DISCLAIMER Naruto © Kishimoto
PAIRINGS Nejiten and Kibahina
WORD COUNT 761

Baking Buddies

How did he get himself into this mess? That was the question Neji had been asking himself for the better part of an hour now.

Covered in pink frosting and dusty white flour the Hyuga was finding it difficult to remember what exactly had prompted him to seek out Kiba, of all people, for dating advice. It wasn't that Neji didn't have experience with girls or was nervous when dealing with them. Far from it. Neji had more experience with girls than he cared to admit. With fangirls chasing after him since he was an academy student, and a number of seduction missions he'd been forced to take when the client asked for a male, Neji definitely had experience. The problem, however, was that none of those meant anything to him. In fact, most of his interaction with females was rather bothersome and forgettable.

But Tenten was different. Tenten was the only girl Neji had ever been able to tolerate upon first meeting. Most girls irritated him the moment they approached him. But not Tenten.

They'd been instant comrades at heart from the moment they had been assigned to the same insane team, feeling like they had been pushed down a rabbit hole forced to survive their lunatic sensei and his doe-eyed fan. Of course they'd learned to love Gai and Lee, but for the first few months they had gotten very close until they learned to deal with the greener half of their team. Over time that closeness became so much more. How and when she had become everything to him Neji wasn't sure. But he did know one thing... with every fiber of his being Neji wanted to make Tenten as happy as humanly possible.

And that's how he ended up in front of the Inuzuka household. Knocking on the door in the early morning hours of the winter holidays asking for his cousin Hinata's childhood friend and now boyfriend.

Though Neji and Kiba got along well, having formed a stronger bond fighting side by side during the Shinobi War, as well as getting to spend more time with each other since Kiba came to visit the Hyuga compound almost as often as Tenten did, there would always be some friction between the two. It wasn't that they couldn't get over the past. Far from it. Kiba had long since forgiven Neji for his poor treatment of Hinata. And Neji had grown enough to not be as bothered by annoying personalities such as his... and a few others he knew. But still... Part of their relationship was just that difference in their personalities that often had them butting heads. But in the end, both shinobi did respect one another, and that's what made their friendship work.

Still, it was a challenge for Neji to admit that he needed the younger man's help. He didn't want to accept it, and for the longest time he postponed this moment. But as the days grew shorter, and Christmas day drew nearer, the white-eyed prodigy knew he had to suck it up and ask.

Now, the Inuzuka boy had a reputation for being a bit of a player in the village. This was in large part due to the fact that he had a playful personality and held women at such a high esteem that compliments to the fairer sex came naturally to the boy and were often mistaken for flirtatious passes. The truth, however, was that the boy was perhaps the loyalist lover and most affectionate boyfriend there was. And the girl he loved, who just so happened to be Neji's younger cousin Hinata, was nothing less than showered with love and adoration. Many a night, Neji would spot Hinata coming home from a date practically gliding on air, smiling, singing and dancing through the compound.

And that's exactly why Neji was there, in the Inuzuka kitchen, covered in frosting and flour and wearing a borrowed apron that read 'stud muffin.' Because according to the fang-faced boy, the best thing he could possibly give Tenten for Christmas, to make her feel special and loved, was something hand made, something that came from the heart.

"Come on Nii-san!Kiba teasingly poked the Hyuga's side with his elbow, knowing how much Neji hated when he called that by him. 添ou gotta put your heart into it! Girls love that extra special thought!"

"Shut it dog breath!Neji growled, glaring fiercely at the younger man. Never again! The Hyuga vowed, swearing to himself he would never again ask Kiba for dating advice.

A/N : This is actually inspired by a picture I drew on my deviartart page. You can find the link to my page on my profile an it's in my Nejiten and Kibahina folders