Gaara slid Naruto's penis out from his boxers, and held it to his mouth, pressing his lips against it. So warm... He ran his tongue over its length, eliciting a pleasurable sigh from the man he loved.
"L-Love ya, Gaara..." Naruto breathed as he allowed his body to relax. As he allowed the man he loved to envelop him inside his mouth. He tilted his head back and swallowed.
Gaara couldn't say anything back in response, but he hoped his love came through as he began to lick and suck. They had only done this once before. Neither of them had been very good at it. Their attempts had been sloppy and unsure, with neither being confident in their movements. Gaara had gagged a few times and ended up being the only one to orgasm, and despite Naruto's reassurance that it had felt good for him too, it had left Gaara with a desire to do better next time, to make sure Naruto came as well. He wanted all of Naruto... And he wanted Naruto to give him all his love, too.
As he worked at pleasuring him, Naruto's breathing began to hasten. He struggled against his sand restraints, and Gaara obliged in freeing him. A moment later he felt a hand grasp at his hair, and gave a hard suck as Naruto gripped his red locks with his fingers. "Unnhh..." Naruto moaned.
Opening an eye, Gaara looked to see Naruto's face crinkle up as he sharply inhaled. His cheeks were burning now, and he was starting to sweat... He slid his mouth up to his lover's tip, and ran the tip of his tongue just beneath it. Naruto shivered in reaction to the quick motion. He opened his mouth to say something, then clamped it shut as Gaara swirled his tongue around his slit and took him in again.
Gaara was careful not to go too fast. He remembered how bad his throat hurt last time he tried that, and he didn't want to gag this time. He kept his movements slow and intentional, trying to be mindful to not hurt himself or Naruto. He remembered how it felt when Naruto was a little too eager and accidentally bit his penis before... He didn't wish for Naruto to experience that if he could help it. He still found himself wincing at the memory from time to time.
"Gaaraaa..." Naruto faintly moaned.
He could feel his own erection pressing against his pants, and Gaara struggled to stay focused on his current task as his mind wandered to selfish thoughts. Thoughts of Naruto taking him into his mouth... Thoughts of Naruto penetrating him... Thoughts of the opposite. Imagining himself pushing into Naruto's ass, with Naruto beneath him groaning and hissing at the slow intrusion, he could feel himself getting wet. Oh, that feeling of being inside him! Holding Naruto tight in his arms while he made love to him...! Maybe later-
He felt Naruto's nails digging into his scalp, and it refocused him. It was his birthday, yes, and maybe he'd be allowed to be a little selfish later, but right now... Naruto was hurting in ways he was all too familiar with. He wanted to take the heartache away... And replace it with love. For him. He wanted to show Naruto love. It was what Naruto had done for him, to set him on the right path. Maybe not in this specific way, but...
Spurred on by such desire, Gaara began to stand and pressed his hand against Naruto's chest. Wordlessly, Naruto let himself be guided until he was lying flat on the surface of the desk, his chest heaving with hasty breaths. Pinning his boyfriend's hips with his hands, Gaara began to suck a little harder, a little faster... His head bobbed with each motion, with Naruto's fingers still clenched around his hair and following his every movement. His own breaths were hurried on as he felt Naruto throb inside his mouth. He could taste precum on his tongue as he ran it around Naruto's penis greedily, and the taste wasn't nearly as strange this time, having tasted it before. But this time, he wanted to taste something else.
"Nnh...!" Naruto whined, his back curving and his eyes squeezed shut in desperation. "G-Gaara!"
Gaara kept at it, shakily repositioning his fingers on Naruto's hips. Naruto was close...! So close...! He was right there...! He was too, he could feel it... The material of his pants was so tight now, pressing against his erection... With each throb of his penis, he found himself losing his self control. He mindlessly began thrusting as he continued sucking Naruto, desperately reaching for that same euphoria. He gave another hard suck, and another, and Naruto gave a raspy whine as his muscles clenched once more.
As cum suddenly spurt into Gaara's mouth, he nearly choked. But he automatically swallowed, his throat reflexes taking over at the sensation. He felt himself release as well, and he gave a hefty sigh in pleasured relief. His cheeks felt like they were on fire as Naruto's cum began to dribble from his lips. It tasted salty... Probably from all the ramen he ate. Gaara nearly laughed at the random thought as he swallowed again.
"Ahhhh..." Naruto's intense grip on Gaara's hair loosened, and his hand flopped to his side, knocking over a pen holder in the process. Its contents scattered across the desk and as a few pens fell to the floor, Naruto chuckled. "Oops!"
Sliding his mouth free of Naruto's penis, Gaara licked his lips and ran a hand over his chin. He was at a loss for words again as he observed the state of Naruto. After sex, he always had the most adorable face... His eyes would be half open, tired but happy... His mouth would be smiling with glee... And his whiskers would almost disappear into the redness that filled his cheeks... He bent and placed a gentle kiss on Naruto's lips, and Naruto lifted his arms to bring Gaara closer. When they parted, they beamed at each other, and as he always did after sex, Naruto kissed the 'love' kanji on Gaara's forehead.
"Love you, too," Gaara whispered with a grin. Naruto attempted to sit up, then let himself fall back to the desk.
"I didn't even do anything and you wore me out!" he joked, closing his eyes again.
"Did I, now?" Gaara smirked, and he lazily ran his fingers through Naruto's pubic hair as he mused, "Does that mean this was much better than last time?"
"What do you think?" Naruto laughed. He finally managed to sit up, and they shared another kiss. When Gaara stepped back, Naruto snorted. "Um... Gaara?"
"What?" When Naruto pointed to the crotch of his gray pants, Gaara groaned. "Yes, I know... Guess I'll be wearing my robes home." He blushed as he self consciously felt the wet spot. Naruto did like to tease him about being easy to please. He didn't exactly need proof, but here it was. Guess he couldn't deny it anymore... "You wore me out..."
"Hehe! You think? Just wait! I'll wear ya out some more later!" Naruto's eyes twinkled at the promise. "Believe it!"
Gaara chuckled. "I believe it!"
Naruto stumbled from the desk, then flung himself at Gaara, embracing him with as much strength as he could manage. "Happy Birthday, Gaara! Love ya!"
Gaara buried his face in Naruto's shoulder and hugged him back. He was so glad Naruto was here... Naruto was the best birthday gift he could ever hope to have... "Naruto... I love you, too!"
The love of his life... deserved all the love... for all the love he gave others...
And if others couldn't see it... Didn't want to accept it...
Then so be it. There would just be more of Naruto for him to love...