Neji tried to tune out the loud noises around him—sounds that were mainly coming from his very drunk wife. She was saying goodbye to her friends as though she would not see them for another year, and he was surprised she had not yet started crying.
Thankfully—or not, he wasn't quite sure—most of them were almost as drunk as she. Neji didn't know why, but the women liked to drink a lot when they got together, and the only female left completely sober was his cousin, Hinata.
He watched as Tenten clung to Ino and Sakura, making them promise to visit her soon, and to bring their kids for a playdate. Neji was glad it wasn't overly late, since the three of them were being loud enough to wake the dead.
Finally, Neji had had enough and he stepped forward to pull his wife away from her friends. A quick look at Sasuke made him think the raven-haired man wanted to do something similar, but he stayed back, out of the way. No doubt he was worried about how Sakura would react—she was known to get violent when drunk, and Neji had no doubt that Sasuke had faced that violence at least once in their married life.
As soon as they were on their way home, Tenten started chattering away, her words slurred and almost unintelligible. It amused Neji, to see his wife in this state since she didn't often let herself get drunk. But he knew the women liked to let off steam when they were together, and he didn't mind her doing so. Besides, he found this side of her incredibly adorable.
"Do you think Keiko will be in bed by the time we get home?" she asked, clinging to his arm as she tried her hardest to walk in a straight line.
Neji had to stop himself from chuckling as she stumbled over her own feet, only avoiding a face to the pavement because he held her up. "I hope so, though I would not be surprised to see Gai still playing with her." Their daughter, who had just recently turned two, adored her uncle Gai, and Neji knew she liked to fight her bedtime whenever he was looking after her.
He was grateful that Gai—as well as the other Team Leaders—were available to babysit for their teams so they could get together and catch up. With most of them married, and many of them with important jobs, they were often too busy these days, but they did their best to meet at least one evening a month.
"She better be asleep, or I'll kick Gai sensei's ass." Neji knew Tenten was trying to sound mad, but she was failing miserably, the words coming out slurred. She looked up at him and fluttered her eyelashes, in what he could only assume was an attempt at seduction. "I want to spend some alone time with you when we get home." Her wink was more of a slow blink, and Neji had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.
She did this every time, and every time it ended up the same. They would get home, thank Gai for looking after their daughter and then she would pass out on the bed, out to the world until mid-morning the next day. He didn't have any expectations for anything amorous happening tonight.
They continued to walk home, Tenten talking in a tone louder than was necessary, and Neji helping to right her each time she stumbled. She truly could be chaotic at times, but that suited him just fine. He was the calm to her chaos, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
I've only got two left to go after this one, so I hope you look forward to them. Thank you for reading, and don't forget to leave a review. They motivate me to make more content of our favourite couple for ya'll.