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When had those round eyes begun to charm him? A dark gaze full of energy and ‘youth’, bright smiles and childish challenges that came at unexpected times. Neji didn't realize when exactly his heart had gotten so attached to Lee, the only person in the whole world that had made his cheeks gain a pinkish tint every now and then.
The only one he accepted surprise hugs from, which always came with giggles and warmth. He wanted to hide between his arms forever, not caring about anything else at all– his heart beat fast whenever his friend embraced him, and Neji… enjoyed the affection, although he'd never admit it out loud.
Of course his rival soon realized that he didn't push him away anymore, that Neji actually leaned in to the touch without a single complaint– or that's what he believed. Why else would Lee hug him more often, mumbling a soft ‘hello!’ while wrapping him with his arms? Why had he never said anything about it? At least he got a warm hug from it, so that was good.
Still, Neji felt like his heart would explode someday– he had begun to think about his friend more than he'd ever admit out loud, thinking about how his lips would feel, or how Lee would react if he confessed his love. Would he get angry at him? Be disappointed because of his attraction to men? No, he would never be so cruel.
What if Lee loved him back? The Hyuga felt his cheeks getting warm by the mere thought of a mutual crush. They were getting older and yet he had never seen his friend have a partner, and the taijutsu master had stopped liking Sakura after a while (or at least, he had stopped talking about her as often as before).
The need to have him close was painful somehow, wanting to just… be with the other man. The brunet had never felt anything like it in the past, everything was too new. He felt like he’d never manage to be attracted to anyone, seeing how other ninjas were already having children during their early twenties, to follow their Clan’s bloodlines or whatever. Perhaps it was because Neji didn’t really have to worry about all of that…
But he wasn’t brave enough to say anything about his feelings. Of all the risks and challenges he had gone through in his life as a ninja and member of the Side Branch, revealing what was hidden in his heart was the hardest challenge of them all.
God, he had survived a certain death during the war, yet the idea of opening up about his crush made him afraid of the whole world.
He was afraid of losing Lee, his best friend, one of the few people he trusted without a second thought. The one who made his heart go wild with a little smile, with a hug. Going as far as making plans and finding a way to include him or make things comfortable for him, if it meant Neji would spend time with the taijutsu master on their own.
He couldn’t even focus on what Lee was telling him on the training grounds, rather paying attention to how his body moved, how he chuckled and played around between warm-up exercises; making sure not too push him too hard by accident, as Neji would always try to follow his pace even if the doctors still kept him on restrictions during recovery.
He was so caring… the brunet felt shy upon sensing a firm hand being placed on his shoulder, and Lee's worried gaze was observing him from head to toe.
“Neji, are you alright? I asked you if you wanted a break, but you are not saying anything. Do you need to sit down? Let me help you,” his friend exclaimed, slowly wrapping the brunet’s waist with an arm and guiding him to a bench without rush, gentle and patient through it all even if it wasn't too necessary.
“I'm fine, sorry. Just… thinking,” Neji replied in a whisper, sitting down yet not refusing his companion's helping hand. “I didn't want to worry you.”
Lee didn't seem so convinced, yet a sweet smile soon decorated his lips– noticing that his hair was a bit messy, the taijutsu master gently accommodated Neji's wild strands of hair, brushing it with his fingers as well as he could. He felt like his heart would make him become deaf in mere seconds just with that, more as his friend ended up caressing his scalp for a bit; Neji always got relaxed and could fall asleep just with that, and the other man knew it well.
“What are you thinking about? Can I know?” were the first things that came out of his mouth, and the Hyuga felt his cheeks becoming warm all of a sudden.
“I… well, yes. It's just…”
He had never struggled with words until then, receiving a worried look from his friend– Lee had even gotten a bit closer just to place a hand on his forehead, humming after a while, content with whatever he'd tried to do.
“You do not have a fever, that is good.”
God, he was trying to take care of him in the littlest ways, and Neji felt like his chest would melt on the spot. His throat seemed to be blocked with a ball of sorts and not even air came out of his lips, but Neji wanted to speak up– say so many things, tell Lee about the true space he occupied in his heart. All of it and more, that is.
But he couldn't speak, his voice betrayed him, breaking up on the first sound. So instead of talking, Neji decided to go for a different approach; with his cheeks burning like fire and his heart about to explode, he cupped Lee's face with his palms and got closer to him, reducing the distance between their lips to zero. A surprised squeak was all the sound his rival produced, yet he didn't push him away or break free, closing his eyes to enjoy the moment in silence.
The brunet stayed still, not really knowing what to do– he let go of Lee out of sheer embarrassment, unable to look at him in the eyes. Ready to stand up and leave, knowing well he should've asked– yet a firm hand holding his own made him stop, and the other man talked again.
“Neji…” his rival began to mumble, taking his time to finish his sentence. Neji felt like he'd rather die than hear whatever was next.
“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have, but–” Neji muttered, struggling to breathe between words with trembling lips. “I love you. I couldn't help it, it's fine if you don't–”
A soft ‘hush’ and Lee placed a finger on his mouth to keep him quiet, and only then did Neji finally realize the deep blush that was spreading on his friend's cheeks.
“Can you give me another one? Please?”
He wanted to cry out of pure joy, and his body relaxed all at once– the second kiss was better than the rushed first one, and so were the third and the fourth and the many others they exchanged afterwards, chuckling like little kids and simply enjoying the newfound love with each other for a couple minutes more. Or was it hours? They didn't really care about anything apart from themselves at that moment.