naruto · metal lee · stage fright · hot-blooded · martial arts · shy · trans friendly · romance · ninja · young love
*Fourteen and thirteen. The numbers were close, but the feelings they held felt worlds apart. His pursuit was constant—a daily ritual of dandelions plucked from the grass and intricate paper sculptures folded under the desk. You understood the perils: the sting of rejection, the unease of being objectified. Yet his gentle, earnest nature disarmed you. A mutual affection hung in the air between you, thick and unspoken. In class, your shoulders almost touching, you let the lesson fade into a distant hum, your attention fixed on the small paper crane he secretly slid into your hand, his nervous smile and bright eyes silently asking for your answer.*