I'm not even going to go there (I mean what am I doing? another update really?)

I'm just going to update whenever so we'll see how that goes

Nothing belongs to me except for the sad, sad state of the words I have written

Gai ushered Lee out of the office guiding him from behind the bar over to the large stage that occupied most of the back of the club. Although Kakashi had opened the doors not even fifteen minutes prior, the lush tables and chairs were already filling up to a sizeable crowd. Gai expertly maneuvered the pair through the throng of people and around the stage to a door off to the right.

Entering this new room, Lee was led into what appeared to be a large dressing area. There were several long vanities set at the far end of the room overflowing with various hair and makeup products along with two rolling racks of costumes in some of the brightest colours Lee had ever seen. The majority of the room, however, was left empty with the whole left wall consisting of a giant series of mirrors. Looking further to his right, Lee spotted a large pole hooked to the floor and ceiling where he once again spotted the unexpressive man from earlier.

"This most wonderful room is used for our performers to prepare for going on stage," Gai began, drawing Lee's attention back to him. "They can also use the room to practice new routines! As you can see, my little lotus, we have quite an extensive costume collection that you are more than welcome to borrow from at anytime!"

Gai turned his head, as if searching for someone, eyes lighting up as he too spotted the ebony haired male by the pole. "Sai, what a most excellent coincidence!" he happily called out. "You were just the person I was looking for! Our Lee here needs a bit of an outfit change and then if you would be so kind as to show him the ropes I would be delighted!

Sai, as Lee now knew the man was called, gracefully walked over to the two and instantly focused on Lee. His dark eyes roved over Lee's body making him feel oddly exposed despite his rather conservative (in comparison to the black loose fitting crop top and dark, ripped jeans the other was wearing)garments. Lee begin to fidget under Sai's scrutiny and found himself taking a rapid step back directly into Gai's chest when the other male's eyes snapped back up to meet his own.

"It would be my pleasure Gai," Sai softly agreed, another forced smile spreading on his face.

"Fantastic! I shall leave him in your more than capable hands" Gai exclaimed as he brought both of his hands down onto Lee's shoulders. Giving them a brief squeeze, Gai pushed an unsuspecting Lee straight into Sai's now open arms.

Lee emitted a high pitched squeak of surprise as he was utterly unprepared for the harsh action. In an attempt to at least lesson the blow of the inevitable fall, he flung both of his arms out to try and catch himself. Instead of hitting hard ground, Lee found himself pulled to a surprisingly strong chest as two arms snaked around his waist. The arms Lee had outreached were now crushed between himself and, what he was slowly realizing, Sai's body. He unconsciously fisted his hands in the other's flimsy shirt as he looked up into the handsome face of the other male. Worrying his lower lip between his teeth, Lee found himself almost transfixed by Sai's unwavering gaze.

Gai's loud, abrupt call of "If you need anything feel free to come find me!" had Lee pushing back against the notably strong hold around his waist.

"I AM TERRIBLY SORRY," Lee loudly apologized, face flaming at his accidental actions.

Sai stared at the red face of the slightly shorter raven haired male, allowing a small genuine smile to grace his usually blank features. "Don't worry about it," he purred out. " You're cute so I forgive you."

Lee sputtered at Sai's comment and tried to look anywhere but at the face still much too close to his own. "T-thank you?" was his stuttered reply, uncertain of how to respond. "Um….you can let go of me now I promise I will not fall again."

"And if I said I didn't want to?" Sai quipped, bland expression falling on his face once again.

"But…..how am I going to serve tables if you are attached to me Sai-san?" Lee honestly asked, head tilting in question.

A soft, tinkling laughter momentarily rang through the air as Sai gave Lee a light hug before releasing his grip altogether. "So honest, I like it. Oh and please, call me Sai. What are honorifics between friends, hmm? Let's get you a new outfit, shall we?"

Lee was still somewhat baffled at what had just happened but warmed at Sai's declaration of friendship. "Yosh! I would greatly appreciate your help Sai"

"Perfect," Sai declared, clapping his hands together, "I know just the thing to have you wear. Wait here while I get it."

Lee watched as Sai quickly strolled over to the outfit racks and pulled off what appeared to be some sort of shirt and grabbed a couple of the items from the vanity beside it. As he headed back over, Sai tossed him a black shimmery top of almost translucent material. It had a high turtle neck collar, which Lee was thankful for, but as he turned it around he regretted his early celebration. The garment, Lee noted with a quick intake of breath, was completely backless having only a small piece of material that connected the very bottom of the shirt.

"What are you waiting for? Put it on, it's going to look amazing, trust me," Sai assured, urging the motionless Lee into action.

Swallowing his doubts, Lee (whom was more than accustomed to changing in front of others from his time in the crowded dorms of the orphanage) removed his sweater and tank top, pulling the other shirt on. After fastening the collar at the back of his neck with the small clasps sewn into the fabric, he smoothed down the exceptionally soft material of the shirt, admiring how the flecks of woven in silver glimmered at the movement. It fits me perfectly, Lee mused. It is very comfortable and easy to move in, he concluded twisting his torso back and forth. Lee turned back towards Sai seeking some sort of feedback because, despite what he thought, he honestly had no idea how this style of shirt would look on him.

"This is even better than I thought, you look delectable," Sai smirked, giving Lee a subtle once over. "Now come here so I can add the finishing touches."

When Sai had finally finished turning Lee this way and that, fretting over his hair while he slipped on a few accessories and applied what Lee had briefly recognized as lipgloss, the apathetic male stepped back to admire his finished creation.

After waiting for what felt like minutes for some sort of vocal reaction, Lee began to squirm under Sai's intense fixation. The inscrutable mask of the sallow male seemed pinched and frozen, as if half way between an expression he himself had never genuinely made before.

Maybe the additions do not look as he had hoped, his brain suggested unhelpfully trying to decipher what had made Sai react as such. Surely it can not be that bad….can it? He seemed to think the shirt suited me fine, so perhaps it is my hair? Unable to stand the tension that had formed during the bout of prolonged silence, Lee found himself turning to the large mirrors on the wall behind him to see just what had stunned the other so thoroughly.

The sight that met him in the reflective surface had him just as startled, if not more so, than the still motionless Sai. Somehow, against all the swirling thoughts and emotions that were currently overwhelming the raven haired teen, the first thing that came to Lee's boggled mind was not something he had ever really considered before let alone thought possible: I look good. This, of course, was followed by: Am I dreaming? I must have fallen asleep when I was struggling with which clothes to wear. Which were then displaced with: Have I always been so thin….? Is….is that a mole on my neck? How long has that been ther-

"Stop overthinking it and just accept the fact that you're gorgeous" the smooth tinder of Sai's voice effectively halted Lee's stream of thoughts.

"I….I do n-not…. you must possess some sort of magic," Lee responded still engrossed by his oddly unfamiliar double, touching his hair and face lightly.

"Sorry to disappoint, but all I really did was replace the tatty rags you call clothes and pulled your hair back so more of your face was visible. The rest is all you Lee~" Sai's reflection winked at him through the mirror.

Focusing back on this new version of himself, Lee took his duplicated image waist length hair, which he had originally had loose, was pulled back in a sleek high ponytail, allowing his straight fringe to shape his large, obsidian eyes freely. This meant that the smooth shape of his jaw was left on display giving a hint of masculinity to his soft features. A small collar with a silver heart pendant was loosely hung around his long, slender neck drawing out the silver in his shirt. The long sheer gloves that ended at the base of his fingers, coupled with the midnight backless turtleneck, left a small, tantalizing sliver of his defined shoulders visible. Turning around, Lee noticed that the revealed skin of his back (uninterrupted thanks to his up-do) accentuated the delicate curves of his spine and showed off the little dimples just above his buttocks. The light grey jeans he still adorned (being the only article of clothing that Sai had allowed him to keep on) now unobscured by his long sweater, hugged the faint curve of his hips and long shapely legs emphasizing the plush roundness of his behind. The glossy pink that had been added to his lips tied the whole look together, drawing attention to his small, plump mouth in a subtle drag.

"It just needs one more thing," Sai interrupted as he handed Lee a pair of black, lightly heeled ankle boots. "Just tuck your jeans into that and your set."

Putting the shoes on hurriedly, Lee didn't even try to stop the enormous grin that broke across his face. I have never felt this way before, he reflected as he studied his appearance once more. I actually feel….beautiful. Delight bubbled in Lee's chest, threatening to erupt into thousands of, butterflies at this new, wonderful feeling. Without warning, Lee burst into a fit of ecstatic giggles as he spun around in a quick happy circle. Without pause, he turned and flung himself at the person that had made him feel so many wonderful feelings in such a short period of time.

"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!" Lee continually chanted as he embraced his new friend in a tight hug, bouncing up and down in his joy. "You do not know just how much this means to me, to feel so content in my appearance... so, so…confident!"

Enveloping Lee in his own arms, Sai returned his impromptu hug halting his previous movements. Lifting the slender teen off the ground, he spun them around as a new session of melodious giggles trickled from Lee's still smiling mouth . "Anytime Lee, everyone deserves to feel good about themselves."

Lowering the dark eyed male to the floor, Lee and Sai shared a brief moment of silence, hands clasped together in a sign of their newly formed closeness.

"Although I have not known you for long, I find that I am most pleased to have met you" Lee freely admitted, uncaring of the fastness of his affinity towards his coworker.

"…..Curiously enough, I find myself in a similar position," Sai likewise confessed, a flash of contemplation crossing his face. "Actually," he added in an offhanded tone, "I think you must be the first friend I have had that i've actually wanted to be friends with in return."

Lee gawked at his companion, eyebrows pulled in disbelief. "Certainly that can not be the case, you and Gai are most amiable!"

"That's different," Sai waved off uncaring, his usual impassive face making it hard to decipher just what he had meant. "We should probably get to work though, Kakashi'll be starting his slackers run just about now and Shikamaru can only hide for so long. You ready to officially start your first shift?"

"Yosh!" Lee cheered, fists clenched in excitement. "I will try my hardest to be the best server that Paradise has ever seen!"

Side note: This was supposed to be a Gaara/Lee fic... but I have accepted that I have this thing where I just want everyone to love Lee, be it in a friendship kind of way or I "i'm going to tap that so hard" kind of way. Ya feel? No? Okay, it's just me...

GaaLee will probably still be the end game but in the meantime expect A looooot of everyone throwing themselves at Lee.

Comments and Reviews are most welcome but aren't a necessity!