Chapter Eight
"Lee, what happened to your lip?" Lee froze at his uncle's furiously horrified voice, taking two slow steps back to view the man in the living room he had just silently attempted to slip by without notice.
"Well, you see, Uncle Gai, I had to help a friend today and it… got out of control…" He pulled on the sleeve of the green kimono tank tee under his vest, trying to pull over his wrists. He smiled charmingly, trying to distract his uncle. "How was your day?"
His uncle focused on his wrists as if he just knew. Or as if Lee had made it obvious.
His mouth gaped. "Lee! What happened!" His uncle leaped to his feet and was examining his wrist from not two inches from his nose before Lee could blink.
He tried a better way to explain. "I am sorry, Uncle Gai, I was trying to help my friend and I put myself somewhat in danger- but that is okay! You see, I was not in danger for long because it all went back to normal and there is nothing to fear, Uncle Gai!" He smiled winningly.
His uncle all but glared at him. "Lee! This is a serious matter! Someone has harmed you!" Now he blinked and seemed to think beyond Lee being hurt to why Lee had been hurt. "Lee! Why did this happen!" He held Lee's shoulder and looked down at his nephew with teary eyes.
Lee's smile faltered against the undefeatable baby pout. "Uncle Gai, sir!" He hugged the older man. "It is alright, it was a friend of mine who needed help-"
"What could a friend possibly need help with that could lead to a bitten lip, bruised wrists and-" His uncle grabbed his chin and pulled it open to understand why Lee's language was thicker than usual. "a bitten tongue! Lee, I do not think whoever did this to you was a friend-…" A light dawned in his eyes and Lee blinked. "unless that friend was more than a friend!" His uncle dropped his arms and encompassed Lee, dragging him into a tight bear hug that made Lee struggle to breathe for a moment before returning it. "Lee! I am so proud of you! Tell me, what is his name? Is he good for you? Is he good to you! THE FIRE OF YOUTH MUST HAVE BURNED STRONG FOR YOUNG LOVE TO BLOOM IN TWO DAYS!" His uncle cried into Lee's shoulder. "I SHALL MEET THIS MAN WHO HAS CAPTURED MY NEPHEWS HEART!"
Lee tried to explain. "Uncle Gai, he is not my-"
"Invite him to dinner tomorrow!"
"What?" Lee stared at his uncle as if he had grown another head. Of course he would love to invite all of his friends over, but not under false titles! If Gaara came over and realized that his uncle thought that they were a couple…
Lee had no idea what he would do, but it would be most likely nothing or possibly explaining in a dead tone in three or four words that basically said 'We're not a couple'.
"Uncle Gai, you are mistaken, he is not my-"
"Lee! How ever could you say that your uncle is ever mistaken?" His uncle was truly offended. "If he is not your boyfriend, than how did these-" He gestured to Lee's mouth and wrists with a hand and his eyes. "have gotten here?"
Lee's mouth opened and shut a few times as he tried to explain it. He had not told his uncle yet that Gaara was bipolar or that Hinata had a low enough self-esteem to make anyone cry for her or Shikamaru and Chouji being a couple or even Sakura hitting anyone in the gang who put a toe out of line… They were facts of the gang life that were not his to share!… Though the Sakura beating others was mostly not shared because that would excite his uncle into wanting to have a stretch on hours 'chat' with her on the ins and outs of fighting and the youth of spring.
Lee could listen to the speech all day, but he had come to an understanding that not everyone else would.
He sighed, ,finally, after three minutes of his uncle's unrelenting stare and no answer. "I am sorry, uncle Gai… I will tell you later, I swear! However, this includes someone else's secret and I do not kn-"
"Ah!" His uncle bear hugged him again, squeezing all oxygen from his lungs. "You are such a honest, loyal friend, my sweet nephew! Yosh! I shall wait until you have permission to tell this secret before I rush to judgment on this hooligans butt!" He patted Lee's shoulder and walked away.
Lee smiled at his back. He did love his uncle… So very, very much.
Now he touched his bottom lip, wincing at the small throbbing pain increased with irritation. And then his finger stroked both lips and he stared wide eyed at the ground in sudden realization. His… His first kiss! Gaara -no, Shukaku- had taken his first kiss!
