A/N: Hey guys! I'm finally back with another KibaNeji story…. sorry it's been so long! I know some of you requested that I keep writing for this pairing in the reviews for my other K/N story, Springtime Of Youth, Interrupted, sooo….. here I finally am! Something I wanted to say really quick is that THIS IS NOT A ONE-SHOT! I WILL be continuing it, either as a chaptered story or a collection of vignettes and one-shots for the pairing. I haven't decided which yet, so if you have any input, let me know in the reviews. Enjoy!
Neji opened his eyes, blinking a few times to clear the lingering sleep from them, and pulled the blankets closer around his body. He noticed, once he'd become a bit more alert, that the morning air felt nice on his exposed arm, not too cool and not too warm. It was going to be a nice, clear day; he could tell from the uniformly aligned rays of sun passing through the slatted bamboo blinds on the window that fell across the otherwise dark room.
Good, he thought, perfect conditions for training outdoors. It'll be a nice break from the past week's nonstop rain. Perhaps I can take Hanabi-chan out and help her work with her byakug- Neji lost his train of thought when he rolled over, only to be greeted by the sight of a very deeply asleep, fang-tattooed boy in bed next to him. Great.
"Kiba!" he whispered, shaking the dog-nin's shoulder. The only response he got was a half-hearted groan before Kiba slipped back into sleep.
"Kiba! Wake up!" he leaned over and spoke directly into Kiba's ear, but it was still no use. Neji rolled his eyes, threw his leg over Kiba's body and sat upon him, straddling his chest. He gripped the Inuzuka's biceps and sent a miniscule burst of chakra out through his own palms and fingertips into the flesh beneath them. With a yelp of pain, Kiba's eyes shot open and he jerked his arms out of Neji's grasp.
"The hell was that for?" he half-yelled, half-mumbled, blinking at the irritated boy perched upon his upper body. Neji's eyes widened and he pushed his two fingers against Kiba's lips, silencing him. He glanced to his right towards the door that led out to the main hallway, and was relieved to hear no sign of people on the other side. When he was convinced they were quite alone, he turned back to the dog-nin who was massaging his shocked upper arms.
"Excuse me, but I believe I should be asking the questions here," Neji snapped, looking Kiba dead in the eye, "so, why are you still in my bed?" Kiba looked away, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. He opened his mouth to speak, but Neji stopped him.
"Before you start, I don't want any excuses! Why are you still here?" He narrowed his eyes at Kiba and frowned. When the Inuzuka placed his hands gently on Neji's hips and eyed him with what could only be described as a 'sad puppy' expression, his demeanor softened.
"Neji, I'm sorry, I didn't really mean to, it just sort of… happened! I was gonna sneak back out as soon as we were… er, done last night, just like always, but when I got up to go, I just… I dunno! You just looked so freakin' cute and exhausted and I couldn't just leave you like that!" Kiba glanced away, slightly embarrassed by his own gushy confession.
"Really, though, I swore I was only gonna stay until you fell asleep, but I was pretty beat too, so I guess I just fell asleep with you, and now… here we are," he finished, locking eyes with the Hyuga again as if to send him a subtle 'I'm sorry' through body language. Neji blushed and frowned harder, trying to be persistent in his annoyance, but he couldn't keep it up. With a flustered sigh, he slumped over and let himself fall on to Kiba's reclined form. Kiba let out a soft 'oof!' when Neji collapsed upon his chest, but still managed to catch him and wrap his arms around his waist. They hugged for a moment or so, both still trying to regain complete wakefulness even after their prior conversation. Neji was the first to pull away, pushing himself up with his arms and sitting back on Kiba's chest.
"Kiba… it's alright. I'm sorry I got angry with you," he apologized under his breath, running his fingertips over the dog-nin's chest, "and I know it's not really your fault. I know I was a bit distracted last night and did not do a very good job of enforcing the 'go home when we're done for the night' rule. I am still concerned, though…" he trailed off, staring into space as his brows knitted together. Kiba frowned sympathetically, reached up and began to rub Neji's stomach in a comforting gesture, his knuckles gliding over flat abdominal muscles through the Hyuga's soft, light green t-shirt.
"About your family finding out?" he asked. Neji nodded.
"I'm not sure what Hiashi-sama's reaction will be. For as long as I can remember, he's told his own children and me that we should always focus on hard work and honing our skills as shinobi before all else, especially fleeting and silly things like romance. He says that there will always be time for that later, that we shouldn't bother with such things until much later in life…" he paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, "and I just… don't want to disappoint him. It's rare for a branch family member to be as respected by their main family relatives as I am by my uncle, and I would prefer not to lose that respect." Kiba exhaled loudly when Neji was done and looked the other boy dead in the eye.
"Babe, listen… I'm not trying to make fun of your problems, but the best advice I can give you is to just relax. Other teenagers just… date, okay? And when their parents find out, it's no big deal. It's just a part of life. Being in a relationship doesn't mean you can't focus on being a badass shinobi- hell, you're doing it right now!" Neji blushed and averted his eyes at the compliment.
"Look, all I'm trying to say is… you've gotta be fair to yourself, too. You're only human, Neji, and you're in love. It's natural, nothing wrong with it, and if you're uncle can't see that, then he's even more of a cold, stuck-up bastard than he seems!" Neji winced. He wasn't used to such harsh language used in reference for a higher-up in the clan, but a little part of him knew it might be true.
"You know what, though?" Kiba asked. Neji raised his eyebrows, urging Kiba to carry on. "I'll bet that he doesn't actually care as much as you think. I'll bet that a huge part of your problem is that you've been obsessing over this for way too long and you've convinced yourself it's a bigger deal than it really is." Neji felt muscles he didn't know had been tensed relax at Kiba's words. He let out a sigh and smiled.
"Maybe you're right," he mused, "maybe I should stop worrying about it. Well, I suppose I have to now, since you're not going anywhere. The reason I made the 'no staying' rule is that it's nearly impossible to sneak back out during the day. They may double the guards at night, but everyone else is inside the house. With the entire clan moving around the grounds during the day, you'd be spotted immediately….." he paused for a moment. "At least this way, we can come out about our relationship together and you'll be there to support me, right? Well, honestly, the 'couple' thing should be pretty clear even if we just show up at breakfast together…" Kiba perked up at the last bit of Neji's speech.
"Breakfast? Hell yeah I'll be supportive, as long as I'm getting free food first!" Neji rolled his eyes.
"You are so ridiculous," he joked, moving off of Kiba's body to lie next to him. He rested his head against the dog-nin's toned pectoral and began to trace random designs on his bare chest with one finger.
"Well, at least I'm not a high-strung drama queen," Kiba contributed to their forever-ongoing banter. He leaned down to press a soft kiss to the Hyuga's forehead, right in the center of his faintly visible curse mark. Neji smiled and lifted his face, his lips meeting Kiba's, as he rolled to lay astride the Inuzuka's body once more. Kiba growled against Neji's mouth and pulled him closer with one hand on his back and the other tangled in his long hair. He ran the tip of his nose across Neji's cheek and jawline until he reached his neck. He showered the pale, creamy skin there with rough kisses and lovebites, causing Neji to inhale sharply and grip the dog-nin's shoulders. Kiba grinned and began to slowly trail his hands down Neji's back, getting dangerously closer to second-base territory with every millimeter, as he-
Knock. knock.
The two boys froze, both of their heads whipping to face the door at the same time.
"Neji-san! Breakfast is ready!" called an older-sounding female voice from the hallway. A few seconds later she walked away, the sound of her footsteps fading into the distance. Neji sighed in relief (and with a splash of nervousness, still, he admitted.) He reluctantly pulled away from Kiba and his warm bed and stood up, walking over to the closet and pulling out two simple yukatas. Though Kiba had certainly seen all of him before, he still turned away out of habit to strip out of his t-shirt and pajama pants, slip into the blueish-gray robe, and tie the obi around his waist. He padded over to Kiba and sat down on the bed next to him.
"Here, this one's a little large for me; it should fit you perfectly," he said, handing the dark green yukata to Kiba, "so go ahead and get dressed. You wouldn't want to be late and miss out on all of that free food, would you?" Neji quirked his eyebrow and stood up, walking to his dresser to retrieve the hairbrush that was sitting on top of it. Kiba snickered and sat up. He slipped into the light garment and belted it it loosely so that a bit of his muscular chest was exposed by the deep v neckline. He combed through his hair with his fingers, letting the spikes arrange themselves into his usual wild style. Once Neji had finished brushing his own hair out and tying it back, he strode over to Kiba and wrapped his arms around the dog-nin's shoulders, looking into his eyes.
"Ready?" Neji asked, unable to keep the creeping anxiety out of his voice. Kiba smiled understandingly and pressed a soothing kiss to the top of the Hyuga's head.
"Ready," he answered. Neji nodded, letting his arms fall to his sides. He took Kiba's larger hand in his and pulled him forward, leading him towards the door.