Guys I'm back.

As promised, there is explicit material ahead.

None of this belongs to me aside from the words i've written.

Despite the pictures Neji so reprehensibly held on to, he had never allowed himself to use Lee in that way. Whether it was out of respect, or some baser need to protect himself from the reality of his desires, Neji had never fantasied about his friend in a sexual manner. Sure he had idly wondered about a romantic future with the tanned male, but it had never gone beyond innocent musings. So what Sasuke was suggesting was far beyond the safe realm Neji had created for himself.

The brunette's gaze was withering as he stared Sasuke down.

"So you honestly think a mutual… session is the answer?"

"It would be awkward if we both were harbouring underlying feelings for one another," Sasuke acknowledged, "but we aren't. Besides, its not mutual if neither of us is involved with the other."

Neji glanced down at the pictures that made up his shameful collection once more. He couldn't believe that he was honestly considering the other teen's proposal. But he also could not deny his body's interest, as deplorable as it was. Sasuke must have picked up on Neji's dilemma, because the other teen began to speak.

"Look at him," he urged, his voice still pitched low.

Neji felt himself obeying despite his previous objections. He looked once more at the plethora of image strewn about his bed. Lee was everywhere; his gorgeous body in various states of dress and undress seducing Neji effortlessly. He choked back another moan, barely suppressing the embarrassing sound a second time.

"One of my favourite fantasies is imagining him, his lush thighs spread across my lap, as he rides me," Sasuke whispered.

A better man would have controlled themselves. A better man would have grabbed up the images and thrown them away. A better man wouldn't have taken the images in the first place. But Neji was not a better man. A guttural noise was punched from the pit of his stomach at the vivid image Sasuke's hushed confession conjured in his mind. His cock twitched violently where it was confined, and for a brief moment Neji was convinced he had ejaculated. When his vision cleared, and his heart slowed marginally, Neji realized he was still hard and pulsing.

"Oh god…" Neji panted harshly, his face aflame at his own reaction.

Spurned by Neji's response, Sasuke's voice gained volume and urgency. "I can never decide if I want him facing me, or facing away. His face in my mind is almost too much to bear….but his plump ass is almost worse. And the noises I imagine. Ooooh…." Here Sasuke broke off as he cupped himself harshly through his pants. "Ah….ah his noises would be beautiful."

Neji sucked in another heaving breath as he was carried away by Sasuke's lewd words. The violence of his lust was nearly alarming, but Neji was more focused on his embarrassment. He could feel sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. He wouldn't do this, not with Sasuke present. Despite his conviction, a vague image of tanned skin worked its way into his mind. Once he allowed himself that much the rest manifested easily, uncaring of his discomfort. Neji vividly conjured the fantasy Lee Sasuke had created. He was so soft and desirable, the brunette almost couldn't bear it. The fantasy Lee, sweet and pliant, was enough to break his resolve. Without much conscious thought, Neji squeezed his eyes shut as he slipped his hand into his underwear. Vaguely he could hear Sasuke's harsh breathing, but the sound quickly faded as he gently fisted his aching member.

He imagined himself hovering over Lee, holding himself above his sprawled form. Lee was blushing, the hot flush painting his face and chest an alluring pink, and his large eyes were heavily lidded. Neji began to pump his dick slowly, teasing himself as his fantasy began to form. His own imagined hands ran down Lee's trim torso, hugging his slightly curved hips before gripping his thick thighs. If he shared anything with Sasuke, it was their mutual draw to Lee's thighs. Something about them was undeniably attractive. The fullness of them despite Lee's obvious masculinity was such an absolute turn on. Fantasy Neji pushed flexible legs open, revealing Lee's own hard member which bobbed erotically at being exposed. Lee's sweet voice whimpered at the action and Neji jerkily pulled his cock at the imagined sound. His fantasy self gripped his dick and rubbed teasing circles over Lee's twitching hole, already wet and prepared for Neji's ministrations. The image of his cock head lipping at Lee's hole was indescribable hot to the brunette. His own cock throbbed steadily as he increased his pace. Sinking into Lee drew a long, guttural moan from Neji. The brunette had to grip the base of his dick harshly to stop from coming immediately at the conjured image. Slowly he began to thrust into the lithe male beneath him, hands anchored to soft thighs as his hips worked steadily. Neji imaged Lee would be vocal, as he was in real life, and so the Lee in his mind moaned brokenly at every thrust. His voice sweet and high as his pleasure grew. Neji pulled incessantly at his cock, his own pleasure spiking fast. He bit his lip harshly to stop any more sounds trying to escape, and focused intently on fucking the Lee in his mind. His fantasy Lee reached up, wrapping his deceivingly strong arms around his back, one hand resting in Neji's long hair. He pulled Neji down, forcing the brunette to let go of lush thighs and instead wrap his own arms around Lee's waist. Lee guided Neji's face to his neck, their cheeks briefly meeting in a warm caress. And this intimate imagining, far too close to what Neji desired, sent the pale teen over the edge. His cock spurted cum in long, plentiful waves, coating his underwear unduly. His whole body convulsed at the strength of his orgasm, leaving Neji hunched and gasping.

When Neji came back to himself, he realized his whole body was sticky with sweat. His shirt clung uncomfortable to his back and chest and his hair was matted at his neck, damp and oppressively hot. He felt disgusting. Neji looked down at his soiled pants, embarrassed to see a humorously large wet patch darkening his jeans. His hand was coated liberally in his release, and Neji sneered at it in disgust. He wiped the sticky mess on his already soiled jeans, cursing his weakness. The shame he had pushed back in the moment ripped through him, leaving him queasy in the aftermath of his defiling of Lee's image. Sasuke's laughter snapped him out of his internal agony.

"What a joke," Sasuke chuckled breathlessly.

Sasuke was similarly disheveled. His normally spiked up hair was near flat with moisture and a flush sat high on his angular cheeks. Neji chanced a quick look at the other teen's pants and saw a matching dark patch just to the right of his fly. Embarrassed, Neji looked away. He wanted to be angry. He wanted to lash out in familiar rage, putting away all his other emotions behind the comforting mask. Neji could picture it clearly; throwing Sasuke out after shrieking at him for planting such unsavoury thoughts in his head, upending his room once more to make physical the chaos in his mind. But that would be easy. Lee deserved better. Sasuke, despite everything, deserved better. NejiI deserved better. No more shame, or masking shame with anger, or feeling guilty for his own desires. That's what had gotten all of them to where they were in the first place. Not just him alone, he amended. Neji wasn't egotistical enough to believe he could influence the will of others, but perhaps if he hadn't been so emotionally repressed then they could have stayed and worked everything out. Neji got up from his bed and walked over to his closet. He pulled out two pairs of clean underwear and two pairs of sweatpants. He threw one set at Sasuke, not bothering to see where the items landed. Uncaring, he stripped out of his soiled clothes, using his underwear to hastily clean his now flaccid penis, and pulled on the fresh ones. He plucked at his shirt, noting how it had become stiff and itchy from the drying perspiration, and decided to change it as well. Neji turned to Sasuke after he put on his black long sleeved shirt.

"Get changed."

Sasuke stared at him for a moment, before he too stripped down.

"Give me a shirt will you, I'm as disgusting as you are," Sasuke huffed in slight annoyance.

Neji tossed another long sleeve over to Sasuke before he gathered their clothes and threw them in his laundry basket.

"What exactly are we doing now?" Sasuke asked nonchalantly as he sat back upon Neji's rumpled bed.

"We need to talk to Gaara."

Sasuke looked away from Neji, his eyes growing cold as he ran a hand through his damp hair. He spent a moment ruffling it, trying to get it back into some semblance of order, but quickly gave up. Sasuke's mouth worked for a few seconds before he could voice his thoughts.

"I don't see what for."

Neji waked over to his desk and pulled open one of the drawers. From inside he grabbed a black hair band which he used to secure his hair in a loose knot at the base of his skull.

"I fucked up," Neji admitted, his use of profanity and brutal self honesty surprising the other teen.

"What has gotten into you Hyūga? Your anger I expected, but this," Sasuke waved his hand vaguely, "not so much."

Neji gripped the edge of his desk and allowed his head to drop between his shoulders.

"I have been asking Lee to be open and honest, insisting he is safe to speak freely. And yet I continue to remain closed off and judgmental? Hypocrisy at its finest, really."

Sasuke considered Neji's words, letting the sentiment settle between them.

"Yes, I suppose we both have been hypocrites," Sasuke acknowledged.

"It's no wonder really that Gaara reacted the way he did," Neji sighed as he stood straight once more.

Sasuke hummed his agreement.

"And the way I spoke to them," Neji clicked his tongue in disgust, "I need to clear the air with Gaara before I can speak to Lee. I just can't….can't face him right now."

The two remained silent for a few moments before Sasuke broke the calm.

"Well then, are you ready to talk about feelings Neji?"

"Oh god no," Neji grimaced as he headed to his door.

The pair walked the relatively short distance to Gaara's house in nervous silence. It was unusual for them, but they both knew the conversation they were about to have was going to be unsavoury at best. Neji walked briskly up the Sabaku's front steps and reached a steady hand out to ring the bell beside the large door. The look on Gaara's face as he opened his door solidified Neji's thought that perhaps this wasn't his wisest decision. It was necessary, none the less, so the brunette pushed his way passed the momentarily stunned redhead.

"And what makes you think you're welcome here?"

Neji couldn't quite decipher the shorter teen's tone. It seemed to sit somewhere between exhausted and perturbed. Even then, Neji could be reading him completely wrong. The redhead had always been a bit of an anomaly to him, and he never really knew where they stood with each other.

"Are we really going to start off this way?" Sasuke drawled as he looked around the Sabaku's large entrance way.

"What Sasuke means," Neji clarified as he shot a stern look Sasuke's way, "is we've come to talk."

Gaara looked between the two of them, his face infuriatingly blank.

"Do you expect me to believe that?"

Sasuke scoffed at the redhead's dismissal, however Neji could understand his scepticism. None of them were known for their communication skills, and the idea that Sasuke and himself of all people would be coming to Gaara to talk was laughable, but it was the truth.

"I know you didn't expect this, expect us, but we need to talk about what happened this morning," Neji insisted.

"Do we really," Gaara challenged.

His tone was now undeniably hostile, the cold edge making Neji clench his jaw. Once again he thought about how easy it would be to get angry, to let his frustration take over. Instead he took a calming breath and forcibly relaxed his stiff posture.

Sasuke, on the other hand, seemed more than ready to rise to the occasion. Before he could speak a familiar voice interrupted.

"Gaara, is Kankūro ho—"

All three of the teens turned at the sound of Lee's voice. The tall male stood in silent shock as he looked between Sasuke and Neji.

"O-oh um… hello Sasuke, hello Neji," Lee awkwardly said, waving briefly before coming to stand beside his boyfriend.

Neji felt heat rocket through his body as he looked at Lee. He hadn't expected Lee to be here, had hoped he wouldn't, but there was no turning back now. The memories of his conjured fantasy still lingered in his mind, so seeing Lee now was an uncomfortable reminder of his shameful action. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind and refocused on the teen before him. Neji wouldn't allow himself the luxury of retreating from the situation, of excusing himself because of his self imposed discomfort. If Lee could acknowledge them despite their earlier dispute, then Neji could open himself up to the teen.

"What are you doing here," Sasuke asked, his voice laced with shocked accusation.

Lee flinched back at his tone, but didn't retreat from his spot beside Gaara.

"I…we decided to come here d-during lunch," Lee explained unable to hold eye contact.

"We?" Neji questioned.

"Um, yes…well Naruto and H-hinata came as well…."

Neji and Sasuke turned to look at each other. It wasn't ideal, Neji thought, but perhaps if they only had to explain themselves once it would be easier.

"Well?" Neji crossed his arms as he continued to look at Sasuke.

Sasuke looked away after a moment, a weary sigh escaping him.

"Very well."

Sasuke walked around Gaara and Lee, heading further into the house without permission. Neji followed suit ignoring Gaara's incandescent scowl and Lee's look of hesitant confusion.

"Hey idiot!" Sasuke called in a raised voice.

"Hey, i'm not the idiot here!" Naruto yelled indigently, his voice drifting down from upstairs.

Sasuke smirked while Neji rolled his eyes. They quickly followed Naruto's voice, who continued to complain loudly about being insulted, and found themselves in Gaara's room. Naruto and Hinata were huddled under the blankets of the large bed. The blonde openly glared at the two teens, his blue eyes bright with anger. Hinata was more subdued, but her small eyebrows were tilted downwards and her mouth was pulled in a stern frown. It was clear that neither of them were happy with how the events of the morning had played out, and Neji couldn't fault them for their feelings. He had messed up and now he was paying for his rash reaction.

"What are you doing here anyways?" Naruto asked sternly before the pair had even fully entered the room.

They both chose to ignore Naruto and instead walked across the room to settle against the small patch of bare wall. It wouldn't do to start a new argument, and the way Naruto continued to glare at them made it clear he was looking for a fight. A moment later Gaara and Lee arrived, the former closing the door securely behind him. The click of the lock was overly loud in the silent room and Neji couldn't stop his nervous swallow. Lee glanced briefly at Neji and Sasuke before averting his gaze. Neji felt his posture stiffen at Lee's discomfort and guilt washed over him at the knowledge that he was the cause of their current awkward situation.

"S-should we c-call Tenten?" Hinata asked from her huddled position on the large bed.

Neji crossed his arms and looked down at his feet.

"No," Sasuke said, "Neji will have to talk to her later."

The answer was vague and, going by the confused silence that followed, Neji knew they had no idea what was about to happen. He clenched his fists where they rested in the crook of his arms before relaxing his grip. He straightened his posture, uncrossing his arms in the process, and made a point of looking at everyone around the room.

"My actions today were inexcusable and fuelled by my own petty emotions," Neji said suddenly, officially breaking the tense silence.

Lee's head snapped up at the admission. He took a half step towards Neji, but Gaara reached out to grab his wrist gently before he could get any closer.

"Yes they were," Gaara agreed. His eyes were narrowed as he looked unflinchingly at Neji.

"We all behaved poorly," Lee clarified, "Myself and Gaara as well."

"Be that as it may, I personally am ashamed by my own hypocrisy," Neji continued, "I have been preaching to you to be open and honest, when I myself have been closed and evasive. I'm disgusted by my weakness."

"N-neji please, you are not weak," Lee insisted.

The brunette balled his hands and clenched them tightly at Lee's words. It was infuriating that Lee's kindness was ever present even in the face of Neji's ill treatment.

"I am weak Lee," Neji gritted out from clenched teeth, "I lashed out at you, and at Gaara because of my weakness. I, Lee…"

Neji brought one of his hands up to cover his face, unable to look at anyone. He couldn't bare to be seen in this moment, most especially when he was about to confess his best kept secret.

"…I was jealous."

Hinata gasped audibly while Naruto made a strangled noise in his throat.

"Jealous?"

Neji wanted to scream, wanted to erupt with the sick energy boiling under his skin, but he remained calm. Lee's voice, sweet and innocent and confused, made Neji want to weep.

"God don't make me….don't make me say it," Neji all but begged, his voice uncharacteristically shaky.

Neji felt Sasuke's hand pat his shoulder as the blue haired male stepped up beside him.

"Lee, what Neji means to say is given the opportunity both of us would gladly have you, in anyway you would be willing to let us."

"WHAT!" Naruto screamed launching himself off the bed.

"B-but I…" Lee stuttered, his face slack with shock, "I am…I am just me."

"Yes," Sasuke agreed, "and that is reason enough."

"WAIT SO YOU GUYS HAVE LIKED LEE THIS WHOLE TIME!?" Naruto screeched from the floor.

"That's not even worth a response," Sasuke sneered.

"That is not….Naruto can not be right…c-can he?" Lee asked.

Neji looked up at Lee, the oddly fragile tone of his voice drawing his attention. The tall male had gone a pleasant shade of red and his large eyes moved quickly between Sasuke and himself. The confusion on his face was as alluring as it was frustrating.

"Gaara, may I?" Sasuke asked the redhead.

The shorter teen remained stoic, but removed his hand from around Lee's wrist and gave a quick nod.

Sasuke wasted no time and, before anyone could ask for clarification on the strange exchange, moved to stand before Lee. He brought shaking hands up to rest on the lithe male's waist before moving in to press a chaste kiss to his cheek.

"Now do you understand," Sasuke asked, as he put some distance between them.

"A-and…and N-neji?"

Neji came forward without conscious thought and followed Sasuke's example. He let his hands drift up Lee's sides, cupping his waist delicately between his large hands. He stepped closer, closing the distance and pressed his lips to Lee's other cheek. The skin was soft and warm beneath his lips and Neji knew he would never feel this again.

"Yes Lee," Neji breathed before stepping back, "For longer than I'd care to admit."

Lee cupped his cheeks with his hands, his face aflame and his mouth stuck open.

"Don't even think about apologizing Lee," Neji threatened when he saw the taller male begin to tear up, "I don't want your pity."

Lee closed his mouth with an audible click as a few tears slid down his face. He wiped them away quickly before taking a seat on the bed beside a stunned Hinata.

"I-I never knew," Lee confessed, his voice small and sad in the aftermath of their revelations.

"That was intentional," Sasuke said lightly despite his conflicted expression.

"We never thought it would come to this," Neji agreed.

"I want you both to know," Lee started suddenly, "I…in my own way, have always l-liked you. Both of you. You have been and always will be special to me."

"Just not as special as him," Sasuke said bitterly.

Lee curled in on himself at Sasuke's tone but didn't refute the statement. His silence is enough, and Neji knows, without a doubt, that whatever hope he harboured of being with Lee must end.

"I want to apologize for my actions today as well," Lee said after a moment directing the conversation away from the sensitive topic, "I have continued to be secretive, and I am going to continue to be secretive a little bit longer. For that I am truly sorry. However, this is no longer my secret alone and I do not want to put anyone else is a poor position because of me."

Neji mulled Lee's words over in his mind. He was curious to know whom Lee was protecting, and if he was being honest he was upset that this person was important enough to warrant Lee's secrecy, but Neji knows those thoughts are part of the reason they ended up here in the first place. It was unfair of him to expect Lee to only work at the pace Neji set for him, and so he holds his tongue instead of responding as he normally would.

"Bushy Brows gave us the vague rundown too," Naruto explained, seemingly over his initial shock, as he pulled himself off the ground.

"I-I think i-it's a r-reasonable r-r-reason," Hinata defends, "Lee i-is o-only looking out f-for this p-person."

"Kind to a fault," Neji muttered not unkindly, "but you wouldn't be yourself if you weren't."

"As soon as I can, I will tell all of you everything," Lee promised, "For now I must hold on to this secret a little while longer."

Sasuke suddenly sighed as he lowered himself to a seated position on the ground.

"Somehow our resolutions are always faster than our arguments," the blue haired teen pointed out.

"If only it could be the other way around," Naruto lamented.

"I am just glad we have reached a resolution," Lee stated, the relief clear in his voice.

The rest of the evening is surprisingly relaxed. The impromptu confession is not mentioned again, and quickly the conversation moved on to focus on Lee and Gaara's budding relationship. It was hard to hear, especially with the sickeningly sweet looks Lee couldn't help but send Gaara's way, but by the time evening falls he feels more prepared to let the dark haired male go. Naruto and Hinata diplomatically agreed to stay at Gaara's house with the others and refrained from commenting when Neji and Sasuke decided to take their leave. Just as Neji and Sasuke reached the front door Lee's breathy voice stopped them.

"Sasuke, Neji, please just one moment," Lee panted as he caught up to them. He stopped just in the entrance, keeping a fair amount of distance between them. Lee tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear before speaking once more. "You are both wonderful people that I am lucky to call my friends. So please do not let this stop you from finding your special someone. Y-you both deserve to be happy, and I know that I-I am not the person who can do that for you. Just-"

Instead of continuing, Lee threw himself at them, pulling them into a strong hug.

"Thank you Lee," Neji mumbled as he held the small man tighter.

The pair walked in silence back to Neji's house after saying a second goodbye to Lee. They are both emotionally exhausted and the ability to form words seems far beyond their reach. When they entered his room Neji's focus was immediately drawn to the pictures still strewn on his bed. Sasuke walked around him while he stared down at the mocking images, and gathered the photos quickly. He handed the stack to Neji before looking at him expectantly. The brunette's hands shook as he held the familiar weight. He finds he doesn't even want to look at them, not in the aftermath of everything that happened that evening. He grabbed the edges of the photos and pulled at them fiercely. The sharp ripping sound as he shredded the images was horrible and liberating all at once. It was time to move on.

Life really does catch up with you. I've been working nonstop and so as a result this fic has suffered dearly. I'm sorry for not posting, but I still hope you can enjoy these updates. Thank you so much for any and all continued support, it really is astounding!