Archive of Our Own ^beta

1-
Falling while training was something Lee was very, very used to. It wasn't uncommon that he'd trip on his own feet while jumping rope or practicing kicks on a training dummy. He considered it a reminder that he needed to work harder, that every bruise was proof of him putting in the effort to achieve his goals. What Lee wasn't used to was having an audience to his small failures.
Having a team wasn't something Lee would complain about, of course not, but it did feel incredibly embarrassing to fall on his ass in front of them. At least with Tenten he felt like they were on more of an even start, with both of them having no real prior training.
His problem came with Neji. The Hyuga always stood so cockily when they would train together, and would never hesitate to tell Lee exactly how he had messed up. For a long time, the black-haired boy had taken this as his teammate taking any chance to insult him. Recently though, it occurred to him that maybe, just maybe, Neji was trying to help him?
This particular day, the three of them had been training without Gai there, trying to practice their sparring without their teacher's voluble commentary. Tenten sat to the side, watching blankly as her teammates sparred, and as Lee was knocked over again.
Neji scoffed, staring Lee down. “Get up, Lee. You're still off balance.” He commented bluntly, getting back into a fighting stance as Lee shakily stood.
Lee exhaled, dusting himself off before glaring, trying to steady himself. He ran forward, trying to aim a kick at the other boy's stomach, only for Neji to sharply grab his ankle and shove him backwards, making Lee hit the ground again.
The brunette scoffed, staring down at Lee. He shook his head, holding out a hand to help Lee up. “Do you see what I mean? Off balance. If you were standing properly I wouldn't be able to knock you over so easily.” Neji said, tugging Lee off the ground.
The contact of Neji’s hand on his made Lee’s chest flutter for just a moment before he remembered where he was and nodded, a pout on his face. “I… I understand, Neji.”
Lee said lamely, refusing to meet those piercing eyes again. Neji sighed, poking Lee in the center of his chest. “If you work on your balance, maybe you'll finally be able to land a hit on me.”
That comment made Lee blink, it sounding close enough to a compliment from Neji. When his head snapped up, meeting Neji's gaze, he saw a faint flush on those pale cheeks. Neji cleared his throat, letting go of Lee’s hand and taking a step back.
“But then again, you probably won't.” Neji said firmly, shoving his hands in his pockets then taking them out, suddenly seeming a bit twitchy. He glanced up at Lee again, staring into his eyes for a long, long moment, like he was trying to figure something out. Finally, he clicked his tongue, looking the other way.
“Tenten, come here. I think Lee needs to take a break.” Neji said, completely turning away from Lee.
He made his way over to the bench, tuning out Tenten’s shouted reply that Neji can't just boss them around like that, their arguing background noise to Lee’s racing thoughts.
The thought of one day, maybe even soon, landing a hit on his talented teammate filled Lee with glee. He plopped down onto the bench, already planning a set of exercises that can help him work on his balance, and how to bring it up to Gai-sensei. A small smile crossed his face as he watched Neji and Tenten set about sparring, the sound of bickering and weapons being thrown filling the training grounds.

2-
Physical therapy was no joke. Running off to help with the attempt to save Sasuke had not been a good idea, at least where Lee’s healing process was concerned. He had gotten an earful from just about everyone, and Lady Tsunade had extended his rest time by an entire month! A whole month more that he couldn't train properly, or do just about anything.
Thankfully, he was cleared to leave the hospital grounds if he was with one of his teammates. (Something about them being more responsible than he was, a comment that made Lee pout.) Going on walks to help with his legs and arms staying strong while he healed felt very underwhelming compared to his usual training, but he had grown to accept it.
Neji rubbed the bridge of his nose as Lee begged yet again for him to let him go off on his own, pouting and trying to convince him he felt so, so much better already.
“I am serious! Watch this, Neji!” He removed his arm from Neji’s shoulder, where his weight had been resting, and slowly walked up to a nearby staircase.
“I can walk all the way up by myself!” Lee took a deep, slow breath, then started jogging up the stairs, taking two at a time in his eagerness to prove himself.
Neji watched blankly, already knowing Lee was going to end up hurting himself more, and walked up the staircase steadily. Lee did make it about halfway up before he yelped and fell over, clutching his calf with his hands.
“Ow, ow, ow..” He whimpered under his breath, rocking himself slightly to try and soothe his pain. When Lee looked up, Neji was standing in front of him, holding out a hand.
He tugged Lee up and wrapped his arm around Lee’s waist, giving him a sharp look. “How many times does someone have to tell you, Lee? You can't just run off like that until your body is healed.”
Lee pouted, looking embarrassed as he let Neji help him up. As they walked the rest of the way up the stairs, Lee mumbled under his breath about how unfair this was, Neji just listening idly to his complaints.
Once they reached the top, looking out at the village from the bridge, Neji let Lee lean on the railing. Lee sighed, wilting a bit once the brunette let go of him. He worried his lip between his teeth, then sighed again, louder this time.
Neji chuckled at Lee’s sighing, leaning onto the railing and staring into the distance as well. “Yes, Lee?” He said, still sounding amused.
“I am sorry, Neji.” Lee said, a frown tugging at his lips. “I know I am not at my best yet, but I do not want you to feel like you have to help me with everything.” He stared down, wincing and shifting his weight off his injured leg.
“I mean, we are supposed to be rivals, teammates, sparring partners! And right now I cannot even get up a staircase! I…” He trailed off, shivering when Neji’s hand came to rest on his lower back.
Neji gave Lee an affectionate pat, and Lee blushed, still unused to Neji being the one to show affection to him and not just the other way around.
“You're not being a burden or anything, Lee. I just don't want you to hurt yourself again.” The Hyuga said calmly, offering Lee a soft smile, then glancing aside again.
Neji gave a playful squint, attempting to joke. “After all, you can't make a very good sparring partner if you're on bedrest forever, can you?” Seeing Lee not laugh, the other boy just blinking blankly, he cleared his throat before continuing.
“None of us enjoy seeing you injured. Me, Tenten, Gai, we all want to see you get better. You can't do that by pushing yourself like that.” Very, very gently, Neji took Lee’s hand, like he thought he would be rejected. But Lee accepted the embrace, lacing his fingers with Neji's, the two of them standing side by side.
“Sometimes, Lee, you do just have to take things slow.” He said, and Lee had the strangest feeling Neji was no longer just talking about his healing process.
Lee exhaled softly, a bit more content this time, Neji's words having calmed his worries, at least for the moment. He leaned his head onto the other boy's shoulder, rubbing over the back of Neji's hand with his thumb.
They stood like that for a long while, both feeling a warm burn in their chests, a feeling neither boy wanted to be the one to address. Neji finally sighed, slinging Lee’s arm over his shoulder again.
“Let's get you back to the hospital, okay, Lee? I'd hate to be lectured for keeping you out too long. Again.”
Lee laughed and nodded, holding onto Neji a bit tighter than usual as he was helped down the stairs.

3-
As the years passed, Lee found himself growing even closer to his once standoffish teammate. Their relationship had become a very close one, where they would often hang out even without Tenten around. Not to say it was a closer friendship than he had with his other teammates, but it felt different somehow.
‘Somehow…’ Lee thought to himself, watching as Neji stretched to warm up. That was one thing, he would never just stare so openly at Tenten like this, but with Neji, it didn't make him feel creepy. Not to mention, Neji seemed to enjoy the attention, glancing at Lee like was checking that he was still watching.
Lee didn't mind boosting Neji's ego by watching him stretch, even if his rival's cockiness still grated on him sometimes. A sigh slipped from his mouth as he dug through his bag for his snacks, trying to find the ones he'd packed for himself and not the ones for Neji.
He munched on his snack- some random protein bar- and watched as Neji stood and began to practice strikes on the dummy in front of him.
Lee honestly wasn't sure why Neji had invited him here, to seemingly just watch him train. It was a warm, crisp day, the air not too hot or humid. By all accounts, there were lots of other things they could be doing. But if Neji wanted to spend the day training, Lee was willing to oblige. Lee could feel his cheeks warming as he watched Neji's muscles flex, but he brushed that off, trying to figure out why he felt so hot on such a nice day.
When Neji finally finished, sitting himself on the bench beside Lee, he closed his eyes and tilted his head back, a small smirk on the edges of his lips. One of those pale eyes opened to glance at Lee, looking him up and down for a moment before shutting again.
The silence between them was starting to get to Lee, his leg bouncing and hands gripping the edge of the bench. “So, ah, Neji, do you want a snack?” Lee blurted, saying the first thing that came to mind.
Before Neji even replied Lee was digging through his bag, dropping it in his rush to grab all the things he had packed for the other boy. “Oh, dammit!” Lee cursed as he dropped his bag, his brows furrowing as he dropped to the ground to pick them all up.
Neji sat up, eyes widening slightly seeing all the snacks Lee had packed, all his favorites. As Lee scrambled to pick them up, Neji blushed, reaching a hand down to pick up a pear, now with a big bruise on the side.
“Lee, did you pack all of these for me?” He asked, voice thick with something Lee couldn't quite place. Neji got a nod in reply, Lee focused on cramming all the snacks back into the bag.
Those big brown eyes turned up to stare at him and Neji's heart jumped into his throat, seeing Lee at this angle making his pulse race. “Well, you invited me to spend time with you, so I figured I should bring your favorites!” Lee said, smiling for a moment before it faded. “Maybe I should have put them in a bag or something inside my bag so they could not fall out so easily…”
Lee murmured to himself, finally crawling back onto the bench. “Since you saw them all already, you can just take whatever you want, yeah?” Lee said, giving Neji his usual beaming smile.
When Neji didn't reply, just staring at the pear in his hand with a scrunched up look on his face, brows drawn inwards, Lee tilted his head. “Are you okay?”
After a long moment Neji turned to face Lee and wiped a hand over his face for a moment, trying to collect himself. “Sorry. I'm fine. Nothing to worry about.” The words came out stiff, and Lee could still see the traces of that look on Neji's face. So he quickly wracked his brain for anything that he might have done to bother Neji.
He hadn't been too loud, or annoyed him, at least he didn't think. Maybe he'd somehow misremembered Neji's favorite snacks and got the wrong ones? No, that's impossible. Lee stared at Neji for a long, long moment, staring into those white eyes he'd seen so many times before, and suddenly it hit him like a mountain of bricks.
Lee cursed himself for not noticing sooner, seeing the faint blush on Neji's cheeks, the way he seemed so moved by Lee remembering his favorite snacks… Of course! So, reasonably, Lee quickly leaned in, taking Neji's hands.
“Neji! I love you!” He said quickly, his own cheeks also flushing as he confessed his own feelings. It was as if everything had clicked for him, and nothing could wipe the smile off his face, even as Neji went bright red.

+1
After the war, when Neji had laid in Lee’s arms, thought to be dead by everyone there, some part of Lee’s world had shattered. That's part of why he was extra attentive to Neji while he was healing, staying at his beck and call, eager to do anything to make sure Neji was safe and comfortable.
Every day of his hospital stay, Lee was there, keeping Neji talking and happy. He had even tried to feed him soup, that is until his lover had yelled that he could feed himself. Months passed like this, until the day Neji was cleared to go home.
Home, the two had decided, meant Lee’s apartment for now. Lee had ended up carrying Neji home, and continued to do so the rest of the day, scooping his boyfriend into his arms and helping him to any place he might need to go.
Over time, Neji was able to get around thanks to the cane he now had to use. That had been an adjustment for him, annoying at first, but he'd gotten used to it. Injuries to his back had taken their toll, leaving him unable to stand unassisted.
While Neji would have viewed something like that as a tragedy if it had happened any other time, he felt oddly calm about it with Lee around to help him out. The black-haired man had bought stickers to decorate his cane, which he had to begrudgingly admit was adorable.
Life as a retired ninja was not what he had expected to be doing, especially so young, but it wasn't all bad. Sometimes he would spend his days at the Hyuga compound, talking with Hinata about life and how things were going. Other days, he would be at Tenten's shop, sitting on her counter while she carried around boxes, setting up for a day of slow sales. It was nice, in all honesty, taking things slow and not having to worry about missions or destiny anymore.
Today, he had a smile on his face as he walked home from visiting Gai and Kakashi, always pleased to get to see his sensei, and now much more willing to show it. He unlocked the door and walked in, sitting at the table and leaning his cane against the edge.
Neji hummed to himself as he worked on a puzzle Lee had bought him. The end picture was supposed to be an owl according to the box, but with 5,000 pieces it was harder to see than he had expected. He was busying himself, knowing Lee was soon to get home from the c-rank mission he had taken for the day, some delivery within the village.
As soon as the thought of his dear one crossed his mind, the door was thrown open, Lee with a dopey grin on his face and grocery bags hanging off of his arms. The force of the door hitting the wall made Neji's cane fall, and he cursed under his breath.
Neji leaned over to try and grab it, but it was just out of his reach, and he could feel the tug in his chest from his now old scarring, an ache that wouldn't go away despite the best medical help. So he sat back up and crossed his arms, looking over at Lee. “You went shopping?”
He asked mildly, raising a brow. He turned in his chair, facing his lover.
Lee nodded, dropping the bags onto the counter behind him and then spinning back around.
“I could not help it! I saw an ad saying that they had their flower displays on sale, and I had to buy some! It will really brighten up the place.” As he spoke, Lee picked up Neji's cane and leant it back against the table, only to scoop Neji into his arms before he could even reach for it.
Neji chuckled, leaning into Lee's excited hold despite himself. “You bought a week's worth of groceries because you wanted to buy flowers?” He asked, draping his arms over Lee’s shoulders, leaning his weight onto him.
Lee pouted, opening his mouth to explain how he'd ended up getting distracted and buying a bunch of stuff, but Neji shushed him, then leaned in to give him a gentle kiss.
“I'm not upset, Lee. You're very cute, even if you keep spending up all your money.”
Lee just giggled at that, happily kissing Neji again, glad he'd never have to see his lover fall again, at least not with him around.
Neji smiled too, because what could he say? He fell harder in love with Lee every day he knew him, and getting to see his silly smile and kiss his lips was just another thing that made him deeply, irrevocably in love. Getting to be happy like this, to be so deeply loved... It made it feel like it was worth every stumble along the way.