TenTen flattened her back against the couch seating, only to arch her spine and shoot up to reach Neji's chest, aching for contact. His lips glided over hers with slightly more pressure, teeth teasing the edges of her mouth. One of Neji's arm slipped in the arc of her back and tightened around her, then he sat on his calves, dragging her in his lap, pressing her closer, pushing every breath of air between them away. TenTen could very easily see them standing up, making love against the wall again, and in every corner of the house on their way to her bed. This time she wouldn't have to rush things, it wouldn't be out of despair. Her hand started a path down his chest, feeling the bare skin in the slit of his shirt first, and then pushing down to his taut stomach, the belt at his waist. Neji caught her wrist and held it up in midair, leaving her mouth at the same moment. "It seems death has made me greedy," he let out a sigh, "I wanted to do this for so – so long." TenTen looked up and found his face, his eyes were simmering in the dim light provided by the dying embers in the fireplace. He reached up to brush his thumb under her lashes and she wondered whether her eyes too were brimming with the same burning desire. She wanted to say something but he let her hand fall from his grasp. Suddenly he was leaning forward, his hair against her cheek, his breath in her ear. "Your son is back," he murmured.
TenTen leaned to side until her earlobe brushed not-so-accidentally against his mouth, he slipped out a surprised gasp at the touch. "He'll go to sleep soon," she whispered, tempting him. But Neji was well above temptation and as much as he enjoyed the thought of coming back to this very couch maybe an hour later, and doing things to TenTen – stripping her naked and finally feel her skin against him, losing his hands in her unbound hair and kiss her until they were both out of breath, surrendering himself to her completely and let her do whatever she liked because he simply couldn't care about a damn thing – he also didn't want to be improper, he cared about TenTen enough to suppress his instinct and act logically. The son fact had yet to sink in and he'd much rather wait until he was sure he could accept it completely instead of acting rash and later regret it. Some things can't be undone, and apparently he'd already spawned one of them.
He took one of TenTen's hands in his and kissed it, he smiled against her fingers, "Another time." The door clicked open and they heard Metal stepping in the house and removing his coat. Neji untangled himself from TenTen and let her get up to go check on her son. He lay back on the couch and listened to their quiet conversation. How TenTen was worried he'd come home late, Metal responding excited that Uncle Lee was taking him fishing in a few days. Neji wondered where he would fit in this situation, would he stand behind TenTen and let her do all the talking? Would he stay up in her place and reprimand his son? Or hug him upon his return? Unlike Metal, Neji did experience having a father, but his father had passed away long before he reached Metal's age. After that Neji had ditched his blood relatives and found a new family in his team, quite the experience but not recommendable. It was only after years of struggles that he was finally able to approach his clan again. Was it going to be the same for Metal when he found out Neji was his father? Would his kid take on hating him like he did to his uncle years prior? Neji wasn't sure Metal really wanted him as a father, but the fact was, he wasn't really sure he wanted a son either.
He cradled his head in his hands and groaned, frustrated at himself. It takes two to make a baby, Neji, he could hear Hinata saying. But the significant difference between them was that she had been able to choose when to turn her life around, while he was denied of that. True, he barely knew the kid, and now that TenTen had confirmed that he wasn't Lee's son, or any other man's son for the matter, the anger was slowly starting to dissipate.
TenTen came back a few minutes later and silently nudged at him to follow her. She led him upstairs, in an empty room where she'd laid out a futon. Neji spied across the hallway, there he could see Metal's legs tucked underneath the covers of his bed. He lay down tentatively, and could still peek inside of the kid's room from his open door. TenTen knelt beside him, "How is it?"
"Better than the couch." Neji's fingers traced the bone of her knee and traveled up her leg. "We have to tell him about me."
"I'm afraid it'll be too much for him if we say it all in one go."
"There's no easy way to tell something like this," his fingers played with the hem of her dress, "But I'd much rather have him know that I'm his father. Right now I feel like I'm stealing that kid's mom away from him, I feel guilty being affectionate with you behind his back."
TenTen heaved a sigh and her shoulders sagged a bit, "I'll think about it, ok?" Then she eyed him knowingly, "In the meantime, please socialize with him. I'm not saying you have to get on his good side but let him feel your presence around."
Neji sat up, his hands sunk among her hair and he kissed her slow and gentle, "Then tomorrow you sleep in."
And the next morning when Metal went down to the kitchen he found Neji setting the table for him, an egg sizzling in the pan and a cup of milk already poured. "Where's mom?"
"She was tired last night. I'll make you breakfast instead." Neji slid the egg in a plate and served it, he observed as Metal took his seat at the table unsure, eyeing him sometimes. Neji cleared his voice, "Do you need me to accompany you to school a way?"
"No," the kid said, grabbing a spoonful of food, "I can go by myself."
Neji leaned back until his hips rested against the counter, gripping the edge in both hands and feeling terribly awkward. This was just like babysitting Hanabi, he was repeating himself, nothing weird about it. But he couldn't bring himself to believe it. He focused on feeling grateful that the kid ate his breakfast without a complaint, until the kid spoke up out of the blue.
"Your name is Neji, isn't it?"
Neji's shoulders relaxed a bit, "What about it?"
"Lee told me everything about you, last night."
Neji's ears suddenly picked up on the apparently innocent tone of Metal's voice and he crossed his arms on his chest, trying to keep a calm façade, "He did? Then, how much do you really know about me?"
