It's been a long while since I've written SasuTen and it's been a long while since I've been working on this actually. I've finally been able to incorporate all my Naruto ships (one is particularly 'scandalous' (my alternative ship) but I used them for comic value rather than my main one) into one fic so I'm pretty happy about that. I apologise beforehand if any of the characters are slightly OOC (especially Sasuke but he needs to be OOC anyway). Do enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
"A double date? You're kidding right?" A simple shake of her head was enough to send him into a state of turmoil as he paced around the room, fist clenching and then unclenching. The brunette watched the raven haired boy in amusement as he muttered incoherent profanity to himself.
"I don't see what's wrong with a double date. It's just like a normal date, except with two more people joining us," she patronised before walking over to him and placing her hands on his shoulders, eventually stopping his pacing. She was getting dizzy just watching him.
Sasuke only glared at her, hoping to scare some sense into her but unfortunately she was all too familiar with his glares, having become immune to its effects. Tenten stared at him unrelentingly, causing him to flinch slightly at the intensity of her stare. "We are going on that double date. No ifs, ands or buts," she said with finality.
Sasuke was about to open his mouth in protest before Tenten placed a finger on his lips and gave him a hardened glare, successfully silencing the Uchiha. Tenten was about to walk away when Sasuke grabbed her wrists, holding her in place. "You think you can get the last say? I say we don't go on that double date and stay home," he said to her, his breath tickling her neck. She didn't realise he was standing so close to her; it was making her feel a little suffocated.
Tenten shook her head, dismissing all thoughts as she turned to him with a serious expression. "Give me one good reason why we shouldn't go," she demanded, staring him down. He only smirked in response.
"I can give you three," he said confidently.
Tenten raised an eyebrow and motioned for him to continue. His lips formed a wry grin as he cleared his throat. "You know damn well that we don't mix with double dates. Pertaining from the past, the only three we've ever been on all turned out to be a complete disaster. Don't give me that look Tenten. You know better than anyone that us and double dates are synonymous with disaster."
Sasuke and Tenten shared a look of despair as they watched the pair before them indulge themselves in yet another one of their daily arguments. From what they could decipher, the blond had let something slip which had enraged the pink haired female in the process. She eventually pummelled him in the head, leaving him sporting a nasty red bump.
"Sorry about that," Sakura said embarrassedly, flashing the two a sheepish smile. "Naruto was just being the knucklehead he always is," she explained before giving a discreet yet deadly glare to the said male, putting the blond in his place.
"It's alright Sakura. Sometimes Naruto can't help himself, right?" Tenten added, trying to rectify the situation. Sakura gave the older girl a grateful smile, glad that things could now progress smoothly. "So, can we order now?" Sasuke asked bluntly, already tired of this double date he was forced to go on.
Tenten gave him a hard nudge in the stomach, telling him to behave. Sasuke only rolled his eyes as he rubbed his stomach. The girl had really sharp elbows. Naruto caught the gesture and snickered loudly. "Tenten's really got you wrapped around her finger, huh Sasuke?" he teased, earning himself a glare from the stoic prodigy.
"I think Sakura's the one who's got you wrapped around her finger," he retorted, motioning to the swollen red bump on the top of his head. "She does not!" he protested, crossing his arms with a harrumph.
Tenten and Sakura watched the whole exchange with an amused smile playing on their lips. Tenten leaned over to whisper in Sakura's ear. "Are they always like this?" she asked, her eyes flickering between Naruto and Sasuke.
Sakura giggled. "They've been like this since the academy. It only got worse when they were placed on Team Seven together. You don't know how frustrating it was just to watch their stupid rivalry," she answered, rolling her eyes at past memories.
"Oh believe me, I know," Tenten replied in full understanding. She knew exactly what Sakura had been through because a pair of equally frustrating rivals existed in her team as well. "Lee and Neji's rivalry was equally as frustrating to watch. Lee would always talk about wanting to finally beat Neji at something but then Neji would insult him, and then an all out battle would rage on."
"Oh gosh, I know right? Naruto and Sasuke-kun's rivalry seemed endless. They were always fighting, Naruto trying to beat Sasuke-kun and Sasuke-kun insulting Naruto," she continued. "Boys and their stupid rivalry."
They both rolled their eyes as they watched the two males continue their glaring contest. Their glares were equally as intense, both chilling to the bone and filled with ire. Tenten could have sworn she saw electricity being passed through their glares. A few more moments passed and Sasuke and Naruto still hadn't backed down, leading to the annoyance of the girls. They shared a look of understanding before counting down silently as they got their fists ready.
"Now!"
At that moment with equal synchronisation the two girls pummelled their respective lovers in the heads, successfully breaking the contest. They both groaned in response as they rubbed the spots they punched, Sasuke glaring at Tenten who was now smirking at him in response. Naruto was too overcome with pain and trying to ease it to even glare at Sakura, not that he ever would. It was the second punch he had had to endure that night and barely ten minutes had passed since the first one. He should have already been used to Sakura's punches since they happened on a regular basis but they just seemed to get worse every time.
"You spend too much time with Sakura," Sasuke grumbled as he rubbed his head. Tenten frowned at the implication. "It's not because of that. I've always been like this."
Sasuke scowled. "No you haven't. I don't remember you hitting this hard," he said to her.
"That's only because you haven't made me angry enough for me to hit that hard. Besides, only Neji and Lee have had a taste of my full power," she explained. Sasuke's face darkened at the mention of Neji's name which sadly, did not go unnoticed. The brunette rolled her eyes.
"Oh quit your whining. I told you, Neji and I never had anything going on so stop getting that look every time I mention his name," she complained. Sasuke was about to protest but Tenten shut him off with a glare. Naruto and Sakura watched the whole exchange in newfound curiosity and amusement. They had never actually seen an argument between the two so it was pretty new to watch. Plus, they never actually thought that Sasuke would be reduced to the ferocity of a kitten with a single glare from Tenten.
"I guess that means Tenten wears the pants of the relationship behind closed doors," Naruto commented with a smirk. Sasuke snapped his head in the direction of Naruto and gave him a piercing glare out of anger.
"You took the words right out of my mouth," Sakura added, enjoying teasing her former teammate. Sasuke's face darkened, that was not true.
Tenten laughed. "Truer words have never been said," she responded with a mocking smile. Sasuke turned to her and narrowed his eyes. Not her too, he grumbled. Tenten's smile only widened, it was just so fun to tease him.
"Shut up all of you," he growled, clearly taking offence to the remarks. The three shared a look before bursting out into laughter, Sasuke crossing his arms with a scowl on his face. He hated how easy it had become to tick him off. In the past he wouldn't have given a damn of what people thought or said about him but now, he became offended if anyone insulted him in front of Tenten. He had only now realised that Tenten really did have him wrapped around her finger. She made him go soft and he didn't know whether that was a good thing or not.
Tenten calmed down, rubbing his arms gently while Sasuke looked away. "Okay, okay. There's no need to become so offended Sasuke," she said consolingly. "It's only us you know."
Sasuke still refused to look at her. He wasn't mad or anything, he just liked it when she used that tone with him. It was reserved just for cheering him up which was what made it so special. Tenten pouted, "Come on Sasuke. Don't ignore me."
By that point Naruto and Sakura had broken off from their conversation with the two, getting involved in another one of their daily arguments. Sasuke and Tenten turned to watch the two argue, interested in what had sparked up so suddenly. Naruto seemed to be trying to diffuse the situation whilst Sakura had popped a vein in the side of her neck as her anger continued to do everything but reside. Naruto flashed Sakura a lost smile, "I didn't mean it like that Sakura-chan."
"Yeah? Well what was it supposed to mean huh Naruto? You just said that Tenten and I need to eat less! You're clearly insinuating that we're fat!" Sakura exclaimed in an angry puff. Sometimes she wondered why she even bothered. It wasn't like Naruto would learn that a girl's feelings were very fragile, he was just too dense for that. As soon as she heard her name Tenten perked up instantly before a frown crept onto her face.
"You said what?" she yelled in disbelief, wondering if she heard Naruto correctly. By now Naruto was sporting a very frightened look as he watched the two females in front of him crack their knuckles. He had become too distracted by the angry females to notice the smug smirk on Sasuke's face, who was now enjoying every moment. Sasuke knew what the kunoichi he dated was capable of and he was glad that someone else rather than him had become her target. "I-I didn't mean it in a bad way Sakura-chan, Tenten. I was just saying that you should eat less meat because you'll get fat."
His words of defence didn't seem to appease the girls, in fact it clearly seemed to encourage their ire. Sasuke silently snickered to himself at the boy's misfortune. Only an idiot would use the word 'fat' when trying to defend themselves after insulting a female's weight. It would only trigger more incandescence, so much that he was sure that Naruto would be killed before he became Hokage.
"Naruto," the girls growled simultaneously, cracking their knuckles. Naruto gulped as the two came closer, his death becoming more imminent. "Sasuke!" he pleaded, his pride finally being thrown away as he shared a hopeful glance with the Uchiha. The girls snapped their heads toward him, both giving him deadly glares to communicate that should he get involved, he would suffer the same fate. He held his hands up in surrender; it wasn't like he was going to get involved no matter how many times the Kyuubi vessel begged. In fact he wanted nothing more than to watch the scene unfold before him.
"I'm sorry!"
"As you can see you were the one who messed up the double date, which makes argument number one that double dates and us just don't mix," Sasuke pointed out smugly, his grin becoming wider when he noticed the frown stretched upon the kunoichi's features.
"But that's only because it was Naruto we had the double date with! The guy is just so stupid sometimes it's hard not to want to pummel him to the ground!" she protested and Sasuke couldn't help but agree with her. Naruto really was an idiot and it was hard to resist the temptation of punching him every time he laid his onyx eyes on him.
"True, but that doesn't support why we should go on this double date. What makes this one so different anyways? They're all annoying," he merely replied, stating his honest opinions. Tenten glared at him, seemingly offended. "They're not annoying! None of our friends are annoying," she protested vehemently.
Sasuke put his hands him in surrender. He knew how sensitive she became when someone happened to harm those closest to her in any way. "Fine, they're not all annoying but you have to admit that they do become annoying."
Tenten sighed in resignation. What he was saying was true. Sometimes she got really annoyed with Lee's excessiveness or Sakura's complaining over Naruto. However that was what made them them and she loved them for it. "You're right there. But still, even if they can be annoying, I don't see why we can't go on that double date. I always thought that you had a high tolerance level," she said slyly.
He merely rolled his eyes before continuing on unfazed, disappointing Tenten greatly.
Tenten and Hinata's eyes darted between the two in worry and concern. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea both girls thought, tinges of regret floating in their eyes. Sasuke and Neji were now glaring rather intensely at each other, both sitting rigidly as their fists continuously clenched and unclenched. Their glaring contest had begun the moment the two had laid eyes upon each other, creating the extended and rather uncomfortable tense atmosphere that surrounded the quartet. The four were on a double date that the girls had arranged, with both women hoping that the two men would behave themselves once they made their appearances known to the other. However all hope diminished the moment they noticed the rather unpleasant reactions. All they could do was sit tight and at least hope that the glaring contest wouldn't turn into something more deadly.
Obviously, fate was not on their side that day as things could only get worse, beginning with one of the two prodigies finally opening his mouth. "Hyuga," Sasuke spat in distaste, keeping a levelled eye on the man. Neji only clenched his fist tighter at the acknowledgement, spitting out an "Uchiha" in the same fashion.
Tenten and Hinata could only watch nervously, both holding their breaths in suspense. It was as if the possibility of making the slightest bit of movement would evoke the deadliest of reactions. The awkward silence that had overcome the four after the brief exchanging of words lasted almost ten minutes until Tenten decided that she had had enough. She wasn't going to spend her whole night sitting quietly, watching her boyfriend and her teammate glare each other to their deaths. No, she was going to enjoy this night and prove to herself that the money she had spent on this night wasn't for nothing.
Without warning Tenten called the waiter over and began to order, all attention diverting to her at once. Sasuke seemed quite annoyed at the disruption, wanting to continue glaring the Hyuga down but a quiet rumble of his stomach told him that his glare down could wait. Right now his stomach needed filling. "What are you having Neji?" Tenten suddenly asked after giving her order, her gaze falling upon the older prodigy. Neji didn't reply as he began to order himself, slightly eyeing the suddenly livid Uchiha heir.
Sasuke was seething. How dare she ask him, her teammate and good for nothing loser, before him, her beloved and one and only? Wasn't he supposed to order next? Not that stupid Hyuga? Aside from the obvious anger he was radiating from his vera being, he was slightly, well very, jealous. He knew that Tenten and the Hyuga were never really together, with both being distracted with their own partners, but still he could not help the jealousy that always overcame him when she interacted with the opposite gender, most especially the Hyuga. He was fully aware of the previous gossiping made by older kunoichi about how the two seemed to make a great couple and couldn't help the suspicions that arose. She had always told him that they were purely platonic but then again...
Tenten nudged him in the ribs when she felt the familiar green with envy aura as well as blazing red anger that surrounded her boyfriend. Sasuke looked at her quizzically, to which she responded with a hardened glare. Stop acting jealous, she seemed to mentally communicate with him but he merely rolled his eyes as he looked away. Tenten fumed, why was he ignoring her? He was really very childish sometimes, much to her chagrin.
Hinata watched the exchange in what seemed like a mix between silent amusement and confusion. What was with Sasuke-san's reaction? And why had Tenten-chan asked Neji-nii first? And why was everybody looking at her now? Oh wait; embarrassedly Hinata looked down at her menu before looking up to tell the waiter her order. After a full minute of stuttering and stumbling over her words the waiter was finally released to give the orders to the kitchen, leaving the four to their own thoughts.
"What was the point of this double date Hinata-sama, Tenten?" Neji suddenly spoke up, acknowledging both females. Tenten decided to let Hinata respond, seeing as how Sasuke seemed to darken even more when her name left Neji's lips. Sasuke's eyes flitted between the two, lingering on Tenten slightly longer to observe the tanned face he could never get enough of. "W-well you see, Tenten-chan wanted to do something today and seeing as how we were free, she suggested a double date between the four of us," Hinata explained, Sasuke slightly surprised and amazed that the girl could talk for so long without stuttering. After seeing her order, fumbling continuously with her words, he was expecting her to continue with her old habits but it seemed that the Hyuga prodigy seemed to leave an air of confidence within her.
However his amazement was short lived when he fully comprehended the girl's words. In an instant his head snapped toward Tenten, a blatant scowl on his face. "You planned this?" he gritted out, furious that she caused such an abomination to take place. Tenten stared back at him defiantly, already expecting his outburst. "I don't see what's wrong with it. Hinata didn't seem to mind."
"Didn't you think for a second that I happened to mind? Perhaps the Hyuga too?" he retorted quite angrily. This worried Hinata; she didn't want to see her two friends get involved in a fight because of something she was equally guilty for. "I-It's not her fault Sasuke-san. I allowed Tenten-chan to continue," Hinata defended, trying to keep her voice firm.
"Stay out of this Hinata. This is between me and Tenten," Sasuke snapped, keeping a firm eye on the brunette who was now glaring at him. This happened to only cue Neji's participation in the sudden reversal in events. "Don't talk to her like that Uchiha!" he bursted in offence.
Although slightly shocked at Sasuke's response, she felt the need to defend him so as not to create any further chaos from occurring. "It's okay Neji-nii. It's not his fault. He does have a point right? We should've asked you two before planning," Hinata said gently, tugging on his shirt. He looked down at her in slight surprise. "There's no need to defend him Hinata-sama. You're not in the wrong. He is," he replied with such venom that it attracted the defence of a certain Uchiha.
Sasuke broke the silent glaring contest between him and Tenten before looking rather dangerously at the Hyuga. "Watch what you're saying Hyuga," he spat out with a scowl.
"And why would I do that?" Neji responded with an air of superiority. Sasuke glowered at the older man, trying to resist the urge to pull him by his collar and Chidori him right through the chest cavity. God, the man was so infuriating. How could Tenten stand this pompous ass?
Tenten noticed the dramatic change in atmosphere and was beginning to get agitated, especially with the way both males seemed to glare dangerously at each other. Seeing her friend's similar reaction, Tenten leaned forward to softly whisper a plan to her in case anything got out control. "This was a bad idea, wasn't it?" Tenten whispered to Hinata rather regretfully.
She noticed her friend's sullen expression, making her slightly frown. "It's not your fault Tenten-chan. In fact it's mine. I shouldn't have encouraged you," Hinata responded. Tenten shook her head in disapproval. "Yours? I don't see how this could be your fault. It was all mine. I shouldn't have suggested that double date in the first place. Especially when I knew how much the both of them hated each other. I guess I was wistfully hoping that this would change their relationship for the better but it only changed for the worst," she sighed.
"Neji-nii's never really acted like this with anyone. Maybe Sasuke-san is special," she mused, hoping to lighten up the dim atmosphere. "Neji's the one who truly brings out the worst in Sasuke, not Naruto," Tenten replied in an equally lighthearted tone.
Just as the words left her mouth, the sudden exchanging of blows was heard as both girls widened their eyes and dropped their jaws, shellshocked. What the hell happened? They were only having a conversation which barely lasted a minute and all of a sudden both boys were getting ready for a fight to the death. Were they missing something here? Apparently they were as they heard Sasuke mutter something about Tenten dating before trying to land another punch on the Hyuga.
Sasuke and Neji were currently standing up from their seats in front of each other, with both having a firm grasp on the other's collar. Their free hands were clenched into fists that were turning white in anger as they were held dangerously close to each other's faces. Appalled that the two would even think of hosting a fight in the middle of a public restaurant where she could feel almost all pairs of eyes focused on the four of them in contempt, Tenten was about to lash out and knock both of them on their heads when she felt a hand on her arm. Hinata was looking concerned and worried, "Violence won't do."
She sighed, Hinata was right. But how could she tell that to the other two who were so close to committing another round of violence? Apparently she didn't need to say anything as the manager of the restaurant himself came up to the four of them before loudly barking that the four get out before he fined them all for disrupting the pleasant ambience of the restaurant and damaging furniture.
"Argument number tw–"
"You were the one who messed up the second date! You got us kicked out!" Tenten interjected as Sasuke was about to smartly comment. Sasuke didn't do anything but smirk at her in his usual infuriating fashion.
"Exactly. I'm reason number two as to why we can't and will not go on any double dates in the future. The people you manage to set these blind dates with always happen to bring out the worse in me," he smugly remarked, feeling satisfied when he noticed her glare.
"That only happened once, and with Neji nonetheless," Tenten pointed out, almost sighing when she noticed his scowl at the mention of her teammate. "That was one too many," he retorted evenly, neutralising his expression.
Tenten rolled her eyes at his logic. "It was only once. You can't possibly predict that you'll overreact again on this date," she tried reasoning, hoping that she would finally get through his thick skull. However if she wasn't already fully aware that the man she was dating was as stubborn as a mule, she wouldn't have suggested it in the first place. But since Tenten was equally as stubborn, she did so anyways.
"Who happens to be going on this date anyways?" he asked casually.
"Lee," she blurted mindlessly before she came to a sudden realisation. Tenten looked up to see Sasuke smirking deviously at her, and she knew she was on the verge of defeat.
"Ah, your green spandex clad friend. Well, you can already envision what would happen between us but if you insist on arguing against me, it would be my absolute pleasure to entertain you," he drawled rather confidently, giving her a worrying wink.
Troublesome. The date was troublesome, which was ironic because the very one who always complained about everything being troublesome was on the date himself. Ino and Tenten were conversing rather enthusiastically with the other, completely ignoring their respective partners who were now sitting rather silently and staring blankly at the other. It was awkward nonetheless. Both males were barely acquainted with each other, bringing forth the awkward atmosphere that had developed. For the first time in his life Sasuke was silently wishing that the one sitting in front of him was Naruto instead of the ever lazy genius Shikamaru.
"This is so troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, taking a sip out of his drink. Sasuke slightly nodded in agreement. This date, no double dates in general, were always troublesome. What was the point of them anyways? They only caused more money to be spent and it always meant that there was no time for much needed alone time, with his girlfriend constantly being whisked away by one of her friends and becoming too busy to pay attention to him, the one actually suffering through the whole date. "Women," Sasuke breathlessly mumbled after sparing a glance toward his oblivious girlfriend.
"They have us wrapped around their little fingers," Shikamaru replied in what seemed like slight distaste but was really amusement.
"We're pathetic," Sasuke added distastefully. Tenten had him wrapped around her little finger, and surprisingly he didn't really mind. Honestly the old him would have been disgusted at this new information but the new him, well the new him was oddly joyous. It was like he enjoyed being wrapped around Tenten's finger.
"Not pathetic, just maybe too willing?" he suggested, finding the word 'pathetic' an insult to himself. He was not pathetic. He was just too lazy to argue with Ino, especially since the girl had the stubbornness of a mule. "Perhaps," came Sasuke's curt reply before the awkward silence was bestowed upon them once more. Normally Sasuke wouldn't think too hard about starting a conversation since he was usually one to avoid such trivialities but for some odd reason, he had developed a strange need to get the conversation going. He felt as though this was going to be the first successful double date the two had ever experienced and wanted to make it happen, no matter how vehement his protests were.
Tenten decided at this moment to look away for a second to sport a glance at her boyfriend who was just sitting there, a blank expression in tact as the male in front of him looked rather bored. She couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, halting Ino in her words when she noticed that her friend's attention was elsewhere. Ino stared quizzically at the older girl until her eyes followed Tenten's line of vision, focusing on the two rather awkward males who were just sitting there like a bunch of fools. It was now Ino's turn to let out a soft giggle, amused to see the two acting like that.
"I never realised how close they were," Tenten mocked sarcastically, her chuckle growing in volume. Ino nodded in agreement at the girl's sarcastic words. "Yeah, they're practically best buddies," she continued. Both girls continued laughing rather loudly until a soft tap on Tenten's shoulder stopped their incessant giggling. She looked up to find her boyfriend's onyx irises stare at her in a bemused fashion, thus evoking another unintentional giggle to escape her lips.
"Why are you laughing?" Sasuke drawled out, finally getting some attention from the woman he had been watching the whole night.
"You just never told me you were such good friends with Shikamaru," she replied, sharing another look with Ino before erupting into more giggles. Sasuke rolled his eyes at her sarcasm while Shikamaru didn't bat an eyelid, choosing to ignore the joke.
Ino, who took note of Shikamaru's lack of response, took it upon herself to slightly elbow him in the stomach. He turned to her looking unimpressed. "What?" he drawled, the Yamanaka frowning at yet another lacking response.
"The least you could do is show that you have some energy you know. So rude," she bristled, but Shikamaru paid no heed. He was far too lazy to start arguing with her. It would be a waste to spend all his well conserved energy on something so trivial.
Instead he gave her a lazy nod, "Got it."
Ino looked away in contempt, muttering incoherent curses under her breath while Tenten watched in amusement. "If we were other people, it would've been considered rude but since we all know how lazy Shikamaru is, I guess we can let him off the hook. Right Sasuke?"
She nudged him in the stomach when she noticed that he had yet to respond. Sasuke reluctantly nodded before deciding to close his eyes to block out the surrounding company. What was he to do here? The one person he wanted to be alone with was ignoring him for her friend and the only other company was the laziest man in the world who he never had really spoken to. Plus the restaurant itself was quite ugly so there really was nothing for him to stare at either.
The brunette sighed at his behaviour before turning back to converse with the mind jutsu specialist, leaving him all alone with Shikamaru for company once again. "I'm going to be blunt here Sasuke. I don't really like you after all you did, but you're important to Naruto and the rest of our peers so I'm willing to be civilised with you. Holding a grudge is such a drag."
At this Sasuke cracked open an eye to look at the male in front of him who was gazing lazily at him. "We haven't really spoken much so I don't really know you but since you're important to the village and Tenten here insists that we get along, I'm willing to try."
Instead of shaking hands, they gave each other mutual nods as a sigh of agreement before returning to their own devices – Sasuke with his eyes closed and Shikamaru with his head propped up on the table.
The girls meanwhile were none too impressed at this new development. After exchanging a few words they were back to being strangers again, meaning that any double dates they had planned in the future would go down the drain if half of the quartet were unwilling to interact.
"Ino we need to do something," Tenten muttered to Ino after witnessing the scene.
She nodded in agreement. "I know but what can we do? Our food hasn't even arrived and we can't just very well storm out of here to go somewhere else where they'd be bound to interact," Ino replied absently, not noticing that she had just made a grave mistake.
Tenten's eyes twinkled deviously when she heard Ino's plan. That wasn't so bad actually. They technically didn't have to pay if they didn't eat anything, but that only meant the food would be wasted. However the situation was becoming dire so she could let a few plates of yummy, delicious, mouth watering food pass. Even if her stomach was growling like there was no tomorrow.
When Ino turned to face her weapon specialist friend she noticed the signature glint and knew where this was going to lead to. Before she could even begin to protest, the brunette had dragged her up and had announced to the two males that they were moving out.
"The food hasn't even come yet and you already want to leave? Then what was the point of dragging us out here if you weren't even going to eat in the first place?" Sasuke asked incredulously, exasperated at the new change of plan. Really if he knew it was going to be like this he could've just bought takeout rather than eat out at some expensive restaurant.
Tenten's grin didn't falter, in fact it only grew wider as she became even more determined to fulfill her plans. "This is such a drag," Shikamaru muttered before reluctantly standing up, practically forcing the Uchiha to go along with their spontaneous plans.
As the four made their way out, the waiters who had just been carrying their food were surprised to find that their customers were no longer to be seen. In fact they were leaving the restaurant at that very moment. Frantic, they placed the plates of food down before rushing after the four to retrieve them. They had to at least pay right? Regardless of whether they had even touched the food or not.
"Excuse me, sirs, ma'ams. We just noticed that you haven't paid yet for your meal," one of the waiters said when they had finally caught up to them.
They were barely even out of the restaurant and they had already been caught. Sasuke rolled his eyes at this development while Shikamaru paid no heed, deciding to let the women handle this. Ino meanwhile was looking worriedly at Tenten who still had a grin plastered on her face.
She turned to face the waiters, her eyes twitching slightly. "I'm sorry about the inconvenience but we decided that we weren't going to eat here anymore so we aren't obligated to pay for our orders."
"But the chefs have already finished cooking your meal and they're already at your table." Tenten looked behind to him to see that their dishes had indeed arrived. Maybe they should just head back, but no that would be going against what she had been so determined to do.
"So if you wouldn't mind, please do pay for your orders. Usually we would let it slide but as we have caught up with you, you are under the obligation to pay," the waiter reasoned firmly.
Tenten frowned before fiddling with the sides of her hair buns where she had kept a few senbon needles handy. Sasuke, who noted where this was going, decided to step in to stop themselves from getting into anymore trouble.
"We'll pay you as long as you allow us to leave afterward," he compromised to which the waiter nodded, happy at the new turnout in events.
The brunette however, was unhappy. She didn't want to pay for food she wasn't going to end up eating. This was a scandal, a blasphemy. "No, we're not paying you anything so good day sir."
The waiter was appalled. "But you just said you would."
She shook her head. "Sasuke said he would, not me and I'm in charge of the money here so he has no authority."
Sasuke bristled at the girl's stubbornness. Really, it was at times like these he just wanted to tape her mouth together and stop her from talking. "We'll pay them half price then. Isn't that better? We won't be paying full price and you'll be saving money."
The waiter tried to protest. "But sir–"
"Zero," Tenten interjected with a glare.
"Fifty," Sasuke compromised.
"Zero. Nothing."
"Half the price," he insisted.
"I'll only accept less than ten percent and that's my final offer."
"Twenty five percent then."
"I said ten."
He looked at her incredulously.
"Who the hell would allow you to only pay ten percent of the food? No one. Be reasonable Tenten."
She scoffed. "I am being reasonable Sasuke. It's the stupid restaurants who aren't."
He rolled his eyes. "Just stop being stubborn and pay him the damn money."
"I'm not being stubborn and I won't pay him the damn money. We are getting out of here without any money being taken out of our wallets."
Ino and Shikamaru, who had been watching the entire scene helplessly, apologised for their friends' antics and decided to pay the waiters the money themselves. It had been a few minutes since they had done so and had quietly left, leaving the two bickering lovebirds to create a scene.
The waiter was hesitant to break them up. "E-Excuse me sir, ma'am."
"What?" He was suddenly shot two fierce glares that had snapped toward him after he disrupted their argument. He was hesitant to continue in fear for his life.
"Your friends have already paid for the meal so there's really no need to argue," another waiter finished sheepishly, watching as comprehension dawned on them when they noticed the lack of two people.
They both bowed to them in apology, leaving the waiters staring after them in bewilderment.
"And there you have it, three very valid reasons as to why we just don't mix with double dates. Unless you still have anything else to argue against then be my guest, but I'm going to go take a shower," the Uchiha finished with a triumphant smirk when he noticed his lover seated mutely on the couch.
He was about to turn around when she suddenly looked at him with unreadable chocolate orbs. "How about a date? Just you and me? Does that sound fine to you or are you going to argue against me?"
She was smirking now and he had no heart to refuse, not when they hadn't had a date in so long. "Fine, but only if we aren't doubling up with someone."
Her smirk grew wider. "Of course."
And he knew he shouldn't had trusted that smirk when he caught sight of the familiar green and orange eyesore that was Rock Lee.
"Sasuke-kun! Tenten!" he called out to them ebulliently, the latter waving enthusiastically.
"Over here Lee!"
Sasuke turned to her with a murderous aura. "I'm going home."
Tenten looked up at him with a smile. "No you're not."
His brows furrowed. "Who says?"
Her expression turned dangerous as she lifted the edge of her dress only just slightly to show him the abundance of scrolls she had managed to tie to her thigh.
"Me."