The Thing About Embarrassment

(#12 Tadpole)

Summary: Best friends are totally aware of how stupid you are, but still manage to be seen with you in public.

Characters: Tenten and Lee

Word Count: 1,003

Tenten sat comfortably on the ledge of the building looking down at the passerby. She always sat on the ledge of some building every Saturday morning to think. She believed if one didn't sit down to contemplate things in their life they might miss something important. She only had one life, might as well think about it even if it was just a little bit, right?

Today she was settled on the top of her favorite bakery staring up at the sky. The sun plagued by timidity, was barely showing the tip of it's head to the sky. In return, the sky blushed a pink and orange array at her lover's reemergence.

Tenten imagined someone would surely question her sanity if they ever knew she compared the sky and sun to lovers. With a heavy sigh, Tenten leaned forward and rested her head on her upturned palms. Soon enough she'd have to move, the pressure of her elbows on her thighs was something she could only put up with for so long. Her elbows were just so damn bony.

Not too far away she could see a green awkward looking creature jumping and running about. The creature seemed to be exercising.

Tenten jolted out of her revere as the slamming of doors and voices below her punctured the lofty silence.

Her vision cleared and the objects resembled what they should resemble once more. The green jumpy thing off in the distance, she noted, turned out to be Lee exercising. "What a youthful day!" He cried in jubilation.

Tenten wasn't sure if she would smile at his enthusiasm or wince in embarrassment for her friend. Lee really never was embarrassed, sometimes that in itself proved embarrassing for her.

"Ugh!" A girl complained from somewhere below. Tenten shifted just enough so she could look down at the events occurring right at the foot of the building. "Won't he shut up?" The girl complained. Tenten knew her well enough. She was the skinny, pretty, dark-haired civilian who worked in the bakery she was currently settled upon some days. On average, Tenten really didn't like her. She was too jittery, gossipy, and flirty. Tenten found most civilian girls tended to be that way: savage without really getting their hands dirty. Words did alot more damage than people ever gave them justice for.

"He's such a freak." The dark-haired civilian gossiped savagely.

"Incredibly so." Another girl agreed with her heartily. "How he ever became a ninja is beyond me."

"Doesn't he remind you of a frog?" Another voice chimed.

"No way! There's no way he could possibly even be a frog! He's more like an ugly warty toad."

"A fly!"

Tenten tuned out the rest of the conversation, feeling more than just a bit annoyed. Just like them to talk about things they knew nothing about.

"Are he and that kunoichi dating?"

"The one with the two buns on her head?"

"I wouldn't think so," The bakery worker laughed, "she'd be smart enough to stay away from a dork like him." She grinned viciously, "I bet it's just pity. I mean, just look at him. Who would be friends with that voluntarily?"

Tenten bristled. Truth be told, on more than one occasion, she'd been accused of liking Lee or Neji. Apparently, being teammates with two boys meant she had to shack up with one of them. Also on more than one occasion they'd accused her of not liking either of them.

That accusation was more on the mark than the previous one. Upon getting assigned, she had made it painfully clear to Neji, Lee, Gai, and anyone else stupid enough to cross her the day the teams were assigned, that she did not like any of them. She'd told Lee he was an utter dork. She'd told Neji he was a poor excuse for a human being. And she'd told Gai she didn't want him an idiot for a teacher.

By nature, Tenten was easily embarrassed. Lee and Gai were the walking talking incarnation of embarrassment; and Neji, to put it simply, he was just a jerk.

She was a jerk too.

She knew that now, and had done everything possible to rectify her original cruel statements.

Yeah, Neji was mean, but he was also nice when he let the walls down.

Yeah, Lee was a dweeb, but he was a very good person.

Yeah, Gai was weird, but he was an excellent teacher.

She swung off the building, landing right before the group of chittering girls. "Oh, buzz off, flies. Lee's a really nice guy."

"He's a freak." The bakery worker said cheekily.

Tenten leaned into the girl so her lips hovered right above the cocky girl's ear. "Better than a bitch, wouldn't you say? At least freaks are worth a person's time."

The girl flushed red and seemed ready to start yelling at her, but Tenten simply turned away from her. "Hey, Lee!"

"Tenten!" He belted out cheerfully. "Have you been having a youthful morning?" He asked cheerily. His eyebrows then creased together in worry. "Do you still have cramps?!"

Tenten groaned and bopped him fiercely on the head as she reached him, trying her hardest to avoid any passerby's eyes. "Remember how we said that certain things should never be repeated to the general public?"

Lee rubbed his head as if it were to take away the pain. "Yes…"

"That was one of them." She knew her face was that disgustingly bright red it tended to turn when she was horribly embarrassed. "You know, Lee," She mentioned casually, trying to will away her embarrassment, "Sometimes, you're really embarrassing."

Lee looked crestfallen.

If she were to designate every person she knew as an animal, Lee would be a tadpole. He didn't look like much and he wasn't very nice looking, but one day he'd surprise everyone. He was already surprising her. "But I'm glad you're my friend."

He grinned happily. "Let us run ten laps around the village!" He proposed in excitement.

She scowled, "Hell no."