Before Guy Sensei returned, Lee figured that he should prepare dinner for the two of them. He figured that his adoptive father would appreciate the gesture, especially since Lee was going to stay there unprompted. He could call and let Guy know, but Lee didn't develop the habit of leaving his phone unattended out of nowhere.

He tried earlier and found that Guy left his phone in his room by the sound of it ringing. Now that Lee was on the receiving end of it, he could understand why it bothered everyone for him to do this.

For dinner? Curry and rice. A favorite of his and one of the few things he knew how to make. He wasn't a bad cook either but the only other person who enjoyed his cooking was Guy. He tended to add a lot of spice to his dishes that others can't handle.

Sometimes to dishes that didn't even need it. Tenten had a particularly bad White Day one year because of Lee's chocolates. They don't like to talk about it.

Making one of his favorite meals had put him at ease. It brought happy thoughts to calm the storm brewing in his skull. He might be flat out broke now, but good food was good food. A nice meal had the power to make life worth living.

Once he was done, Lee set aside some for Guy Sensei. With no way of knowing when he could return, he left the container out for now so that he wouldn't be putting steaming hot food into the fridge. Lee couldn't help but worry a bit about him. It was getting quite late. Did he usually come back late when there was no one else around? What exactly was he doing?

Lee felt like he was the concerned parent here.

How dare he! Thinking that he is so grown...

In reality, Guy could take care of himself. Whoever he was out there fighting, Lee would pity the fool. Guy Sensei taught him everything he knew, some moves in their personal arsenal of attacks were strictly forbidden unless absolutely necessary. Plenty of moves that could kill a man with nothing but one's own body.

Yes, Guy Sensei would be fine.

Lee wouldn't have to wait much longer to find out about the state of his teacher. He heard the front door open from where he sat in the kitchenette. "Lee?" Guy had called out. "Saw your car parked outside. What're you doing here so late?" He thought that Lee had stopped training into the hours of the night after Sakura tore him a new one. At least— that was how he interpreted it when Lee told him the reason.

Lee made his presence known, meeting Guy Sensei towards the front. He opened his mouth to explain away his presence but he noticed that Guy was unusually favoring his side with his hand hovering over his abdomen. "What happened?" He asked, his voice ebbing on frantic.

Despite seeming injured, Guy didn't lose that youthful glint in his eye. "Just a little stint with the Akatsuki." He proceeded to unzip his jacked and lost his undershirt to reveal a large bandage covering his side. It was square shaped, taped off on the sides with medical tape. Some of his blood soaked into it, turning a bit of the material into a pinkish color. He was smiling at Lee's opened mouthed reaction. "Should've seen the other guy."

"Sensei...!" Lee was quite taken aback. "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me, 'm alright," Guy assured him as he pulled his shirt back down. "A good medic took care of me."

Lee fought down an emotional pang as the mere mention of a medic reminded him of Sakura. He only saw her hours ago, he shouldn't be reacting like this.

Guy softened, his smile returned to a neutral expression. "What troubles you, Lee?"

Lee took a deep breath. "Well you see Sensei, I went back home with Sakura and you would not believe it. Both of us have been robbed. All my prize money was stolen— the only money I have left is the money in my wallet." All the words came tumbling out of his mouth, giving him a scarce amount of time to breath in short bursts. "They took all of Sakura's trophies and jewelry. Some of her money was stolen too but it is fortunate that she has a bank account. But the worse part is that her whole apartment was trashed. I thought mine was bad but—"

"Lee."

"— her's seemed deliberate. Sakura has no enemies, at least, I do not think so. The only people I think could have done this ar—"

Smack!

Guy promptly delivered a backhand to Lee's cheek which was now quickly reddening. "Slow down," Guy told him. "Your prize money was stolen? All of it?"

Lee slowly nodded.

"Dammit boy, where were you keeping it?"

"U-underneath my mattress." Lee realized how cliche it sounded when saying it out loud.

"Okay," Guy moved on to the next thing. "So Sakura was robbed as well. Where is she?"

"She will be staying with her parents for the time being. Which... Leads to my being here." Lee dipped his head out of respect for his caretaker and for what he was about to ask. "Can I stay with you until I can return to my apartment?"

He felt Guy's hand on his shoulder and lifted his head up. Guy was smiling again, brandishing the nice guy pose. "Do you even have to ask? Of course you can, mop top."

Lee returned the smile. "Thank you, Sensei."

"Now," Guy retracted his hand. "I smell food."

ˏˋ ˎˊ

When they settled down for the night, Lee took up one of the cots in the clinic. It wasn't the most comfortable but with an extra blanket and pillow, it would make due. In the few times Sakura has been there, she left her mark by organizing supplies and labeling them with her handwriting.

It gave Lee some semblance of comfort despite her not actually being there. But it wasn't enough. He was so used to sharing a bed with her that it felt odd to not have her body pressed against him. Hugging his pillow didn't do the trick either.

What a mess he was without his girlfriend. He almost forgot what it was like to be his own person. Whenever they could, they spent time with each other. He could still visit her but she was no longer just a few steps away outside his door.

Whenever Lee could go back to his apartment, she would not be able to.

With a sigh, Lee sat up. He couldn't take it anymore. The loneliness was eating at him. He took his pillow and headed upstairs to Guy's room. He slowly turned the knob and poked his head inside to see Guy already beneath the covers. "Sensei," he called out softly. "Are you awake?"

"No."

Lee cracked a smile. "But if you are not awake, how can you answer me?" He filled entered the room now, self-conscious about the request he was about to make. "Erm, Sensei?"

"Yes, Lee?"

"Can I..." Lee winced "Sleep on your bed? Like we used to when I was little?"

Guy was more than a little surprised to hear it. "You are twenty-one years old," he reminded him.

Lee hung his head. "I know."

Guy gave a deafening pause. He sat up a little, grunting with the effort on the account of his injury. He grinned a classic Guy grin. The moonlight flitting through the windows illuminated it. "And you'll always be my little boy." He gestured to the spot next to him. "What's wrong?"

Lee slunk into bed, feeling much like the little boy he used to be when he needed to sleep in his father's bed. He used to be scared of being alone. A part of him still is. "I miss her," Lee admitted, "a lot."

"You can still see her, I would imagine."

"I know." Lee couldn't stop the crack sleeping into his voice. "I just love her too much, Sensei."

Guy put his arm around him. "No such thing as loving someone too much, Lee. Love is a beautiful thing, you can't quantify it."

Hot tears began to stream down Lee's face, stinging his eyes as they came out. "Then why does it hurt?"

Guy couldn't quite formulate the type of advice he had to give Lee. Romantic relationships weren't his forte, but he knew a thing or two about love. "Well..." He deliberated over his words, choosing them carefully. "Lee, you're the type of man who feels deeply. Like I do."

"Sensitive," Lee supplied with a sniff.

"Yes," Guy nodded. "And there's nothing wrong with that. But you— you form unhealthy attachments."

It all started with Lee's obsession to make himself more like Guy. He copied his looks, his style, and even some of his mannerisms as a way to feel closer to the man he views as a father.

He did it with Tenten, his first and only friend in grade school. They absolutely had to do everything together. Before they were officially siblings, they sure acted like it.

He did it with Neji, his eternal rival. Lee would beg his Sensei for the next time Neji would sleep over. He kept tabs and compared himself constantly to Neji, yet always wanting the best for him.

And he did it with Sakura. The woman he fell in love with before she even knew his name.

"I cannot help that I feel too deeply," Lee admitted. "What happened today with Sakura makes me feel all sort of emotions. I want to catch whoever did this and make them pay. I want to watch them hurt... I cannot let what they did to her pass. You did not see the way she cried in my arms. She is not like me, she does not cry—" He couldn't stop his sobs from forcing themselves out of his throat. "A-at least she tries not to."

Guy brought Lee a little closer for a full embrace in which the youth let it all out. Lee's cries filled the open air, his breath lilted with every choking sob. He was an uglier crier if there were such things as a pretty one. If there was, he most certainly was not that.

Guy pulled him in closer so that Lee could bury his face in his chest. Lee hugged him back, mindful enough not to squeeze too hard like he usually did.

After a few minutes, things got quieter. The only sounds that came out of Lee were sniffles.

"I'll tell you what," said Guy as he rubbed circles into his son's back. "You can start coming with me."

Lee pried himself off to be able to look Guy in the eyes. "Do you mean...?"

"We'll start fighting crime together and through that, who knows? Maybe we'll find out who did this." Guy ruffled his hair. "Does that sound good?"

The corner's of Lee's mouth twitched into a bit of a grin. "Yes... That sounds perfect. Thank you, Sensei."