Lee wasn't stupid.
Lee wasn't good-looking, or particularly intelligent, or talented- but he certainly wasn't stupid either.
He smiled too much. He was too happy. He tended to say the wrong thing- exactly the wrong thing- at exactly the wrong time. He sometimes took things a little too seriously. He overworked himself. His enthusiasm could tend to make one a little nauseous…
But he wasn't stupid.
Gai knew it, and tended to get a little emotional (read, spectacularly emotional) when people called Lee stupid. Tenten knew it; she acknowledged it when Lee managed to do something particularly impressive. Neji knew it, though he tended to ignore the fact and concentrate on the large-browed boy's lack of talent rather than his not-so-lack of brains. Kakashi would sometimes vaguely acknowledge that he wasn't stupid, because he knew Gai well, and Gai wasn't stupid either. Naruto would almost always do so, as he knew what it was like to be underestimated.
Sakura didn't.
Sakura was pretty, kind, thoughtful, funny, powerful and friendly. Sakura was a brilliant medic. Sakura was adored by many, none so much as the not-so-stupid Lee.
She wasn't stupid either- but she didn't acknowledge because she didn't understand. She'd let him know, firmly and clearly from the get-go, that she wasn't interested in him romantically- but he kept trying, anyway. She figured at first that she wasn't firm enough; then she thought he was just ignoring the message; then she thought that he had nothing better to do with his time; then she began to think he was just stupid.
Lee was being stupid right now.
"H-hello Sakura!" he was bright red and brandishing a rose at her "I saw this lovely flower and thought of you… uhm…" he grinned awkwardly when she accepted it. "And I- uh- I was wondering if-"
"Thank-you, Lee." she smiled sweetly at the boy-she-thought-was-stupid, speaking in a tone that clearly closed the discussion without sounding harsh.
"Wondering if I might-"
"Thank you, Lee" she said firmly, but sweetly again, and made to walk away. Lee smiled sadly and stared at his feet before turning away.
What Sakura, unlike his other friends, failed to understand was that Lee wasn't stupid. He was just in love.
A/N: It's a drabble. It's a oneshot. It's poorly composed. It's stoooooopid!
I'm insane... I don't even LIKE SakuLee... somebody hit me in the face before I attempt something like this again...