A/N: It's NaruGaaNaru Day! Huzzah! Here's my first contribution for the day.

The Faces We Make

"Na—" he panted, his breath hitching with each bounce. "Naru—AH!"

His mind went blank, and his muscles twitched and writhed out of control. A second passed, and the next thrust brought him back to reality. "Naruto!"

He was answered with a growl, a feral rumble in his ear as fangs tightened over his jugular.

Gaara cried out, reason fleeing again as with the next advance his spine snapped backwards of its own accord. Arching at an impossible angle, his body pleaded for more, offering the beast between his legs an easier position from which to impale him.

Naruto conceded, and released Gaara's throat to wrap his arms around the whimpering redhead to lift his lower body. Rising to his knees, Naruto continued his ruthless rhythm, intent on finishing his task of reducing his lover to a quivering pile of mush.

With nothing but his head and shoulders still on the bed, Gaara was practically upside down. But it hardly mattered, as he could hardly get more disoriented at this point.

He peeked his eyes open between pleasure spasms to catch a glimpse of his lover.

Sweat slicked his skin to a greasy shine, and caused his grip on Gaara's behind to slip occasionally. The Kazekage moaned, just watching the journey of one of those sinful droplets from golden temple, over bronzed cheek, and down to straining torso, was enough to make his skin crackle with lust.

However, he hardly had time to keep track of such a small detail, as each movement of the hardness inside him destroyed his focus, and the ramming force of Naruto's body tended to dislodge his efforts' dew. That was something for a slower pace, and Naruto had long since lost the control to keep the delicate cadence of lovemaking. Gaara, however, was far from willing to complain.

Instead, Gaara's gaze was drawn upward. Past the hard line of Naruto's clenched jaw, teeth now bared in a tense grimace, the deceitfully minute sway of Naruto's sweat-dampened hair, framing his cheeks, Gaara found his eyes.

They were intent on the place of their coupling, watching with a mixture of intensity and frustration as Naruto carefully controlled his movements in and out. It may have seemed incongruous, the concentration Naruto put into his actions in bed. He would swivel a different way each thrust, and was always right on target.

Eyes shut, body coiling like a spring, Gaara screamed, as his prostrate was hammered with extra strength mercilessly.

Yes, Naruto was a very attentive bed partner. One would think, for one with so little restraint in all other scenarios, he would have the control to withhold his own desire until his partner was reduced to a begging pleasure puddle.

However, it wasn't such an extraordinary break from character as one would think. For one who had grown up seeking acknowledgment from others, and not knowing what he did wrong to always be rejected, Naruto had grown used to plowing on with his distinctive determination. He had been conditioned since childhood to put others' desires before his own.

In other words, Naruto was a people pleaser. To a fault.

While his stubbornness in this department had caused some embarrassing problems with premature ejaculation in his early days of sexual activity, it was also part of the reason Gaara was convinced he liked it better under Naruto than on top. Gaara liked being lavished with attention, and Naruto liked to give it. Plus, Naruto needed that stubbornness, as Gaara was equally stubborn. The longer he could hold back his own orgasm, the longer he could stay in that blissful state, as Naruto literally pounded him with that love he had come to crave.

However, he was coming to the end of his endurance.

"Naruto!" he called again, but it came out as only a needy whimper. However, it was enough to get what he wanted, as Naruto's attention shifted to his face.

Finally, he had intense cerulean piercing his heart as his love's weapon pierced his body.

With pupils elongated, fangs bared, and a reddish ring surrounding the sky of his irises, Naruto appeared awfully fearsome for someone anyone would trust between their legs. However, this sight only served to remind Gaara of the special connection he had with this man. Naruto was the only one with the ability to understand him completely, as he, too, shared his body with a demon, and only he could understand what it was like to grow up with that, as he had done it. And yet, to go through something like that, and to still have all the faculties of love, and then to teach it to someone like Gaara, was a great feat. That gave Naruto the sole right to get inside both Gaara's thoughts and body.

His hands twisted in the sheets above him, as he struggled to breathe and keep his eyes on Naruto at the same time. He had to hold on. He wished moments like these could last forever. With Naruto's eyes boring into him, and Gaara pulling him closer inside his heart— both of them stripped bare of masks and stoicism, open to each other so they could both see inside the other.

One of the things that always fascinated Gaara was Naruto's bedroom face. Gone was the fool's smile, and the deceptive fox's squint, leaving only emotional intensity. It used to unnerve Gaara, especially when he was still learning about such things, that one of such unending cheer could look so serious. However, he later realized this was far from an unnatural expression for the blonde of Konoha.

After much stealthy observance and inference, Gaara had found this face to appear in more than just the most heart-pounding moments of their nightly exercises.

It was Naruto's training face. His battle face. And his alone face.

Strip away the masks and the superfluous emotions, and this was the Naruto you got— pure intensity. It was the energy behind his every action, the steps with which he strove down his own path of dreams, and the drive with which he achieved the unlikely and the amazing.

This face was the essence of Naruto's personality; it overwhelmed Gaara.

And he loved it.

Truth be told, this was the main part of the reason Gaara preferred the so-called "bottom" spot during their lovemaking. To see and know that Gaara warranted the appearance of such an important expression from Naruto was all he needed. Words were unnecessary when Gaara could see the love there for himself.

Naruto grunted, breaking the rhythm for a second as he struggled to keep going. The Kazekage smirked, wondering if he'd win the battle of endurance this time around.

Adjusting his grip on the redhead, Naruto reached for Gaara's own manhood, bouncing in its nest of crimson curls between them. Gaara swatted his hand away. That was cheating.

The blonde glared briefly, and his next thrust was his revenge.

Gaara arched, his mouth open to scream, but all that came out was a weak squeak as all the air rushed from his lungs. So close.

Naruto's hands landed on either side of his head as he leaned over him, using his hips to guide Gaara into a new position.

The Leaf-nin grinned cockily, having successfully folded Gaara up such that his ass was above his head.

The Kazekage glared, recognizing the challenge. For the two seconds the blonde was still, buried inside him, he could feel the periodic twitching of his manhood. Gaara fought back a smirk as he wrapped his legs around Naruto's waist to signal his acceptance of the new position. He could win this.

A minute later, Naruto finally collapsed, all his energy spent, and all his seed spilled.

Gaara sighed softly, the aftermath of their actions still sending random tremors through his body. His legs spread obscenely, with Naruto still between them, Gaara would be content to lie that way all night.

However, eventually, Naruto moved. He lifted his head from the crook Gaara's pale neck, so that he could smile gently at the equally exhausted redhead. "So... who won?"

Gaara nearly answered automatically, but stopped with a frown. "I don't know."

"Hm," it was obvious Naruto didn't really care about their competition, as he barely waited for his response before descending for a slow, lazy kiss.

He broke away a moment later, lifting himself a little higher to get a better look at Gaara's face.

"You're beautiful." he said with a soft expression.

Soft was the only word Gaara knew fit such a face. Out of all of the emotions he had slowly learned to decipher and name, this one still confused him.

Naruto kissed him again, gentler than the last, as his fingers traced Gaara's cheek, and brushed aside the bright curls plastered and darkened there by moisture. "I love you," he mumbled between their lips.

Gaara squirmed, the words still made him uncomfortable. But Naruto knew that, and he still said them at least once a day. His theory was that if he said it enough, Gaara would get used to them.

It hadn't worked so far.

The blonde lifted himself again, still giving him that strange soft look.

He sometimes saw a similar expression on Temari and occasionally Kankurou, as well; and it was often accompanied by a hug or some other overly-affectionate action. It warmed him a little, to be looked at that way, but that was nothing compared to the heat Naruto's sex face instilled in him. Perhaps it was a less powerful form of that love?

"Is that lust?"

"Hm?"

"Lust. Is that the look you are giving me?"

Naruto's brow furrowed at the strange and unwarranted question. However, it wasn't unprecedented for Gaara to randomly blurt out inquiries about the emotions he still didn't understand. "No, Gaara, I'm looking at you with love."

The Kazekage frowned. "No, you're not." he replied matter-of-factly. He had already figured that face out. "The look you give me when you are inside me. That is love. The face you wear when you fight for your precious people— that is love. This looks nothing like that face."

Naruto just smiled. "Well, yeah, I suppose you're right. But this is love, too."

Gaara scowled. The world of emotions was just too complicated sometimes. "There's more than one face for love?"

"Yeah, I guess so. It's different for both people and situations."

The redhead glared at the man above him for several moments more. "I like the other face better."

Naruto grinned wider. "As you wish."

Gaara nodded, glad that he at least got this concession.

The blonde bent to kiss his nose, and chuckled to himself. "You're adorable," he cooed.

Gaara, being in a docile and satisfied mood, chose to ignore the offensive comment. He even let the Leaf-nin amuse himself by tickling his face and neck with butterfly kisses while chanting, "My Gaara-chan is so cute! And he's sweet and sexy to boot!"

Later, after they had settled for the night to snuggle, Gaara had another question.

"Naruto?"

"Mm...?" He felt him stir, and Gaara wondered if he had woken him.

"Do I have a love face?"

"Of course you do..." the blonde mumbled sleepily.

"What does it look like?"

In the dark, Naruto's thumb started rubbing circles into the arm he held. "You're wearing it right now..."

"I am?" Gaara's fingers probed his own face, searching for the love of which he spoke. But he didn't feel anything different, and all he found was the old scar of ai forever mocking from his forehead.

"Hm... whenever you look at me, or Temari, or Kankurou... there is love in your eyes."

Gaara blinked into the darkness, seeing only the vague outline of his lover's face next to his own, even with the advantage of his demonic night vision. Had he known how to love the whole time, but didn't know he was doing it?

"So... you know?"

"Mm... know what?" was the tired grumble.

"That I..." Gaara struggled. "That I... I..." he grit his teeth, hiding his pained expression in the shadows they lay in.

Familiar calloused fingers found his cheek in the darkness, and their caress calmed him. "Yes, I know. Temari and Kankurou, too."

"You... you do." Gaara leaned into the touch, his heart swelling inside his chest. "You've known all along?"

"Even though you couldn't say it, yeah."

Yet another coil of uncertainty untangled itself in Gaara's center. With Naruto's, Temari's, and Kankurou's help over the years, there weren't many left.

"I..." he tried again, but it seemed a barrier stood between the words and his voice.

Lips found his forehead, kissing the symbol there. "I know. I love you, too."

Sighing, Gaara gave up and snuggled closer, hoping that was enough.

I love you.

He would say it one day, he silently promised. But for now, words were unnecessary, as it was plain to see.