I wanted to update sooner rather than later because I know I won't be updating much in the future.
Please do not worry, I will not give up on this fic but if I don't update for long periods of time know it is because school has started again.
Thank you for your understanding! And, as always, if Lee in canon is not being chased by every available male then it doesn't belong to me!
Large round orbs flew open as a loud, achingly shrill ring permeated the small room startling the teen as his body pitched upwards into a seated position. Lee faltered for a moment, swaying unsteadily as his brain tried to catch up with the rapid motion of his body while simultaneously trying to assign meaning to the piercing trill that continued to disturb such a compact area. He had been dreaming that Sai had taken him to a quant cafe where they had been enjoying tea and various cakes. It was a nice comfortable dream —much nicer than the nightmares that used to colour his fitful sleeps— until Itachi had waltzed in and proceeded to throw the contents of the table onto the floor with one smooth swipe of his arm. He had then pulled Lee up onto the clear surface and proceeded to demonstrate just what being a dancer at Paradise was all about. Before dream Lee could protest, more than a little uncomfortable with how intimately the other was holding him, he had been whipped around and the dark, fathomless anger he saw in Itachi's eyes was seared into his own. "You know nothing of hardship," dream Itachi had spat in is face, before the lights in the cafe flickered and went dead. When the lights came back on, it was to Lee and Sai once again seated at the small, pink table, cakes and tea decoratively spread across it's unmarred face.
Shaking himself from the remnants of his dream Lee, still half asleep, groggily realized the continuous noise was coming from the foot of his bed. Scrambling across his mattress as fast as his tired limbs allowed, dark hair cascaded over his shoulders as he reached for the messenger bag that had been carelessly tossed there the previous night. Opening the front pocket clumsily, the dark skinned youth pulled out what he belatedly registered was his cellphone, the offending cacophony singing even louder in the open air. Looking dumbly at the screen, Lee answered the call with a weak "Hello?".
"HOW COULD YOU? DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED WE WERE!?" Lee quickly extended his arm in an attempt to escape the static shriek coming from the other line, eyes screwed up in pain.
"ALL OF US HAVE BEEN TEXTING AND CALLING NON-STOP, WE THOUGHT SOMETHING HAPPENED YOU BIG DUMM—" The feminine wailing, which Lee recognized as a hysteric TenTen, faded out as other voices reached the speaker in a muffled confusion of words.
"OI, THE TOMBOY'S RIGHT," came the new, yet equally loud, call of Naruto overwhelming the background noise, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TEXT US YOU ASSHOLE?" A loud thud registered over the line, followed by shouts of pain and a select few curses that grew dimmer as the person whom had grabbed the phone seemed to be moving away from the others. By this point, Lee had brought the phone back to his ear, silence filling the already one sided conversation.
Before he could speak, the deep, dangerously calm voice of Gaara broke the quiet. "Why did you not message me?" came the icy question, though the way it was uttered could be interpreted as nothing but a demand.
The dark tone snapped Lee into complete wakefulness, the underlying worry that he detected in the generally stoic male startling him.
"Gaara, my dear friend, what is it that has unsettled you s—" Lee stopped mid sentence, the worry in his voice dying on his lips as his sleep deprived brain finally pieced together the previous shouted words. He had forgotten to send them a text when he arrived home from work the day before, too exhausted to remember to grab his phone from the messenger bag he had dropped to the floor before collapsing on his bed. He had broken the promise he had so sincerely made to his friends. He had betrayed them.
"I AM A TERRIBLE FRIEND!" It was Lee's turn to yell as he was overwhelmed with guilt. "THERE IS NO EXCUSING MY BEHAVIOUR, I AM AN AWFUL PERSON AND AN EVEN WORSE COMPANION," he practically sobbed into the phone as he agonized over his treachery. He had been so careless and selfish, letting his exhaustion get the better of him, and in doing so had caused his friends unnecessary pain that, if he had just been more thoughtful, could have been easily avoided.
The sombre timber, softer than before but still laced with steel, brought Lee back to the conversation occurring. "You are forgiven….. this time," was the grudging reply, voice gravely and stilted as if the words coming out of his mouth didn't quite match what he had actually wanted to say. "But if this ever happens again you will never be allowed to leave my side."
Nodding his head rapidly in assent, although he knew the other could not see the action, the raven haired male wiped furiously at the tears that had formed in his eyes.
A light scoff sounded over the phone, followed by uproarious laughter and the sound of a palm meeting someone's head in a swift, but gentle cuff.
"Gaara, that is definitely not going to happen," Tenten, whom had been the one to hit the serious redhead, informed exasperatedly as she chuckled.
"That's something I'd except to come out of this idiot, not you," Sasuke added snidely as the accused idiot (which from the holler of 'YOU BASTARD' could be none other than Naruto) punched him in the shoulder.
There was more muffled noise as the phone once again passed hands. "Don't listen to him Lee," the twin bunned girl in possession of the mobile device once more reassured, "we know that you were probably just really tired after work and fell asleep the instant you got home, but we were just worried. And…, " she added sheepishly,"…..well we may overreacted just a little bit."
"I am so sorry for not texting you all, I know how you worry and I should not have been so selfish as to let myself fall asleep at such in inopportune time!" Lee insisted.
"Don't even start!" the distant voice of Neji called out: sharp and clearly annoyed.
"Neji's right, it was a simple mistake and it doesn't make you selfish, dummy. We know that you'd never do anything like that on purpose, so don't sweat it. We're just glad that everything's okay after all."
"I…..Thank you," a small smile bloomed on Lee's previously disheartened face as relief washed over him. My friends are wonderful, caring people that give me far too much. "HOWEVER," the loud volume of his voice dispelled the serious atmosphere, "I absolutely promise, no, I swear that I will never no anything like that every again or I will—"
"Lee, it's really okay, no need to make a self imposed punishment," Tenten quickly intervened. "Anyways, it was kind of funny to watch everyone panic. I mean, not Gaara of course, though his eye wouldn't stop twitching, but you should've seen Neji! He practically broke down my door trying to get in th—"
"THAT—THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED AT ALL!" said brunette's normally controlled voice boomed cutting his female friend off before she could say anything that could embarrass him further.
More laughter was heard in the background as various conversations broke out. "Well, now that that's solved, we're all going to head back to our houses and do our homework right?," she called to the others in the background resulting in a loud groan from the unwilling blonde. "We'll see you at school on Monday, right?"
Lee hummed in the positive, happy everything had so smoothly returned to normal thanks to his forgiving companions.
"Okay, have a good one, and make sure to text us every now and then! Bye!"
The phone chirped as the call ended leaving Lee once more alone in his now overly quiet apartment. He took a deep, shaky breath, releasing it in a choked oomph as he fell back on his unmade bed. The blanket that had been tossed around in his hast to grab his phone bunched up awkwardly under his long body, the soft, threadbare edges rubbing his smooth cheeks. Even though thing had been resolved, Lee still felt a twinge of guilt as he recalled the alarm in their voices as they shouted over the phone and, as he turned on his phone, just how many texts and missed calls appeared. No, he sternly reprimanded as he shook his head, I am not going to wallow in self pity any longer. A new resolve filled his lungs as he let out another breath while turning to lie on his stomach. Scrolling to the bottom of the screen of worried texts, Lee clumsily sent a message to the group chat letting them know that he would be out most of the day with his boss and not to worry about him anymore. There, he smiled as his phone chimed to let him know that his words had successfully sent, I will just have to be more proactive about informing my friends of my activities. Relaxing anew, Lee's thoughts wandered back to the odd dream he had awoken from.
Thinking of the oddly sinister dream Itachi and the way his eyes seemed to bore into his very soul, a new bought of regret washed over him at how poorly his first interaction with the real Itachi had gone. He knew that if he wanted to salvage any chance at friendship with the older male (which Lee hoped was not just a foolish desire on his part because Itachi seemed like a good person regardless of his momentary slip) he had to apologize properly. However, a smaller part of Lee, the part that had conjured such a grotesque version of the dancer in his sleeping moments, was terrified of confronting him. The face that had twisted into such an ugly distortion of the original, consumed by hatred and disgust continued to pull the dark haired male back into the various encounters his memories conjured of the orphanage and the horrendous adults that had wore matching expressions. But, above all else, Lee was not a coward and, especially after coming so far from the shell of himself that he once was, would not back down regardless of how hard a task it would be. It is unfair of me to compare him to my past, I do not know the full story of why he left home and should not judge him for what I do not know especially if the chances of me knowing are next to none. I will just have to wipe away any impress he has made and reform it on his merits alone, he concluded.
Stretching languidly, he pushed back the loose strands of hair that had fallen out of the braid while he slept and grabbed one of his two towels hanging beside his closet and his small bag of toiletries, looking to have a nice (hopefully hot if the Landlord had finally got the heater fixed) shower before starting his day. Checking his phone once more for the time, just so he knew how long his shower could be, Lee was startled to notice that it was nearing noon and he had roughly half an hour before he had to meet Gai. Immediately abandoning the idea of having a lengthy soak, the thin male ripped out the door and to the communal bathing area the run down complex housed, silently praying it would not be as crowded as it usually was.
It was surprisingly empty, Lee thankfully noted, as he rushed into the nearest stall, wrinkled clothes haphazardly shoved into the first locker he had spotted. Turning the knob to as hot as it would run, he fumbled to remove his hair from it's half confined state while jumping under the spray. A full body shiver wracked his thin frame as goosebumps broke out over creamy skin. I suppose the Landlord had been much to busy to fix the water, Lee lamented as he washed as quickly as possible while still being thorough. Fifteen minutes later, dark hair had been wound into a fresh braid as the youth skillfully maneuvered in the restricted space of his room, having rehung his towel and putting the small bag of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash back in it's signature spot. Pulling on the faded pink t-shirt that made up the last of his clean tops and his black pants, Lee quickly brushed his teeth and slipped his phone and wallet into his pockets. Locking his door, he hurriedly skipped down the stairs to his apartment and out to the front of the apartment where Gai said he'd be waiting. Just as he rounded the corner, a sharp honk alerted him to the awaiting figure of his shiny haired manager whom was waving vigorously out the rolled down window of a small, green car parked at the side of the road. Rushing over, Lee hoped into the passenger seat, which sunk under his slight weight, and buckled his seatbelt.
"Hello my dear friend, what a lovely day it has turned out to be! The perfect day to spend with my most youthful server, is it not!?" the jovial voice of Gai greeted, large smile accompanying the hand that squeezed Lee's shoulder affectionately.
"Yosh, I am glad that you asked me to join you!" the younger agreed honestly, feeling completely at ease around the older male.
"YOSH," Gai repeated, "then let us be of on this grand adventure!"
The green car pulled away from the apartment, heading further into the city on the warm Saturday afternoon. The two occupants of the vehicle chatted animatedly, loud voices feeding off each other's enthusiasm as they discussed various topics ranging from sports they enjoyed playing (which they both agreed that soccer was the best with track coming a close second) to what kind of ice cream they loved the most (Gai's being a natural vanilla while Lee's was strawberry) and everything in-between. Lee was so caught up in their endless conversation, something inside him warming at having an adult (other than the sisters that had had to pay attention to him) actively taking an interest in his opinions, that he did not notice that the small car had come to a complete stop. Following Gai's example, the tanned teen stepped out of the vehicle and finally took in the new surroundings. Eyebrows drawn in confusion, Lee turned to the other male wondering what exactly Gai had in mind when he had taken them to the largest, and most popular mall in Konaha.
"TA-DAH!" Gai cried, arms flung out in excitement. "We have finally arrived! Today's mission is as follows, are you ready to help me, my little lotus, in this endeavour?"
Despite his own doubts as to what he could do for Gai, especially here of all places, he nodded his head vigorously in agreement. Whatever it is, I will do my best!
"EXCELLENT! Today's mission is called: Make Lee the Second Beautiful Green Beast of Konaha!"
Gai, in his performing days and whenever he decided to dance at Paradise, was referred to as the Beautiful Green Beast; 'A self imposed name,' Sai had added when they had been discussing stage names while they walked to Lee's flat. However, knowing this did nothing to stop the way his eyebrows pulled even further together as he became more befuddled.
"I am sorry Gai, but I do not understand what you are asking of me," Lee finally voiced as his boss continued to stare at him expectantly.
"AH! Let me be more clear then," Gai laughed, excitement making him squirm in place. "We are here to give you a complete makeover so that you can have your very own wardrobe and cosmetics for when you come to Paradise!"
The gobsmacked disbelief that wiped the confusion clear off the cherubic face was just as involuntary as the wheezed gasp that passed through gaping lips. Already large eyes widened to comical levels, overwhelming his delicate features as he stared, unblinking, at the man who had, in Lee's opinion, already offered him the world.
"I, I CAN NOT ACCEPT!" he reeled, clutching one hand to his chest as he waved his other arm in front of his face. He tried desperately to understand just why Gai would be willing to offer him even more after he had already given him far too much. "THAT, THAT IS JUST T-TO MUCH!"
"NONSENSE! Think nothing of it! And besides," Gai began as he walked around the car and to Lee's side, "I will not accept anything but a YES GAI, THANK YOU! Everyone who works at Paradise is family, and each of them will receive such a gift from kakashi and I!" Wrapping his heavily muscled arm around the teen's shoulders he comfortably led the other to the mall's entrance. "Now, let us make you the most wonderful version of yourself that you can be!"
Still overwhelmed from such an effortless display of kindness, Lee was helpless to the strong force of Gai that smoothly guided him through the door and into the expanse of the heavily occupied mall. Today, Lee acknowledged as he knew that Gai could get him to agree to anything (even allowing him to spend far too much time and money on him), is going to be a very interesting adventure.
Thanks again for your comments, they are all very heartwarming and i'm glad to know that my fic could make you feel better when reading it.
Comments are always appreciated, but are not necessary if you don't wish to leave any!