Winter Wonderland
Rated: T – some cursing.
Theme(s): Whipping Cream/Sugar
Disclaimer: Oh, look, a distraction! –fakes copyrights-
Reviewers (who deserve a few hundred pressies under their tree for them):
Red ChopSticks: Thank you. :D Being ill sounds real nice, lol. What else would he say? And, yeah, if he couldn't see Hinata was in love with him, I don't think he'd see TenTen behind an elf costume.
DarkAnonymous324: Thank you. :)
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies -
"TenTen-nee-chaaaan! What'cha making?" Naruto's yell penetrated each and every room in the Hyuuga complex for, basically, the whole property. He seemed pretty oblivious to that (nothing new).
"Well, I'm making…" TenTen paused, looking down at what she had. Unconsciously, she'd gotten up early (as in three in the morning, before Neji woke up), come to the Hyuuga complex, and started using their kitchen to bake to get out of training today. Neji would be thankful, at least, if it was something chocolate. He had his price; he could be bought. Chocolate. Damn good chocolate. TenTen just happened to weasel those exact words from his mouth once, and, seeing as he rarely cursed, that meant her chocolate was pretty damn good.
"Chocolate chocolate chip cookies." TenTen finally finished her sentence, seeing the dark brown dough mixed with clumps of dark chocolate. She giggled suddenly, thinking if she'd put in white chocolate, that the cookies would resemble little Byakugan eyes in Neji's hair. 'That's what you get for waking up two and a half hours early, TenTen' She chided herself, mentally slapping herself on top of it, going back to her baking.
"Mmmmmm. This dump will be smelling good in no time! I, ano, well… if you're a good baker and what not." Naruto grinned sheepishly at her, rubbing the back of his head. TenTen narrowed her eyes at him. It was five in the morning, why was he here much less awake?
"Why are you here, Naruto-kun?" She asked, washing her hands. If she was going to rifle around the Hyuuga cupboards, she wasn't going to get them all chocolate-y.
"Well, ano, I was gonna sneak in and… ano… place a present under the tree…" Naruto suddenly quieted down, eyes darting around the kitchen. There was definitely no way someone wasn't keeping tabs on them (even if they were allowed in, at any time, with out a fight, they weren't the most… calm of people), but he went on anyways when his search game him nothing.
"I'm here to give Hinata-chan a present! Do you know what time she wakes up, nee-chan?" Naruto whispered excitedly, grinning from ear to ear with zeal.
"She should be waking up around now, Naruto-kun. Her room is in the left wing, and it's the first white one on the left in the first hall. Got it?" TenTen grinned back at him, whispering the directions in his ear. She didn't add the fact she'd be waking about now, anyways, because of his yell a few minutes ago. Naruto's bond head bobbed up and down quickly and he mouthed his thanks as he ran off in search of Hinata's room.
"Why'd you just tell him where her room is? Now he'll be visiting even more often." TenTen jumped slightly when Neji walked in, disgruntled, voice husky from sleep. One of his hands was rifling through his mussed hair, and the other was on his hips.
"Awww, don't be like that, Neji-chan. It's all good." TenTen waved a hand at him, ignoring the fact he was only in sleeping pants, turning back to the cupboards.
"The cookie trays are below the oven." Neji sighed, shuffling over to an unused counter and sitting on it. It wouldn't be too long now before his coffee started to brew; he'd set the timer for 5:20 sharp. Instead of doing his normal morning routine, he'd had to come and watch TenTen and Naruto just in case they started another fire together. Why he had to was beside him since there were plenty of other waking Hyuugas to watch them, but, no, Hiashi had to knock on his door and tell him to watch them when Neji was right in the idle of shaving. Stupid Hiashi. Stupid Naruto. Stupid TenTen. Stupid cookies. Stupid Christmas. Stupid end of December.
"Well, I'm going to have to interrupt you calling everything stupid in your head to tell you your freaking coffee machine just started, and I swear to Kami-sama above I did not touch it." TenTen interrupted Neji's thoughts, gripping his left knee and watching his coffee machine like it was possessed.
"Yes, TenTen, I know. I've set a timer for it. Though, how'd you know it was mine?" Neji asked, in a sleepy attempt to get a conversation going. Not doing his morning routine made him sleepy as hell.
"You're the only Hyuuga that's addicted to chocolate enough to get a coffee machine that can also make hot chocolate. Also, it's white. All the others are… just scary." TenTen said, tight grip loosening on Neji's knee, pointing to all the other coffee makers. They were all various sizes, though none but his that could make hot chocolate, all in various blinding colors.
"Just think, those are just the male coffee makers… since this is the male kitchen." Neji smirked, seeing TenTen's wide, horrified eyes.
"Dear Kami-sama, which Hyuuga gay likes pink enough to get a coffee maker in it?" She asked, inching closer to Neji in fear. She'd thought all Hyuugas were stiff as boards and loved white, but it seemed like only Neji liked the color white.
"A gay one," Neji paused, gauging TenTen's reaction (one filled with mirth), before continuing, "Actually, no, it's Hiashi-sama's. You didn't hear it from me."
"… Aaaanyways, my cookies will be done in, like, two hours."
"Borrow clothes from Hinata-hime. We're training."
"Shiiiiiit, Neji-chan, you're so mean."
"Deal with it." Neji smirked softly, slipping off the counter, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead before departing. TenTen blushed slightly, pouting again, before sticking the cookie trays in the oven, setting the timer, and heading off to Hinata's room.
2 hours later…
TenTen heaved a sigh, heading back into the kitchen she'd used to make her cookies. Little kids were all crowded around the over already, mouths watering.
"Yo, kiddies, move it. I'm the baker of those cookies, and I've got to get 'em out before they burn." TenTen said, waving. The kids stared at her, then scattered when Neji, who was behind her, nodded.
"Gee, crowd part-er, you are." TenTen huffed, waiting as Neji got the oven mitts for her. She put them on and got the cookie trays out, taking a good whiff of them.
"They're slightly over done 'cause of you, mister." She growled, hating the fact the bottoms and edges would be crispy. Neji shrugged, following her with as much gusto as the Hyuuga kids had been for watching the oven.
"Chocolate?"
"Chocolate chocolate chip." TenTen corrected, grinning as Neji's head rested on her shoulder, suddenly even more interested. She placed the trays on the coffee maker deprived counter (the one Neji had been sitting on before), slipping the mitts off.
"You've got to wait a good ten minutes or so, Neji." TenTen chided, knocking her head softly against his. She felt him shrug.
"I could spend them staring at these cookies." TenTen sighed, shaking her head. He hoped to Kami that Neji couldn't be bought for chocolate on any missions if that ever came up. So far, it hadn't, which probably wasn't too shocking, seeing as they didn't go on too many missions where they might encounter chocolate. TenTen had hardly done any seduction missions seeing as Ino was in her age range, Lee couldn't (period, seeing as he couldn't use a jutsu to alter his appearance – not that he was ugly, but most girls would see him as a little brother, not a sexy beast like he thought), and Neji… well, he'd gone on them… but he'd never failed at them, either.
"You're not." TenTen laughed, dragging Neji away by the front of his shirt. He regained his composure when they were out of the kitchen, only glancing back once at the cooling cookies, removing TenTen's hand from his person.
"We're going out to get whipping cream." TenTen answered his silent question as they walked out of the complex.
"Hn." Neji grunted, hoping none of his little relatives would take a cookie. Because if one took a cookie, they all took a cookie; then, there wouldn't be any left for TenTen and him. All throughout the little shopping trip, TenTen could feel Neji's unease, causing her to grin. He really wanted those cookies. When they got back, one tray of cookies was already empty.
"Little bakas." Neji grunted, wondering where his younger relatives' manners went.
"Hey, at least we still have twelve cookies left." TenTen said, taking the whipping cream can from the plastic grocery bag and dotting to white dots in the middle of one cookie.
"Hey, look, it's you!" TenTen giggled, pointing. Neji snorted, taking the cookie and stuffing it whole in his mouth. TenTen's jaw dropped, and she retaliated by putting a dot of cream on Neji's nose as he chewed. He swallowed, frowning slight. Quickly he snatched the can from TenTen's hand, putting a cream smile over her lips. Neji smiled crookedly at TenTen as she half laughed, half snorted, taking the can back and attempted to get him back. As it turned out, the cream somehow got onto her neck, and Neji attacked. TenTen flushed as he lapped the cream away like a water-deprived puppy.
"You suck." She pouted, hands on her hips. What she didn't expect him to do was to give her a hickey.
"You freaking bastard, I didn't mean it that way!" TenTen exclaimed when Neji pulled away, still wearing his crooked smile.
"I know. That was to get the little brats away. Don't tell me you didn't sense them." He said, pecking her on the lips. TenTen rolled her eyes, knowing there weren't any little Hyuugas running about near them.
"Uh-huh, sure. Give me the can back, I need and Neji-cookie. And that means one of those cookies I baked with two eye-dots of cream, not some perverted thing you could possibly come up with." TenTen said, giving Neji a warning look, holding out a hand for the can. He handed it back slowly, crooked smile fading.
"Well, darn."
A/N: XD I don't know what I was on, so please don't ask. Not too much to say after this one… other than Neji is, blatantly at the end, OOC and I'm sorry for that. I wrote about freaking cookies 'cause I'm hungry… and now I want cookies. :C Oh, and, if that's too long/short/something for cookies to bake/cool, I blame ignorance because I've never made cookies before.
~ Tobi