Operation: Genin Dance
Persepolis130
Notes: Okay... just to restate, this fic includes a bit of yaoi, but is NOT a yaoi-focused fic. Rejoice or sulk accordingly. Secondly, this is the NAUGHTY chapter. Again, rejoice or sulk accordingly.
Now, can people get arrested in Konoha? And damn those beer goggles! And angsty Neji as well, damn him too.Oh, and is it just me girls, or is Tenten anyone else's IDOL at the end of this chapter?? hee-hee! Alrighty, enjoy the ensuing naughtiness!
CHAPTER 7
Sakura sighed at the emptying dance floor. Sasuke was nowhere in sight, and she'd been so busy she'd never even gotten a chance to ask him to dance.
Though neither had Ino, at least.
Glancing beside her, she saw Lee with a glass of punch in his hands. Spiked punch. Not entirely sure why, but fairly clear on the idea that Lee and alcohol would not mix, she took the cup from him and drank it herself. Lee beamed.
Wow, that was strong!
Sakura sighed, stomach feeling strange. Well, it was probably time... "Lee?"
"YES!!"
"Would you like to... uh... dance now?" she asked with a cringe.
The boy shot to his feet, right hand gripping his heart and left hand fisted. "I would be--"
"Don't do that," Sakura commanded, grabbing his elbow and leading him toward the floor. Honestly, things were bad enough already.
Lee calmed down enough to make it to the dance floor, at which point Sakura grabbed his shoulders and stood him directly in front of her. It was difficult because of the constant ecstatic jittering.
"No fancy stuff now! Just regular old slow dancing. Got it??" She pointed a finger at him accusingly.
"Of course, my love!"
Sakura sighed and took the proper dancing position as a boy near to them started to chortle.
Inner Sakura fumed. "I KNOW we're wearing matching outfits! Shut your big, fat mouth, you MORON!!"
Outer Sakura smiled weakly, fingers resting lightly against Lee's shoulders, and braced herself for the worst as they started to move.
But the worst didn't come.
Instead, she found herself and Lee swaying quite pleasantly with the music, not too close but not unduly far apart, the older boy's hands resting comfortably at her waist. It was actually... sort of nice.
Inner Sakura scratched her head. What the hell??
"Uh...Lee..." She started, "Have you uh... had lessons or something...?"
Lee's grin couldn't have been any wider. "Tenten taught me!!"
"Uh... okay..." Sakura muttered confusedly, remembering Tenten's chicken-with-its-head-cut-off style.
Sighing, Sakura reminded herself of the real reason she had invited Lee to dance. Because Lee was the one person who would do absolutely anything she asked. Even if it made no sense whatsoever, if it made her happy, she was sure he'd do it without question. And she HAD to accomplish her mission. Sasuke would be so upset if she didn't!
But could she really do it? Ask him to...
Oh, she felt ill.
But she wouldn't lose the competition for her team! She COULDN'T!
Here goes nothing:
"Lee, I was wondering... if you would... uh..."
"Anything, my angel!!"
"Uh... well... I'd really like it if you'd..." What was she going to say? How would she ask him to STREAK?!
That would involve--
And then reality hit her. If she asked Lee to streak, he would be NAKED. As in, wearing NOTHING.
For a split second, the image of a naked, strutting Lee danced across her mind. Inner Sakura hurled.
"Are you alright, Sakura? You don't look so good..."
No no no no she couldn't do it! She didn't want to see that!! She COULDN'T see that!!
Sakura moaned. That was it. She couldn't possibly ask him. It would mean the loss of her sanity and that of all the readers of this fic!
"I think it's the punch..." she murmured half-falsely in response, pulling her hands down from around his neck as she stopped dancing. "Maybe you could just..." Sakura sighed in resignation, all hope of accomplishing her mission gone, "Walk me home?"
Not even possessing the strength to smack Lee when he started leaping about triumphantly, Sakura sighed. Well, at least this way he'll keep his clothes on, she decided.
Now she just had to make sure her Mom didn't see him when he dropped her off, or she'd never hear the end of it...
XXXXX
Neji was sitting backwards at a picnic table, his back pressed against the tabletop, when Tenten found him. She slid onto the bench beside him, smoothing her poofy dress around her legs.
"I've been looking everywhere for you. What happened?" she asked quietly.
Neji sighed. "It doesn't matter."
"You seem pretty upset for it not to matter," said Tenten, softly touching his shoulder.
Neji tipped his head back and gazed at the stars, moving away from her touch. "I failed my mission."
"Oh."
She didn't need to know about the rest.
"You know, it's not really that big of a deal, Neji. I mean, it was sort of a practice mission anyway. I think the senseis just thought it would be fun." Tenten said from beside him.
Neji didn't look at her.
Tenten fidgeted. "Well, at least you got to go to the dance, right? That was fun, wasn't it?"
Still staring into the sky but not really seeing it, Neji said through clenched teeth, "It was hideous."
"Oh."
Neji felt a little bad when he heard Tenten's reply. She seemed sad. He thought for a moment that maybe it was because of that awful dress she was constantly fussing with, but it somehow didn't seem like that was it.
"Neji?" she asked.
"Hm?" He could feel her move a bit closer to him, but he still didn't look at her, opting for an examination of the darkening sky.
"Have you ever... kissed a girl?" his teammate asked in a quiet voice.
The big dipper's light flickered out momentarily as Neji blinked.
"No. Why would I have?" he asked. Where had this come from?
"Do you want to?"
Tearing his eyes from the evening sky, he looked at her then, square in the face. A pinkness that matched her dress had spread across her cheeks, and her eyes looked surprisingly intense in the semi-darkness. She smelled like hydrangea.
No words came to mind, so Neji said nothing.
It was a strangely detached, vaguely surreal feeling as Tenten slowly drew near, bringing her mouth to his. Time seemed to slow as she approached, and he closed his eyes just in time to feel something warm and soft press against his lips.
The feel of Tenten's lips, slick from her shiny pink lipstick, made Neji wonder vaguely if his would also be pink when they finished. Her mouth moved against his, her lips pressing in more forcefully as she shifted on the bench. Neji had to admit that it felt surprisingly nice.
A soft hand slowly ran itself behind his neck, and Neji felt his head being angled down. It took him a moment to grasp what was happening when her tongue ran gently across his bottom lip.
Neji didn't realize he'd parted his lips until he felt Tenten's tongue slide between them. He gasped quietly at the sensation, taking in the warm, damp air from her mouth. As he experimentally touched her tongue with his own, Neji felt his insides twist with satisfaction.
Tenten, shifting again, put an arm around his shoulder, while her other hand pushed up into his hair, massaging his neck. It made him shiver.
Neji realized that his hands had been gripping the bench for some time, and he wrenched one of them free, vaguely perplexed to feel it settle in the small of his teammate's back. He pressed her closer as their tongues mingled inside his mouth.
Feeling Tenten's tongue withdraw, Neji followed it with his own, entering her mouth, which was hot and soft. She tasted good, like strawberries and mint candy. He hadn't thought someone could taste like that.
Bringing his hand to the base of her neck, drawing her closer, he could feel the oddly comfortable sensation of her breasts pressing against his chest.
Tenten's body shook against him, and Neji felt a warm sensation originating just below his navel start to fill his body. Before he realized it, he was gripping her more tightly, plunging his tongue deeper into her mouth, the hot moistness intoxicating him.
Why had he never done something like this before?
In the middle of this bliss, Tenten shifted her weight in one fluid motion onto his lap, now above him and kissing downward into his mouth. Settling in, she slid one of her thighs between his, her knee bumping startlingly against a now very sensitive location. Shock filtered through Neji, his nerve endings jumping excitedly with the sensation of being touched there for the very first time.
Panting, he felt Tenten's hand loosen from its hold on his neck and slide slowly down his chest. Her fingers ghosted delightfully over the tightened muscles in his stomach, coming to a halt as they hooked into the top of his pants. He felt her tug sharply against the button.
Suddenly, Neji didn't feel so right anymore.
The warm twisting inside him unexpectedly wrenched his gut, and he gasped at the unbearably painful feeling. Somehow, this wasn't right. But what...?
And then it hit him like a kunai through the chest.
Tearing his mouth from Tenten's, Neji jerked free of the fingers inching into his pants. He felt the sudden need to be away from her, to be gone from this place. Not knowing what else to do, he unceremoniously dumped his teammate on the ground.
Startled, Tenten gasped in shock as her backside hit the earth. She lay sprawled on the ground as Neji stood up and stepped over her, away from the picnic table.
"I can't do this." Neji said, not sure if this was supposed to be an apology, and if it was, whether he was apologizing to her or to himself.
"Wha-- why not??" Tenten's lipstick was smeared down onto her chin, and her flushed face had a hurt look to it. Not having bothered to move from where she landed, her pink satiny panties peeked out from under her now soiled dress.
Neji felt ill.
"I'll see you at training tomorrow," was all he could say as he walked quickly away from her toward the path to his house.
"Neji?? NEJI?!" he heard, but he kept walking, somehow feeling more ashamed than he had ever felt in his life. He felt the distinct, highly unwelcome prick of tears come to his eyes, but he blinked several times to dispel them.
Best to forget about all of this, he decided.
Yes, forget about Tenten and how her hair smelled like flowers and her lips felt like silk, and the way her fingers felt making their slow trail down your chest.
But most of all, forget about Uchiha Sasuke and how his mouth would feel against yours, his slick tongue slipping between your lips, his knee pressing in sharply between your thighs, and his strong fingers working at your pants.
Just forget, and it will all go away, Neji told himself angrily.
It always goes away.
XXXXX
Tenten sat on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest, the hot prickling of tears rising behind her eyelids.
She didn't understand this at all. She'd liked Neji for so long, and Neji had seemed happy with her tonight. She knew he wasn't used to this sort of thing-- dancing and socializing and having fun-- but he certainly seemed like he was trying his best. And she had thought, when they were sitting outside together...
She felt the tears leak from her eyes and leave wet trails down her cheeks, but she couldn't bring herself to wipe them away. She'd thought that maybe, just maybe, Neji had liked her back. She heard herself sob, and she buried her head in her skirt.
When her lips had touched his, she was sure she felt something from him. She knew he'd liked it. And the way he kissed her back, tongue sweeping over hers and into her mouth, so warm and sweet, she knew he'd wanted her.
What was wrong? Why did he pull away like that? Was she going too fast? Wasn't she a good kisser? Didn't he like her dress?
Tenten shook her head.
No, impossible. It's not like Neji was a prude, and all the boys told her she was a fantastic kisser, and everyone loved her pretty, pretty princess dress. She looked at it now, dirt-stained and crumpled, and heard herself cry louder.
Was being loved too much to ask for??
"Tenten?"
Stumbling to her feet and quickly trying to wipe the tears away, Tenten found Choji looking at her with a concerned expression. She suddenly felt childish and embarrassed.
"Oh," she sniffed, "Choji, I... I was just... well, my dress..." she motioned toward her ruined gown, not wanting to admit what had happened.
"Oh, that's too bad..." the podgy boy said, instinctively opening a bag of potato chips.
Tenten smiled tearfully, "Yeah. Yeah it is."
"But it could be worse, you know," Choji continued.
Tenten sniffed. "What do you mean?"
"I could have worn it," he said with grin, his chubby cheeks dimpling.
Tenten giggled slightly hysterically. Yeah, that would definitely have been much worse.
"Don't worry, Tenten," Choji reassured, "Most boys are just really stupid."
Tenten stared at him, shocked. How had he known?
"Even the really smart ones are idiots when it comes to this stuff. Don't sweat it." He smiled, popping a chip into his mouth.
"Thanks," she sniffed.
"Hey, you don't play Go or Shougi, do you?" He asked suddenly.
"Uh... not really." Tenten flashed the boy a quizzical expression. "Why?"
"Just checking."
"CHOJI, WE'RE LEAVING!!" Tenten heard Ino yell.
"Sorry, I gotta go or Ino'll kill me. Don't worry too much, okay?" Choji told her, waving and heading in the direction of Ino's voice.
"I won't. Thanks."
"Oh, and Tenten?" he added, pausing for a moment.
"Yeah?"
"You might want to think about getting some dancing lessons. Just a thought."
Tenten blinked. Dancing lessons? Did he think she really danced that badly? Did EVERYONE think she danced that badly?!
She fumed silently, sadness forgotten. She'd had dancing lessons for years as a child! She could dance circles around any of them! In her sleep!! For god's sake, she'd even taught LEE to dance!!
Didn't they know that was her MISSION?! IT WAS HER MISSION, DAMNIT!!
DANCE HORRIBLY TO ALL FAST SONGS!!!
What kind of morons were they?!
"I'm an amazing dancer!" she proclaimed, shaking her fist angrily at the picnic table. "I am!!"
Screaming in frustration when the table didn't answer, Tenten hiked her dress halfway up her thighs and began to sway sensually in time with the music still pumping faintly from the dance hall. Moving fluidly and confidently with the beat and using all the blatantly sexy moves she could think of, she soundly demonstrated to the offending lawn furnishing just how truly spectacular a dancer she really was.
"You see!" she declared, giving her dress a sharp upward tug. "How do you like that?!"
"You are truly magnificent." A low, silky voice said from behind her. "Poetry in motion."
Dropping her dress and doing a quick three-sixty, Tenten found herself blankly regarding a completely unexpected figure.
"Shino??"
XXXXX
"...didn't even get a chance! It was just a little bit of punch! And then he just left!! Just like that! Can you believe that?!"
Shikamaru slouched, hands in his pockets, trying his hardest not to listen to Ino's complaints about Sasuke as he walked home with her and Choji. He pondered how much energy Ino must use moving her mouth so often. It must make her tired. He knew it made HIM tired.
And besides, he could think of much more pleasant things she could be doing with that mouth.
"...ever get a chance! What's a girl supposed to do?? Oh, this is just awful! I completely just can't believe this. Completely unbelievable." Ino babbled on.
Shikamaru, falling slightly behind her agitated gait, took advantage of it by sneaking another peek at her ass.
Choji offered Shikamaru a chip from the bag he was munching out of. He went to grab one, but Ino beat him to it, shoving her hand into the bag roughly. Shikamaru sighed, giving up, and put his hand back in his pocket.
He imagined rather graphically what he'd rather be doing with that hand and blushed, ducking his head.
They were almost to Ino's house, which was the closest, and were passing through a small park when Ino suddenly slid to a halt and grabbed both boys by the arm. Her hand was soft and warm against Shikamaru's wrist.
"WAIT!! YOUR MISSIONS!!"
Choji stared at his shoes, and Shikamaru gave a pained look. Here it came...
"Don't tell me you failed. Don't even tell me!" Ino pulled on one of the straps to her dress in distress.
Shikamaru idly contemplated what her chest would feel like as a pillow during his daily cloud-watching ventures.
"Uh..." Choji started.
"NO!" Ino stamped her foot. "Shikamaru??"
"Whatever..." he responded, entranced by the way all that foot-stamping made her breasts bounce. How could he think about missions at a time like this?
"NONONO!! After I went through all that work! Now we get nothing! We'll lose for sure! Oh, this is awful!" Ino lamented loudly, flailing her arms.
Watching Ino's antics with an annoyed look, Shikamaru heaved a sigh. He wished she'd just die already. Or at least lean over a little more so he could get a better look at her boobs.
XXXXX
Lee really did try, Sakura admitted.
He got her food and drinks, took extensive dancing lessons, and had no end of compliments for her no matter how mean she was to him. She couldn't imagine a sweeter guy. He was even going out of his way to walk her home right now!
It was too bad he was the most hideous, fashion-incompetent, furry-browed dork she'd ever met.
Sigh.
Sakura put her hand to her overly-large forehead, feeling slightly disoriented from the punch. Damn, her glass had to have been from the bottom of the bowl! She'd barely even left the door, and she was starting to wonder if she'd even make it home.
A vague wave of lightheadedness rolled over Sakura, and she took hold of Lee's arm to steady herself. He smiled.
He's so sweet, Sakura thought. Why couldn't he be just a LITTLE handsome??
Looking up at him again, the pink-haired girl blinked. Hey... he didn't look so bad now...
"NO!! It's the alcohol!!" screamed Inner Sakura.
Right, thought Sakura. The alcohol. Damn.
But looking at him again, Sakura had to do a double-take. No, she could just swear he was much cuter now!
"Beer goggles!! BEER GOGGLES!!" Inner Sakura screeched.
Sakura pouted, stealing another glance at Lee. His dazzlingly white smile stopped her in her tracks.
"NONONO!!" Inner Sakura implored.
Sakura took a deep breath. So what if it was just because she was sort of drunk. He was so sweet to her! And it's not like she was going to do something crazy like kiss him or anything...
Well... maybe just... on the cheek...
Inner Sakura lie twitching on the ground and was thus unable to comment.
Sakura leaned forward, closing her eyes to block out the spinning, and aimed toward Lee's cheek.
But her lips connected only with thin air as she pitched forward, landing soundly in the dirt.
Sakura sat blank-faced on the ground, not knowing if she should be angry, confused, or highly relieved.
Lee stood several feet from her, completely oblivious, pointing vigorously back at a picnic table near the hall.
"Hey Sakura, is that Tenten giving Shino a lap dance?" he asked.
XXXXX
"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Yamanaka Ino shouted.
The repercussions of her night of Sasuke stalking suddenly hit Ino full force, and she put her hands to her head in panic. This was horrible!!
She had come to the dance looking her absolute best-- her hair was perfectly coiffed, her makeup was perfectly applied, and her dress was perfectly revealing. There was no comparison between her and the other girls at the dance; that was how incredible she looked!
Yet with everything she'd gone through to assure a perfect night, even following her stupid mission to talk about moronic, imaginary kissing jutsus, she hadn't even danced with anyone! Of course, no one but Sasuke was important enough to WANT to dance with, but someone who looked THIS good should have been fending boys off with a stick! All the other girls had danced with someone! Even Hinata!
Oh no, Ino thought, I'm the most pathetic one!!
She screwed her eyes shut and shook her head back and forth rapidly, trying to force the dismal truth away. How could this have happened?!
When she opened her eyes, she saw Choji regarding her quizzically over a bag of potato chips. Letting out a cry of distress, Ino moved her eyes to Shikamaru, who was in the middle of a serious pout.
Staring at her sulking teammate, she realized there was only one way to remedy this situation. It wasn't exactly what she would have chosen, but at this point, it was her only option. The only way not to be the biggest, fattest loser on the whole entire earth.
"Shikamaru, kiss me!" she demanded, hands on her hips.
Yes, if someone kissed her, even if it was only stupid Shikamaru, at least she would have proof of her obvious desirability. She wouldn't have to tell anyone who kissed her-- she could just let them think it was someone respectable.
Her teammate's face went suddenly blank, and his jaw dropped. "Huh?"
"It's the only way! Just do it!!" She stamped her right foot, which only made Shikamaru's expression even stranger.
"Uh..." he said, his face starting to flush.
"Now, Shikamaru!" she insisted, stamping again.
"Um..." the red-faced boy's hands went up in front of him defensively, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead.
"Oh honestly! Do I have to do everything myself?" she questioned angrily.
"Er..." he managed as she stalked up to him. He looked highly alarmed, substantially intimidated, and wholly submissive... which somehow made him look... sort of cute...
Huh, maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all, Ino thought as she smacked away his still defensively positioned hands, grabbed his shoulders, and brought her lips solidly to his. A vague squeaking noise came from Shikamaru's throat as their lips connected.
Ino had intended to pull away as soon as a kiss had been achieved. After all, the longevity was completely irrelevant. But his lips were so... warm... she found herself pressing against them just because of how nice they felt.
When she finally realized she'd lingered in such a compromising position for far too long, feeling vaguely horrified at herself, Ino decided she should really stop before Shikamaru got the impression she was liking it. Because of course she wasn't. She would only ever like kissing Sasuke.
But then something happened.
She felt her arms creep around her teammate's waist and her mouth open to his. His hands were running up her naked back, and she felt his tongue enter her mouth, hot and sweet as it began to move against hers.
Ino heard a muffled moan and dazedly realized it was her own voice. She pressed firmly against Shikamaru, drawn by his heat, his strength, and the way his chest moved up and down with his excited breathing.
Never had Ino thought it would feel like this. Sure, she'd practiced frenching on the back of her hand-- she didn't want to be clueless when Sasuke finally came to his senses-- but she hadn't expected the sudden delicious light-headedness, the irresistible urge to press her body forward, or the way an astonishing and shivery warmth was building in her belly.
Suddenly, it was all too much, and Ino felt her knees give, world spinning as the ground suddenly rushed up to meet her. Shikamaru didn't miss a beat, his lips still firmly attached to hers as he knelt above her, one of his hands sliding smoothly up her thigh and under her dress.
"Uh, guys?" Choji's startlingly loud voice cut through the hushed sounds of their breathing. "It's getting kind of late... you think we'll be leaving soon?"
"Too troublesome," Ino felt Shikamaru murmur against her lips, his hot breath puffing against her cheek as he shifted his attention to her earlobe.
Spontaneously forgetting about Choji as Ino felt Shikamaru's hand become more inquisitive under her dress, she squeezed her eyes shut in a silent entreaty:
Please don't be mad, Sasuke!
XXXXX
Choji hummed happily as he strode down the street toward home, opening his last bag of chips.
He'd known Shikamaru liked Ino for a long time, but getting the boy to admit something that might require some sort of effort was nearly impossible, even for his best friend.
Choji had no doubt Shikamaru could have had Ino any day of the week if he'd just put his mind to it. Choji really couldn't blame his friend for not going after her, no matter how hot she was. Ino was just such a drama queen sometimes, and all her swooning and obsessing over Sasuke could be really obnoxious, even though it was blatantly obvious the Uchiha would never return her affections. Choji was absolutely positive he was gay.
So as far as Choji was concerned, it was about time his teammates got it on.
Though he hardly expected they'd start going at it right in front of him. In the middle of a public park. But he had to admit, it was sort of cool that way.
Yeah, he'd have to get the details from Shikamaru tomorrow. Lots and lots of details.
Walking by an alley, Choji heard a strange sound that made him turn his head.
Peeking toward its source, he was fairly shocked to find Kiba bent over against a building spewing, Akamaru whimpering faintly at his feet. Having known many a stomach ache in his day, Choji's belly twisted in sympathy as he approached the boy, sticking his chips safely back in his pocket.
"You okay, Kiba?" he asked.
"Ooooh... I think I drank too much..." Kiba observed.
"Yeah, you're sort of trashed," Choji agreed. He'd had a few glasses of the punch himself, but given that he'd eaten so much, it hadn't really affected him. Still, it was startling that Kiba had managed to get this blitzed in such a sort time.
"Yeah..." Kiba scratched the back of his head as Akamaru sniffed his vomit.
"Want me to walk you home?" Choji asked, cringing as the puppy started to lick at the nasty, smelly mess on the ground.
Kiba seemed not to notice the dog as he surveyed the alley, scenting the air. "No, we're not done yet."
"With what?"
Kiba gave a shit-faced grin, nausea apparently already forgotten. Staggering across the alley, he chuckled as he tilted to lean against a door, heavy fingers working on the zipper to his pants.
Choji blinked, feeling lost. He looked away, embarrassed, and felt his eyes settle on Akamaru, who was now licking up Kiba's vomit. The chubby genin swallowed hard, feeling queasy.
Looking back at Kiba, he saw that the boy was now contentedly peeing on the door.
Am I being punished? Choji wondered.
Tucking himself back into his pants, Kiba whistled, and Akamaru trotted toward him, carefully avoiding stepping in the pool of puke he'd been lapping up.
"Let's go, boy!" the wolfish genin yelled.
"Uh... Kiba...? What're you doing...?" Choji asked hesitantly, frightened of what the answer might be. Cautiously following the other boy and his dog, his stomach churned as he stepped over the vomit. The normally delicious smell of potato chips wafting up from his pocket made the bile rise in Choji's throat.
"No, no, over there, Akamaru!" Kiba gestured vaguely across the alley as his dog lifted his leg. "We already marked that one!"
Choji gaped as Kiba staggered from door to door, sprinkling each as he went, Akamaru by his side sniffing, barking, and occasionally pissing.
Tripping on a loose paving stone, Kiba lost his balance and smacked back against a wall, leaning there dazedly. Choji was afraid the boy had hurt himself until he saw Kiba was grinning ferally while watching a steamy yellow stream spout from under Akamaru's raised leg.
"Good boy!" Kiba shouted in a raucous voice, "by morning, this whole place will be ours!"
Akamaru barked excitedly.
"That's right, Akamaru! It's all our territory now!!" Kiba hollered as he stuffed himself messily back into his pants and wandered tipsily across the street to start on another row of houses.
Forcing his revulsion down, Choji sighed, now quite firm in the notion that he had to get Kiba home before the erratically urinating boy was either injured or arrested.
XXXXX
Tenten sighed, pulling drowsily at the covers as she cuddled down into her nice, warm bed. For a while there, she had thought the evening was ruined. Neji, the boy she'd liked forever, had completely rejected her, barely even letting her cop a feel.
But as the rumpled, trench coat-covered princess dress on the floor attested, everything came out just fine in the end.
Smiling softly, Tenten ran her fingers down the sweat-slicked skin of Shino's chest, and his arms tightened around her, soft lips pressing against her forehead. Her legs felt comfortable entangled in his, and his heartbeat was strong and steady against her.
Even the constant vibration from the tens of thousands of revolting bugs just under his skin felt curiously restful.
Tenten snuggled closer, wondering dreamily if they were actually finished this time. Hazily, she recalled Shino telling her that the Phoreticovelia disparata bug mated for four days straight.
Yes, he might not be her white-eyed knight in shining armor, but he sure as hell made her feel like a princess!