Wow - you guys are really liking this fic! :O This part is a little on the heavy side. ;)
Naruto and its characters do not belong to me.
The Cheap Way Out in Life
Part 2
v.
The air is a little different on their second dinner date.
Tenten doesn't know what to wear, or what to bring for dessert, so she settles for plain black tights and a large printed T-shirt, and rings the doorbell.
After all, her place is just across the street - she could always go back and change into something else if he finds this offensive, right?
Neji answers the door soon enough; she smiles awkwardly at him, and he steps back, to allow her to enter.
The interior of Hyuuga Neji's home, although located in her run-down neighborhood, is nothing like what its plain exterior leads one to think. The living area floors are hardwood, there's a stone fireplace, and plush couches around a cherrywood coffee table. A quick glance into his kitchen reveals a polished stone counter and marbled floors, and elegant wood-toned cabinets.
"Wow," she breathes, on the threshold of his home and staring at everything.
"The flies are going to get in if you remain standing there for too long," he tells her, and she jerks out of her trance, moving to a side to allow him to shut the door.
"Aren't you... busy with work?" she asks, remembering that he works as an accountant, and is probably awake most nights crunching numbers.
He gives a half-shrug, pale eyes sliding off her to look in the direction of the kitchen. "I cleared some space in my schedule. Have a seat."
"Okay." Tenten sits gingerly on one of the black leather couches, but not before handing him a plastic carrier. "I brought ice cream."
"I'm not actually a fan of sweet things," Neji answers, and she winces.
"Well, they're green tea popsicles. I figured you might like those," Tenten says, motioning towards the bag.
Neji blinks in surprise, and looks at the box within. His eyebrows lift. "I'll give it a try," he concedes. She smiles.
He returns from the kitchen with a steaming mug and a can of beer - the same brand she has at home - and Tenten stares at him, dumbfounded.
"Did you buy that just for tonight?" she blurts, accepting the ice-cold can with a low word of thanks. "I can't imagine you drinking."
He shrugs, and takes a seat on the adjacent couch, sipping from his mug of green tea. "I drink sometimes, though I prefer wine."
Tenten allows her shoulders to sag, relieved that he didn't just go out of his way to get what he thought she enjoys.
"That's not my preferred brand," he adds offhandedly. "A little too sweet for my tastes."
"Oh." Oops. So he did go out of his way for the beer. She stares at the can and gulps, awkwardly pulling the tab. The beer fizzles into her mouth and down her throat, tasting of malt and hops and barley. She licks her lips after that mouthful, setting the can down on a coaster, before looking back at him. "My favorite is actually the Suna Lager... but that costs a ton."
He dips his chin. "Noted."
"Why are you treating me so well?" she says, unable to rid the question that's been lingering on her mind ever since that night. It doesn't make sense that he's been all smug and damn annoying and he's suddenly kissing her and asking to meet for a second dinner and stuff. "Did you hit your head when you slipped on the marbles?"
Neji's lips quirk in a smile. "Maybe I did."
"That's not answering the question," she retorts, narrowing her eyes at him.
"It's too early for this, isn't it?" he asks, sipping his green tea again, before placing his mug on the table.
Tenten glances towards the kitchen. "You asked me to be here at six instead of seven - do you have to finish dinner early or something?"
Neji shakes his head lightly. "No."
"What's for dinner?" she queries next, confused.
"Herring soba. But that's already prepared," Neji tells her quietly.
Her mouth goes dry when he moves to her couch instead, settling just inches away from her. Tenten doesn't miss the hard lines of his arms, the way his pale eyes are fixed on her, and how she kind of wishes she knew what's beneath his shirt and trousers.
"About the other night," Neji whispers.
She stares when he licks his lips. His Adam's apple bobs when he swallows, and Tenten stops thinking when he leans over her, slanting his mouth over hers.
His lips are soft and his tongue silky, when he slips into her mouth, tangling with her. Neji is warm and tastes like tea. Vaguely, she feels his hand drag over her thigh, past the swell of her hip, and an answering flare of heat wells in her middle. It feels absolutely natural for her to lean into his touch, for him to slip his hand under her shirt. He eases her lips open wider; she's drunk on the slickness of his flesh and reaches for him, closing her fist in the fabric of his shirt.
Neji presses her back into the couch; Tenten doesn't know when exactly it changes from very intense kissing, to very intense touching. He trails his fingers down her midriff, past her abdomen, between her legs, where she burns for him, and she raises her hips to meet his touch, hungry for more.
They forget about dinner for a long time after that.
.
It is only when they're well into an awkward dinner that Neji asks, "Who is Lee?"
Tenten blinks at him in surprise. It's occurred to her that Neji is being very bold for not knowing what her relationship with Lee is, but it's not like she's done anything to dampen his interest. She's accepted his dinner request after that kiss, and now...
That Lee is her legal husband is not a point relevant to this discussion - she and Lee are in it for the monetary benefits, after all. "Lee is..." She pauses, and shrugs. "He's my best friend."
"Are you involved with him?" is Neji's next question. She looks up from her bowl of half-finished herring soba - he almost seems to be too close, over the mahogany dining table - and swallows at the intensity with which he's looking at her.
Almost as if he's ready to consume her if she answered in the negative.
"No, I'm not," she informs him, and ducks her head to finish the rest of the noodles. The broth he's made is rich and flavorful - savory with hints of ginger and seaweed - and the soba is light, chewy. Even the slices of fish are delicate - sweet and tender - and Tenten wishes he'd let her enjoy the dinner without excessive talk on where they're headed.
Because she's positive that this isn't the last she'd see of him, and it is most certainly not the only time she'll sleep with him.
"The noodles are good," she says instead, and picks the bowl up to finish the last of her soup.
"There's dessert, too," Neji answers. She doesn't know what he means by that - she's looking at the gleaming white of her ceramic bowl and trying to quell the gush of anticipation in her stomach.
"I'll do the dishes," Tenten volunteers, to distance herself from his presence for a while.
She stands abruptly, extends a hand for his bowl - he hands it to her - and makes her way to the elegant kitchen. Washing dishes is simple enough, and distracting enough for her to almost forget the new dampness on her panties.
Is this too sudden? she asks herself. It's worth every bit of pause, though, because Neji's touch is exquisite, and his presence is comfortable (without all that smugness and arrogance, surprisingly), and he makes her think of heated, lurid moments with his tongue-
Tenten feels him standing behind her just heartbeats before he touches her waist, and she stills, warm water filling the bowl in her hands.
"I was thinking about dessert," Neji says quietly behind her, and steps closer, so she can feel the heat of his body through their clothes.
She stares unseeingly at the closed blinds in front of her, so focused on the way his hand slips beneath her too-large shirt, and smooths up her stomach, to her bra. A gasp slips from her lips - it doesn't take a genius to figure where this is going, not when Neji leans in close and drags his lip along the shell of her ear.
He reaches around her with his other hand and shuts off the water, takes the bowl from her hands and sets it aside. And she can't think, not when he cups the side of her bottom, the heat of his palm searing through her thin tights, and his fingers steal downward, to her center, and oh god, is she wet-
Neji exhales quickly next to her ear, grinding the patch of damp cloth into her slick flesh, and it's all she can do to grab the cool edges of the sink and push her hips towards him, to make him stop with this torture.
"Dessert?" he murmurs in her ear, increasing that tempting pressure.
There's no doubt as to which variety he's referring to.
"Yes, please," Tenten groans, needing more of this, without all the cumbersome clothes getting in their way.
"Louder," he whispers, and she shudders, crying out when he nudges her swollen flesh.
"Neji!" she moans, gasping for breath. "Please!"
He smirks against the crook of her neck and bends her over, fitting the telling hardness at his groin against her flesh.
The awkwardness between them melts, again, and Tenten vaguely wonders if this will be all there is to Neji-and-Tenten.
vi.
Lee doesn't question the increasing frequency with which Tenten visits Hyuuga Neji's home. Sometimes she stays the night, and sometimes she returns just after half an hour or so.
It's obvious that there's something going on between them. She's revealed that he's kissed her, though Lee knows that there's more taking place than that; Tenten brushes off the bruises on her neck as souvenirs of unfortunate falls, and Lee doesn't press her for a more honest answer. Unlike Ino, who has a penchant for juicy details, Tenten's sex life is none of his concern, unless Neji is actually hurting her in some way or other.
But he sees the change in her disposition, how she's becoming more cheerful these days, and although he's happy about this progress, it doesn't alter the fact that he and Tenten are still legally married. Tenten hasn't broached the topic of divorce anytime soon, either.
"Tenten," Lee says one day, during dinner, when they're both home and she isn't in a hurry to make her way across the street. "How are you and Neji doing?"
She looks up from her stir-fried noodles, blinking at him. "Why the sudden question?"
He sets aside thoughts of his food, and fixes her with a hard stare. "Neji knows that you're married, right?"
Surprise flickers across her face, followed almost immediately by guilt. "Well, no," she says slowly. "I figured that things wouldn't go far enough for that to be a concern."
"Are they? Going that far, I mean," Lee clarifies, looking at her worriedly. Neji has not visited the rental place ever since his first dinner here, and Lee doesn't fault him for it - the Hyuuga are known for being wealthier and more arrogant than the average person, after all.
A fetching blush rises on Tenten's cheeks. "I, um, no, we aren't. It's casual, Lee - I've told you that."
"And Neji knows that you don't intend to take this further?" he presses.
"With how he-" Tenten pauses abruptly, and flushes a deep crimson. "Um. Yes. He knows. We're just sort-of friends."
Lee continues to scrutinize her for a while longer - Tenten looks indignantly at him, red-faced - and he finally breaks into a smile. "I'm happy for you," he tells her.
She looks genuinely confused. "Why?"
"Because you're happy with him," Lee explains, and remembers the times she's looked off into the distance, as if in an elated daze. "I was right about you and Neji having chemistry together."
"More like some sort of biology," Tenten mutters, though Lee isn't sure if she meant him to hear that.
"Just remember that you have my support in everything you do," he tells her all the same, with a bright grin and a thumbs-up. "I'm perfectly willing to call off this arrangement between us if you feel that it's necessary."
She smiles at him, hazel eyes sparkling. "Thanks, Lee."
He just hopes, for her sake, that their marriage won't come to ruin things between her and their neighbor across the street.
vii.
It is three months after their first dinner, and the sunflowers are blooming, doing far better than Tenten originally thought they would. She hasn't grown anything before the sunflowers, though the success has been nudging her thoughts towards planting more seeds, to see how they'd do.
Conveniently, a packet of dill seeds showed up in the mailbox earlier this week, and Tenten finds herself conditioning yet another patch of ground in her front yard, with hopes of planting the dill as soon as she's done.
Lee's in the kitchen making breakfast; there is almost a sense of déjà vu when Neji comes jogging down the sidewalk, though he slows to a stop next to her, surveying her handiwork in the weak morning sunlight.
"The sunflowers are doing well," he remarks, stepping back to appraise the tall, blooming plants. She notes that he's dressed in his usual exercise gear, and that sweat gleams on his face and neck and arms. If he's looked attractive before, Hyuuga Neji looks especially virile now.
Tenten shrugs, and turns away from him to hide a smile. "I read that plants don't like to be bothered too often."
"A good approach to have," he agrees, and she looks back at him, grinning.
"You thought that at first - see what you've become!" she teases, and lowers her volume. "You're turning soft, Neji - you like being bothered."
Faint amusement flickers across his eyes; he crouches down next to her, giving her an almost-cocky smile. "Really."
Heat radiates from him through his clothes, and she leans closer to him by habit, eager for skin contact. The scent of his sweat is musky and appealing and oh-so-familiar.
"You do when I show up." Tenten grins, brushing dirt off her hands. "And you especially like when I touch-"
He silences her with a light kiss. "That isn't information to be shared with the public, Tenten," he chides lowly.
She remembers Lee in the kitchen then, and flushes, glancing at the open window. "Oops."
Hopefully, her best friend did not hear that.
"What are your plans for tonight?" Neji asks, glancing over her form.
Tenten swallows, her throat suddenly dry. "You keep doing that to me," she complains.
He raises an eyebrow. "What do I keep doing?"
"Looking at me." Tenten shivers, and whispers, "Like you're about to eat me."
"You like it," he retorts just as quietly, and leans in, so his lips are just next to her ear. "Especially between your legs."
"Neji!" Tenten hisses, her cheeks scorching.
He smirks and draws away. "Seven tonight?"
"Sure," she grouses, glowering at him as he gets to his feet.
"Enjoy the dill," Neji says over his shoulder, and Tenten has a moment to blink, before she realizes that the seed packet is face-down, on her other side, so he can't possibly have known that it was dill-
"It was you," she realizes, just as he's about to step onto the road.
Neji turns around, looking expectantly at her. Tenten tries not to stare too much at the profile of his face, and how his lips look so inviting in the morning sunlight. "Me?"
"You left the seeds," she tells him accusingly, disbelieving.
A tiny smile quirks his lips. "And?"
"You planned this all," Tenten continues, blinking stupidly at him.
Neji shrugs. "It was a gamble."
"Why even do it?" she asks. "When I'm only discovering it now?"
That annoying little smile is back, and Neji steps onto the road. "I wanted to see what you did with the seeds."
Like the night of that kiss so many weeks ago, Tenten stares after Neji, and doesn't know what to think.
viii.
Winter is waning, the sunflowers are long gone, and Tenten is pushing a huge shopping cart along the aisles of a large store with Neji at her side.
"Let it be known that this is domestic and I have no intention of getting into habits like this with you," she announces, even as she makes a beeline for the red-themed boxes upon boxes of products.
"Should I be offended that you don't want to go shopping with me when it's five minutes past midnight?" Neji questions mildly, trailing a few steps behind her. "Or should I be offended, instead, that our date is taking place in a cheap, employee-unfriendly hypermarket full of patrons who possess shopping cart rage and don't know how to dress themselves?"
Tenten snorts. "I'm just glad that you aren't spending stupid amounts of money on an overpriced Valentine's Day gift."
Neji slants a look at her. "You didn't even want a glimpse of my face earlier today."
"I was saving it for after midnight," she retorts, pausing when they arrive at the holiday candy aisles - the products there are on a fifty-percent discount, courtesy of the date and time.
"And the first thing you look at after midnight is discount candy," Neji observes dryly.
Tenten narrows her eyes, rounds on him, and plants a rough kiss on his lips. "There. Now let me do my shopping in peace."
"I'm paying for it, you know," he continues, following with his hands in his pockets.
She ignores him resolutely and piles bags upon bags of candy in her cart.
"Consuming too much at once may lead to weight gain," he says casually, and Tenten throws him an acid glower.
"Shut up if you know what's good for you," she bristles.
Neji merely looks smugly at her. "You're especially attractive when riled."
Tenten rolls her eyes, and steers her cart away from the other scavenging shoppers, who know (like she does) that the best pickings of the season are right about now.
They do not speak for some time while the cart trundles along, and Tenten scans all the shelves in case she's missed out on a good deal. She piles a few bags of cookie mix in the cart, and a green frog for Lee, like she always gets him every day-after-Valentine's-Day.
"A frog?" Neji questions, looking at the furry, stuffed amphibian.
"I'm paying for that. It's for Lee," Tenten explains, missing the fleeting dark look in his eyes.
"He gets something and I don't?" Neji asks quietly, and this time, she doesn't miss the jealousy on his countenance.
She frowns at him. "This isn't a Valentine's Day gift, if you must know. It's a tradition that's been going on ever since Lee and I were in middle school. We only do gift exchanges with discount things-"
"He's more important to you," Neji blurts, glancing between her and the frog.
"I'm just doing what I always do," Tenten snaps. "I don't want to miss out on a deal because I had to come back later after I spent time with you. The frog could be gone by then."
"So?" Neji says, folding his arms. "Is it that important? Am I not just as worthy of your attention?"
"This is just one minute compared to the rest of the night I'm spending with you," Tenten argues, tossing the frog into the cart. "You have issues if you can't let me do just this little thing for my best friend-"
"What am I to you, then?" Neji challenges, his eyes narrowing.
She sighs, and pushes her cart along to the hardware section of the store, where there aren't people watching them argue over a stupid discount toy. "What are we supposed to be, Neji?"
"You tell me," he mutters, frowning at her.
"I thought we were just... casual dates. Or something," Tenten mumbles, gripping the handle of the cart. There is too much pink wrapping in there, around her candy, and the sight of it is just wrong when Neji is frowning at her like she ought to have known better.
"Through all this time?" he asks, quietly, pale eyes boring into the side of her head. "It's been almost a year."
"What did you think we were?" she returns, swallowing hard. This is going a little too far out of control, and Tenten wishes she were alone and without difficult questions like what Neji is plying her with.
Neji catches her hand, lifts it, and reaches into his back pocket.
The silver glimmer catches her eye even before she thinks to react; Neji drops the ring into her palm, glancing at her face.
"I've been intending to give that to you," he says. It's a ring that's quite possibly a perfect fit for her ring finger, adorned with a single, sparkling aquamarine - her birthstone.
Tenten finds that she can't breathe.
Neji's forehead furrows, and he takes the ring back from her hand, shoving it back into his pocket.
"I- I'm married to Lee, you know," Tenten whispers, and the words are out of her mouth before she can think to take them back.
Lilac eyes widen, and narrow, and the fury on Neji's face is beautiful and frightening all at once.
"You're married?" he breathes, releasing her hand abruptly, as if burnt.
Tenten gulps. "Not like that- Neji!"
He's backing away, betrayal written all through his eyes, and Tenten takes a step towards him, wanting to say something, anything.
Even in anger, Hyuuga Neji is exquisite. His dark eyebrows are drawn together and his eyes are blazing. Tenten knows the feel of those cheekbones and those lips and suddenly it occurs to her that she's on the precipice of losing all of it.
All of them.
Neji turns to leave; she reaches out and grasps his arm to stop him.
He pauses, giving her a chance to explain herself.
"It was a marriage of convenience," Tenten pleads, hoping that he'd listen. "It's not what you think it is-"
"It doesn't change the fact that you lied to me," he mutters, his tone hard.
Something in her gut twists.
Tenten falters, releases his arm, and he's striding away, through the stocked aisle and turning so she loses sight of him within moments. How did things go wrong so quickly?
It is only when it sinks in that Neji has gone that she realizes how wrong this is - that she never saw him as being perfectly willing to walk out of her life, that she has been taking him for granted until now.
She looks around, at the car-cleaning kits and flashlights and aerosol cans, and allows herself to crumble, hugging the green frog to herself.
.
Much later, when she's recovered and resigned herself to losing Neji and walking home under the cloak of night, Tenten pushes her cart through the sliding doors of the store, looking around for the exit closest to home.
She recognizes the silver car by the front entrance and her gut constricts.
It isn't too late to pretend that she hasn't seen it, though, so she pushes the cart in the opposite direction along the road - maybe she should just wheel the cart of candy back home - it would be a lot easier than carrying plastic bags-
The silver car starts up, and reverses to match her pace.
Tenten keeps walking.
The passenger side window rolls down. "Get in," Neji tells her.
She almost pauses - almost - but keeps walking.
"I'm not repeating myself," he continues, with a touch of impatience.
"Why are you even doing this?" she snaps, glowering into the shadowy depths of the car.
"I won't have your husband holding me responsible for not seeing you home safe," he grits, the words sour between them, and Tenten feels her heart cracking in that moment.
She knows that Neji won't leave until she gets in the car. It's an almost endearing trait - were she in any other situation.
With a grimace, Tenten gathers her plastic bags and pulls the passenger-side door open, gracelessly dropping into the seat. The bags rustle and Neji drives her home in silence, and Tenten doesn't know if she's felt any more miserable in her life.
A/N: Did you see that coming? ;)
Thank you so much for all your reviews! They make my day :) This was supposed to be a one-shot, but it got out of hand. ;)
