Tenten's head was throbbing. She groaned, eyes squeezed shut against the pain. It had been a very long time since she had last drunk that much, and she now remembered why. Hangovers were the worst.
Her eyes felt heavy when she tried opening them, and she recalled the hours she had spent crying the day before. Pain stabbed at her chest when she remembered the reason behind her tears.
"Morning, Angel," a deep, husky voice whispered. Tenten finally managed to open her eyes, only to see Neji lying on his side, his head propped against his hand as his elbow rested against the pillow. He was watching her, his eyes warm, though she detected a hint of hesitation in his gaze.
Tenten covered her mouth when he leaned down for a kiss. "Not until I've brushed my teeth," she mumbled through her fingers. There was no way she was letting Neji near her mouth when she could still taste alcohol on herself.
Neji leaned back with a smirk. Tenten tried to ignore the way his naked torso seemed to shine in the morning sunlight, but she couldn't stop staring. He chuckled and dropped a kiss to the top of her head before leaning over to grab something on her bedside table.
"First, have this," he told her, handing her a bottle of water and a packet of aspirin. "It will help with your headache."
"Thank you." Tenten was touched by his thoughtfulness. It was such a small thing, yet Tenten's heart warmed at the gesture. She popped two of the aspirin out of their packet and swallowed them along with a mouthful of water. When she was done, Neji plucked the bottle from her fingers and grabbed her hand, pulling out of bed. "Where are we going, Neji?"
He didn't look back at her as he replied, "Bathroom."
Tenten laughed. "I know where it is. I can get there myself." Still, he didn't let go.
Neji stood at her back, his free hand pulling her in close as they brushed their teeth together. Tenten watched him in the mirror and giggled at the sight they made. Neji quirked a brow at her but a smile touched his lips and he pulled her even closer to him, his chin resting atop her head.
"What are your plans today, Neji?" Tenten asked as they made their way back to the bedroom. She didn't want to go anywhere. She wasn't ready to join the outside world just yet.
He smirked and grabbed her around the waist, picking her up and turning them around to place her on the bed. "I'm sure I can think of something." His mouth landed on hers, gently caressing her lips until they opened and allowed him entry. Tenten sighed into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.
Neji slid his arms down her sides, fingers caressing the bare skin of her belly before tugging his shirt over her head. His touches were soft and hypnotising, and Tenten fell into a sea of sensation. His lips trailed to her neck and she sighed against him, back arching in pleasure.
"I'm going to take things slow today, Angel," he murmured against her ear, his hot breath sending a shiver down her spine. Fingers caressed her body with delicate strokes, and she wondered, somewhere in the back of her mind, if this was Neji's way of consoling her after her day yesterday.
His mouth sucked on the sensitive spot on her neck and she moaned at the contact, clutching him tighter, wanting to draw him in so that no space separated them. His hands ran down her sides, tickling her, before resting on her hips. Tenten opened herself up to him when he caught her lips again, letting him explore her mouth as much as he desired. Feeling his thumbs trace lazy circles along her hips made her want to purr and Tenten wondered how something so simple could feel so heavenly.
Slowly—almost painfully slow—Neji moved down her body, his lips leaving open-mouthed kisses along her chest and stomach before reaching where he desired to be. He looked up at her, lying on his bed, flushed and panting as she stared back with eyes full of desire. Maintaining eye contact, he lay his palm over her hot entrance and rubbed, watching as her breaths became more ragged and her eyes shut. A small, almost inaudible moan escaped her lips. When he inserted a finger, Tenten's head snapped back against the bed and she pleaded for him to hurry up.
Tenten felt the first touch of his tongue and she writhed, eyes popping open to stare at him down the length of her body. He held her gaze, his tongue darting out to lap lazily at her juices. He alternated between licking her slit and sucking on her clit, all while keeping a steady pumping motion with his finger. Each time Tenten felt herself coming close to a release, he eased back, denying her. She groaned after the third time, barely resisting the urge to grab his head and pull him closer. He leaned back with a smirk, knowing exactly what she wanted.
"Neji," she pleaded, her voice coming out in a breathy moan. "Please."
"Tell me what you want, Tenten," was his husky reply. His eyes glinted, daring her.
"I want—" She stopped when she felt his breath caress her most sensitive part.
"Hm?" He pressed a kiss against her thigh. "What was that?"
She groaned, blushing beet red as she replied, "I want you to make me come!"
"Your wish is my command, Angel," he murmured. She felt his lips curl into a smile before his mouth covered her clit, sucking it into his mouth. His teeth grazed the sensitive nub and she almost screamed at the contact. Her hands flew to his hair and pushed him further into her.
Despite her frantic movements, Neji didn't speed up his ministrations. He inserted a second finger inside her, slowly pumping them in and out while he continued to suck on her clit. Tenten thrashed, the pressure within her unfurling until she finally snapped, shuddering against him.
Neji climbed over her body, watching as her breathing eventually slowed, her eyes glassy as she stared back at him. "Don't get too comfortable, Angel. I'm just getting started."
.
.
.
"I didn't realize you could be so gentle, Neji," Tenten teased, her head resting on his chest. They had spent some time entwined together, and they now lay under the sheets, sated and happy.
Neji chuckled, the sound reverberating through her body. "I was unaware you preferred it rough. We can go again if you aren't satisfied."
Tenten blushed at his boldness. "That's not what I meant. You just haven't been that gentle before and it took me by surprise."
"I am a man of many mysteries, Tenten." His hands crept towards her thighs and he lifted her so she was straddling him. He murmured, "I didn't hear you say no to round two," and grinned wickedly at her, his fingers caressing her backside leisurely.
She smiled at him in return, her long hair tickling his chest as she bent down to kiss him. "As appealing as that sounds, I'm pretty hungry. I didn't eat anything yesterday on account of my—" she cringed, "—mental breakdown."
"Later, then," he promised with a hot kiss. He pulled away, eyebrows drawn in concern, and once again Tenten was surprised by him. She constantly saw sides of him that she never expected, and she had to remind herself he was so much more than that cocky, arrogant man she had met that first day. "Do you wish to talk about it?"
Tenten slid off his chest and sat beside him, pulling the sheets to her neck, suddenly feeling nervous and vulnerable. "I'm scared to tell you," she whispered.
Neji sat up to face her, frowning. "Why would telling me frighten you?"
"I'm afraid…" Tenten dropped her eyes from his, unable to look at him. "I'm afraid it will change how you see me."
Neji stroked her face and lifted her chin so that she had no choice but to look at him. "Nothing you tell me will change my opinion of you, Tenten."
She wasn't sure she believed that. Tenten hated herself, so why would he be any different? She took a deep breath before starting her story. "It happened seven years ago. I was a senior in high school and I was planning on staying back to help my friend with an assignment that was due the next day, but she encouraged me to go home." she shuddered before whispering, "I should have stayed."
Tenten paused, closed her eyes and took another breath. "She didn't make it to the orphanage that night. I got a call late in the evening and immediately went to the hospital. The doctor told me that she was attacked and raped on her way home." She refused to look at Neji, and instead stared at her hands sitting limply in her lap through glassy eyes. "I stayed with her in the hospital. I tried to help her, but I could tell that she was broken.
"She convinced me to go and eat, since I had been by her side all day. When I came back, her room was empty. I searched everywhere for her, and eventually found her on the roof of the hospital. I tried to talk her down. I pleaded and begged her to come back to me. I promised her that she would be okay, that things would get easier for her. But it wasn't enough. She… she…" Tenten choked on her words as a sob ripped through her. Neji, who had been quietly listening, bundled her into his arms.
"I couldn't save her!" She wailed into his chest. "If I had been there with her—if I had just walked home with her—she would have been okay. I could have protected her."
Neji stroked her hair, his voice quiet when he said, "You cannot think like that, Angel. What happened to her could have happened to you too if you had been there."
"I couldn't even protect her on the roof! I should have tried harder. If I had done something more—if I wasn't so goddamn useless—I could have saved her."
Tenten stayed in his arms until her sobs subsided. She began to feel his hands as they stroked over her hair and back and she pushed away from him, frowning. "Why are you trying to comfort me? You should be repulsed right now! If it weren't for me, my best friend would still be alive. It's my fault she's dead."
Neji grasped the sides of her face, forcing her to look into his sorrow-filled eyes. "Tenten, what happened was a horrible tragedy. I am very sorry that it happened, and I am sorry that you have had to live with that awful memory. But, none of it was your fault."
She tried to shake him off, unable to believe his words. It was her fault. "But I—"
"Nothing was your fault." He said it with such finality, such conviction, that Tenten wanted to believe him. "You did not know what was going to happen to her that night. And you did not kill her, either. The men who attacked her are at fault. Not you."
Tenten's lip quivered, her eyes filling again with tears. "But I couldn't help her. I was supposed to be her best friend, but I was useless."
His hand reached out and he grabbed the back of her head, pulling her close to rest against his chest again. "You did help her, Angel. You stayed with her in the hospital. I am certain your presence soothed her."
"Don't lie to me, Neji. You can't make me feel better about this." She tried to push away from him, hating the kind words he was uttering, but he didn't let her go. She gave up and allowed her body to go limp. "How am I supposed to go on living like nothing happened? How am I supposed to smile and laugh and be happy, knowing that my best friend's life was cut short because I couldn't save her? I don't deserve to."
She felt his chest expand as he took a deep breath, his hands never ceasing their comforting touches against her hair. "Tenten, you are beating yourself up over something you had no control over. You did nothing wrong. And your friend would not like seeing you blame yourself for something that was not your fault."
She pushed away from his body to look him in the eyes. "I appreciate you saying that, Neji. But it doesn't make me feel better. I've been living with this guilt for so long, I don't think it will ever go away. No matter what anyone says, it is my fault I couldn't save her."
"I suppose I will just have to continue reminding you until you are ready to accept it, then," he replied, leaning over to kiss her nose.
They stayed like that, with Tenten curled up in Neji's lap while he stroked her hair and back, for a long time. Tenten swiped stray tears off her face, her mind playing back Neji's words to her. She could admit that they sounded logical, but she still didn't believe them. For years she had replayed what happened on the hospital roof in her mind, thinking of what else she should have done to save Akari. She would always hate herself for not doing more.
After some time, her stomach rumbled and Neji looked down at her, chuckling. "I think we should get some food into you."
He helped her stand and they dressed before making their way downstairs to where Kakashi was already working. Neji turned to Tenten, taking in her profile as she walked beside him. "Would you like to go anywhere after breakfast?"
Tenten didn't feel up to going out. She still felt exhausted from the previous day and all she wanted to do was relax. And maybe a little bit extra. She blushed, her hand gripping Neji's a little tighter as she met his gaze. "Is it okay if we spend the day in your room?"
The eyes staring back at her were full of warmth and he smiled, pulling her closer so she was tucked against his side. "That sounds perfect."
I'm going to be taking a short break from this story while I finish my SasuSaku fic. I'm losing motivation and want to put it on pause for now. But once I've got my other fic finished I'll come back to this one.
As always, reviews are appreciated.