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The first thing Lee noticed was that Neji had stopped breathing properly. It was not something most people would have caught, not in the middle of a sparring match, but Lee had spent many days training alongside Neji, and he had learned the particular cadence of his movements and the almost imperceptible changes that accompanied his exhaustion, and there was something wrong with the way Neji was breathing.
His breaths were too shallow, too quick, each one drawn in through his nose and expelled between clenched teeth as if his breaths were requiring effort, even though Neji's expression remained as composed.
Lee knew better than to interrupt Neji in the middle of a fight for something so minor, and besides, he was hardly unaffected himself; his arms were beginning to ache, his legs were heavy with fatigue, and sweat had soaked through the collar of his jumpsuit, but there was still something exhilarating about the way they had been fighting. Neji had been faster today than he had been in their previous spars, anticipating Lee's movements almost before they happened, and Lee had responded by pushing himself harder, faster, refusing to let Neji settle into the rhythm that usually gave him the advantage.
It was less of a spar and now more of a challenge between them, neither willing to be the first to admit that his body was beginning to protest. Lee was so happy that Neji was finally taking their rivalry seriously!
Lee stepped backward after narrowly avoiding a strike, his sandals digging into the dirt as he regained his balance, and Neji landed several feet away from him with considerably less grace than usual.
Lee noticed, and he noticed Neji noticed him noticing.
For a moment, neither moved, and then Lee lowered his hands.
“Perhaps we should take a short break,” he suggested, wiping the back of his wrist across his forehead before the sweat could run into his eyes, and although his own chest was heaving from the last several minutes of combat, his expression remained light.
Neji's attention immediately shifted from Lee's face to his stance.
“Are you injured?” Neji questioned, his Byakugan flaring to life as he looked Lee over.
“What?” Lee asked, blushing a little.
“You are favouring your left leg.” Neji explained, though he stopped using his Byakugan and returned making eye contact with Lee.
“I am?” Lee mumbled, shifting his weight from leg to leg. Neji was right, though Lee wasn't surprised about that exactly.
Neji stepped closer, his expression becoming more intent as he studied Lee, and Lee realized with some amusement that the suggestion of a break had done nothing to convince Neji that either of them needed rest. Instead, Neji had immediately assumed that Lee was giving in because something was wrong.
“It is nothing,” Lee assured him, straightening his leg deliberately to demonstrate the point. “I am merely tired.”
Neji's eyes remained on him for another second before finally lifting back to his face. “So am I.” Neji sighed, stretching slightly, a small frown twisting his lips.
“I know.” Lee smiled at the confession, he was so winning this…
For a moment, Neji seemed to consider that. Then he looked toward the setting sun, as though judging how much daylight remained, before he returned his attention to Lee.
“We can stop if you need to.” Neji told him, and though there was no challenge in his voice, no irritation, Lee hesitated.
The truth was that Lee was tired, but not so tired that he wanted to stop. He had spent the better part of two hours trying to keep up with Neji, and every time he thought he had finally figured out how Neji was going to move, Neji had changed his rhythm again, forcing Lee to adapt. It was frustrating and exhilarating in equal measure, and Lee was not quite ready to call it a day.
“I think I have one more round in me,” Lee relented, unable to help the bubbly smile that overtook him.
"One more round," Neji agreed, a smirk coming across his own face, as they both returned to their stances.
Neither of them noticed that one more round became another, and then another after that. And by the time Lee realized they hadn't stopped after one round, the sun had sunk low enough that the shadows of the surrounding trees stretched long across the training field, and the air had cooled to make the sweat evaporating from his skin uncomfortable. Lee's breathing had become heavier, his muscles sore from the constant movement, but there was still a grin pulling at the corners of his mouth because this had been the best spar they had had in weeks.
Neji was magnificent. Even exhausted, his movements were precise, his strikes controlled and deliberate, and Lee had been forced to give everything he had simply to keep from being overwhelmed.
But... Now that Lee was looking closely, he could see that Neji was exhausted too. There was no satisfaction in Neji's expression when he landed a hit, no spark of competitiveness when Lee managed to evade one of his attacks, no subtle shift in his posture that suggested he was calculating his next move because he was interested in the challenge.
So, when Neji moved forward again, Lee did too. It was time to end this, preferably with a win for himself, though Lee was at the point where he was tired enough to be content either way.
Lee did win, Neji wasn't focused like he was, and wasn't able to block Lee's next attack, as gentle as it was. Lee tackled Neji- gently!- to the ground, sitting on his stomach to stop him from getting up.
“Lee?” Neji called, blinking up at him looking dazed.
“We are stopping.” Lee informed him straightly, "I win our last match!"
The silence between them was strangely heavy, especially after the constant noise of the fight, and Lee could hear both of them breathing as he stared at Neji. Neji looked exhausted- his chest rose and fell rapidly, his hands were trembling faintly at his sides, and there was a sheen of sweat across his forehead that made his skin look almost feverish beneath the fading sunlight.
“I have not finished.” Neji huffed, "I can still spar."
“You couldn't even keep your stance properly by the end of the fight.” Lee pointed out, and Neji scowled as he thought back, and then frowned deeper as he realized Lee was right.
“Lee.” Neji, who would deny whining, whined. Lee bit his lip to keep from laughing
“No.” Lee repeated, and the word felt strange coming from him, almost rebellious, but Lee did not back down this time. He had spent many months watching Neji treat exhaustion like a failure, and normally Lee could convince himself that Neji knew his own limits better than anyone else, but they were both too tired to continue sparring safely.
“I said I can continue,” Neji said, and there was a faint edge to his voice now, and Lee knew he needed to change his approach.
“You think because you are tired, that because you cannot move as quickly as you could an hour ago, that you are somehow failing.” Lee huffed, shaking his head at his teammates' foolishness.
“That is not what I said.” Neji protested, but Lee knew that Neji was giving up. “There is always room for improvement.” Neji added, almost pouting.
“Of course there is!” Lee agreed eagerly, because Neji had finally said something he didn't need to argue with.
“If I stop now, I will not improve.” Neji continued, and Lee shook his head, his smile dimming
“That is not how this works.”
“It is how training works.”
“No, Neji.” Lee shook his head, and his voice softened despite the frustration beginning to build in his chest. “Training is supposed to make you stronger. It is not supposed to punish you for already being strong.”
Neji squinted, and Lee could almost see the words being turned over in his mind, evaluated and discarded one by one.
“I am not punishing myself.” Neji said, but the words were strained.
“You have been sparring until you can barely stand.” Lee pushed back, and he leaned closer to Neji's face.
“I can stand.”
“Barely.”
Neji's eyes flashed, and before Lee could react, he was the one on the ground, and Neji was a few feet away, swaying where he stood. He was blinking rapidly, and Lee quickly hopped up, though he kept his distance.
Lee watched him walk several steps toward the center of the training field before he stopped. His shoulders rose, hands curling into fists, and then, without warning, his knees buckled. Lee was moving before he even thought about it, as he crossed the distance between them in less than a second, catching Neji beneath the arms just before he could hit the ground. Neji's weight sagged against him, and Lee grunted as he struggled to keep them both upright.
“Neji!”
“I am fine.” The words were muffled, and Neji immediately tried to straighten. Lee tightened his grip, wanting to give his friend a shake.
“No, you are not.” Lee insisted, adjusting his grip to be more comfortable for them both. It was a sign of Neji's exhaustion that he did not use it as an opportunity to escape.
For several seconds, neither of them said anything, and Lee could feel the tremors running through Neji's arms where he was holding him. They were subtle at first, barely noticeable beneath the sweat-dampened fabric of his clothes, but they became more pronounced the longer Neji remained in his hold, until finally his entire body seemed to be fighting against the effort of keeping itself upright. Lee's anger disappeared, all that remained was worry.
“You really pushed yourself too far this time,” he murmured, carefully lowering Neji to sit on the ground. Neji did not argue as he settled against the trunk of a nearby tree, and the fact that he did not argue was more alarming than anything else could have been.
Lee crouched in front of him, eyes sweeping over him like Neji had done to him earlier that afternoon. Neji's eyes were closed, and Lee sighed- exasperated but fond. “Are you dizzy, Neji?" Lee asked quietly, already knowing the answer.
“No.” Neji mumbled, then he opened his eyes in a squint but shut them again. Lee waited for the addition of... “A little.”
“You should have told me.”
“I did not think it was important.”
“It is important, if it's you.”
Neji looked at Lee, his expression soft, as the stubbornness finally gave way to exhaustion, and Lee could see just how tired he really was. His face was pale beneath the flush in his cheeks, his breathing still uneven, and his hands rested loosely against his thighs as though he no longer had the energy to keep them clenched.
“I wanted to know how far I could go,” Neji admitted, looking down at his trembling hands. “I know now.”
Lee sat down beside Neji, stretching his legs out in front of him as the last of the sunlight disappeared behind the trees. “You know,” Lee said after a moment, “you do not have to prove that you can keep going forever. I know how strong you are, Neji!”
Neji was silent, so Lee continued “You do not have to reach the point where you collapse before you are allowed to rest!” Lee waited for the usual protest, but none came, so Lee glanced sideways at him.
Neji's eyes were fixed on the horizon, but there was something strangely peaceful about his expression now.
“I thought,” Neji said slowly, “that if I stopped because I was simply tired, then I would always wonder if I could have continued.”
“And now?” Lee asked, biting his lip, because he was having fun again. Neji was always fun, and Lee liked sassy Neji, but he liked soft Neji even more. It was a rare treat.
“Now I know that I could not.” Neji huffed, and Lee started laughing, watching Neji fight back a smile of his own.
They remained there for several minutes without speaking, allowing their breathing to settle and their muscles to stop trembling, and when Neji finally shifted beside him, Lee immediately looked over.
“Do not even think about getting up.” Lee told him, leaving no room for protest.
“I was going to say that I am ready to leave.” Neji tried, but Lee knew just by looking at him that if Neji stood, he was just going to fall again.
“You can leave when I say you can.” Lee said primly, ignoring the tired, unimpressed look Neji gave him.
“You are becoming rather authoritative.” Neji grumbled, and Lee felt a swell of pride in his chest, a wide smile breaking across his face
“I'm learning from Guy-sensei!” Lee replied, giving Neji a thumbs up and a big grin just like their mentor does.
“That is unfortunate.” Neji sighed, but as Lee started to laugh, Neji's dour expression gave way to a smile.
Eventually, when Neji was steady enough to stand without his legs buckling, Lee helped him to his feet, ignoring the quiet protest that followed. Neji could walk on his own, but Lee stayed close beside him all the way back from the training field, ready to catch him if he stumbled again.
Tomorrow they would train again, and Neji would push himself again, because Lee knew him well enough to know that one lesson would not magically change years of thinking, and Lee would have to stop him again, with another lesson about how exhaustion is not something to be ashamed of.
But for tonight, Neji allowed himself to lean slightly against Lee's shoulder as they walked, and Lee politely pretended not to notice.