Chapter Text
It was here. The Fourth Shinobi World War.
While things had been bad with the Akatsuki in the past, Lee never thought that it would actually come to war, but things were different now. The enemy wanted to destroy the world, and Lee was not going to let that happen.
The months that he had spent with Neji had been some of the best of his life. While he had valued his friendship with Neji, there was something different about actually being in a relationship.
He felt less lonely now, as Neji often spent the night, in a house previously occupied solely by himself. It helped them both; Lee hated being alone, and he knew Neji couldn't stand being in the Hyuuga compound.
They did all of the things that Lee had only dreamed of doing with Sakura when he was young and blind to what true love had felt like. To think that he thought he loved Sakura now makes him feel foolish; what he has now, with Neji felt more right than anything ever had in his life, while his attraction to Sakura had been nothing more than a schoolyard crush.
When Neji kissed him, he felt like he was flying. When they held hands in public he felt proud and content. When Neji called him his boyfriend, he felt the same butterflies he had felt the first time he realized he even liked Neji. And when they did other things, things that Gai had told him about in one of the most humiliating afternoons of Lee’s life, he felt, well… that was private.
But now they were going to war. Not as Konoha, but as the Allied Shinobi Forces. Lee felt proud to serve the cause, and happy to see people like Gaara, despite the circumstances, (although Neji looked less than pleased when he had greeted Gaara with a happy exclamation of joy and a youthful hug), but he still felt nervous.
It was a valiant cause- they were saving the world, after all. But no one knew what could happen, or how the war would end. While they all had the hope and determination that they would succeed, fear clawed at the inside of Lee’s gut, especially since he received the news that he and Neji were assigned to different divisions, which is why the two were currently at the gate of Konoha with the rest of their friends.
Lee, in the Third Division, was set to head out ahead of the others, along with Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei, who were up ahead, having already said their own goodbyes, to the Land of Frost.
Neji, part of the second division, was headed to the Land of Lightning with Shikamaru Chōji, Kiba, and Akamaru in a few days’ time.
While Lee and Neji had already said their goodbyes at Lee’s house, Neji insisted on walking him to the gates, where they found the rest of their friends waiting as well, who awkwardly exchanged their good luck wishes and friendly hugs.
Although “friendly” was a light term- TenTen’s embrace felt more like he was being squeezed to death than an actual hug, but he knew it was just an expression of her youthful feelings. He would miss her too.
“Well, everyone,” Lee said, nervously placing his hand behind his head. “Thank you for sending me off! I hope that the power of youth will help us in our missions!”
He turned with a final wave to his friends and a tender smile sent in Neji's direction, and made it about four steps before a hand grasped his wrist.
“Lee!” It was Neji.
Before he could ask what was wrong, Neji swept him into a tender embrace, smashing their lips together.
Neji wrapped his arms around Lee’s neck, while his own hand found themselves firmly planted on Neji’s hips.
He heard the shocked exclamations of Kiba and Naruto, the cat-calls and whistles from TenTen, Sakura, and Ino, and Shikamaru’s “good grief,” but it all faded into the background as his kissed the man he loved so dearly.
When they parted, Neji leaned forward, resting his forehead onto Lee’s own.
“I’ll miss you,” he whispered. “Promise me you’ll be safe. Don’t do anything reckless and don’t open any more gates than you have to.”
Lee nodded.
I love this man so much, he thought as he interlocked their fingers.
“I promise.”
Before anything else could be said, he heard his sensei yelling for him.
“Lee! Hurry up! We need to leave!”
He gave Neji one last soft smile, and they came together once more for a final, quick kiss.
“Bye, everyone!” he yelled as he ran towards where Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei stood shoulder to shoulder, smirking at him.
“Oh, and Neji!” he exclaimed, turning his head to look at his boyfriend as he ran.
He grinned as wide as he could before making one last statement.
“I’m going to marry you when the war is over!”