Please see first chapter for disclaimer, etc.
Prompt: Frustration
Special Thanks: goes out to naash, DarkAnonymous324, Ariasujm-chan, caffeinated unicorn, and rao hyuga 18 for all your lovely reviews! You all make me so happy!
Author's Note: To quote my beta, this chapter is "light, funny, fluffy, and frothy" ... and a huge amount of fun to write, so I really hope you all enjoy it! Thanks again for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and alerting my story!
*~Frustration~*
This was guaranteed to work (or so she'd been reassured, multiple times and by multiple sources). Keeping that in mind, Tenten critically gazed at her reflection in the mirror, taking note of the way her new black silk nightie and barely-there lace cover-up skimmed her figure. She'd brushed her hair so it framed her face just right, and even put on a little of the honeysuckle perfume Ino had given her for her last birthday, saying that she needed something "girly" to wear every now and then (apparently the scent of weapons oil cut nothing but the grime on her kunai).
Tilting her head to the side, Tenten sighed. This will work. This will work. This will work. No matter how many times she thought it, she couldn't shake the insecure part of her repeatedly poking the back of her mind, taunting that oh, no, it wouldn't.
Fixing a relaxed smile on her face, Tenten casually wandered out of the bedroom into the main room, setting her sights on her (unsuspecting) husband. Neji sat on a cushion in front of the low table, sipping tea and studying a scroll, his brow furrowed in concentration. He looked even more handsome than usual, making her stomach and heart flip in unison.
Even though the war was over, tensions still ran high in the allied villages. Pockets of rebellion occasionally cropped up in one place or another. Neji had been sent on seven missions within two weeks (she'd only had to contend with four). That left little time for them to enjoy the bliss that was supposed to be their lives as newlyweds.
Tonight, Tenten planned on changing that. If Hiashi wanted Neji for some sort of "important" clan business, he'd just have to wait. If the Hokage damanded one (or both) of them for a "critical" mission, she'd have to find someone else. Nothing short of a full-out attack on Konoha would distract them tonight, she determined. And, she thought with a brief grin, maybe not even that would do it.
Although Neji didn't look up as she approached, Tenten could tell he knew she was there. Kneeling behind him, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and rested her head against his, her lips placed just right so she could breathe into his ear. "Neji." Even as she half-purred his name, she felt ridiculous. But nothing else had seemed to get his attention the past couple of days, so she felt the need to try something a little ... different.
"Hn." Distractedly tilting his head against hers, he reached one hand up to grasp both of hers. However his pale gaze, not to mention the majority of his attention, remained centered on his scroll.
Never had Tenten felt so jealous of a roll of paper. Frowning in dissatisfaction, she pulled away from him, mind skipping ahead to her next carefully planned maneuver. "Scroll that interesting, hmm?" She feigned casual interest as she sashayed around to the front of the table, idly allowing her fingers to trail across the top of his head, then downward to pause at his temple and draw tiny circles wth her fingertips.
Again, Neji didn't look up. "Uncle gave it to me earlier," he said, lifting his cup for another sip of tea. "He wanted my opinion on a new jutsu he's trying to develop."
No wonder he was so focused on the scroll. Sighing, Tenten pouted for a moment before deciding to try yet another approach. "Well, I'm going to bed." She bent at the waist so her face was level with his, letting the filmy fabric of her robe and nightie slip off one shoulder ever-so-slightly. I feel ridiculous. But if it works ... all this will be well worth any and all humiliation I am experiencing right now.
"Okay. Good night."
Tenten fought her jaw's instinctive reaction to drop incredulously. Is that it? Grr. Leaning over a little more, she hooked a finger under his chin and tugged slightly, determined to get her husband's attention if it killed her. "Aren't you going to kiss me goodnight, Neji?" She meant the words to sound sultry, but to her own ears, they came out sounding hoarse instead.
Finally Neji's eyes lifted, tearing away from the scroll to gaze up at her. A funny little flutter shivered through her and her smile deepened. This is it, this is it, I know this is it-! "Oh, I'm sorry, Tenten." Leaning forward, he gently pressed his lips to hers in a brief peck of a kiss-
-Then immediately returned to the scroll.
"Grr." Straightening sharply, Tenten stalked across the room. She slammed the bedroom door behind her so hard it nearly came off its track. Forcing back the irrational tears of rejection welling into her eyes, she shrugged hurriedly out of her not-so-sexy-after-all getup into a more comfortable pair of meditation pants, topping it with one of Neji's shirts. Viciously cramming the offending garments into a dark corner of one of her drawers (where it most likely would never see the light of day again), she muttered, "At least Hinata won't have the nerve to ask 'how it went,' and Sakura has too much sense. So help me, Ino, if you utter one word about this I'll - I'll punch you into the middle of next week!"
Crawling into their empty bed, she curled into a miserable little ball under the blankets and burrowed her face into her pillow. Neji was a genius. He had mastered his clan's most difficult jutsu all by himself. He could single-handedly complete missions that usually required three or more people. He easily dissected enemies' move before they finished thinking about it, giving him ample opportunity to find the perfect defense. And yet he was so blissfully dull-minded when it came to taking the hint that his wife wanted some quality time with him, not to mention all of his attention. She had done everything but shake the man in her effort to get him to notice her, but he wouldn't even look up from his scroll for more than two scant seconds at a time. She knew, because she'd counted them. Stupid one track mind.
When Neji finally came to bed several hours later, Tenten pretended to be deeply asleep. Her resolve almost wavered when she felt him press a kiss to her temple right before he whispered, "I love you," but her pride prevented her from grabbing him around the shoulders and clinging until he finally paid the attention to her she so deeply craved.
His breathing evened out in deep sleep long before she could even fall into a shallow doze.
There was no other way to put it. Neji missed his wife, purely and simply. For the past month solid one or the other of them had been out on a mission, or they'd both been too tired from said missions to spend any quality time together. However, he planned to change all that. Tonight, he determined, would mark a distinct return to their thus-far too short life as blissful, sickeningly-in-love newlyweds.
Neji tilted his head toward the closed bathroom door, smiling when he heard water splashing on the other side. Tenten was still in the bath, then. When she got out, she would be happy and relaxed, and he would make his move. Those rumors flitting around Konoha insinuating he totally lacked the ability even to think romantically were terribly wrong: but he had a reputation to uphold. Only Tenten was allowed to know that he could be wonderfully romantic, when he wanted to be. And right now, he really wanted to be.
His impatience was beginning to get the best of him when Tenten finally appeared in a pretty silvery nightgown, her damp hair hanging in soft-looking waves around her face. His fingers and palms actually tingled with the anticipation of tangling themselves in those silky locks. She smiled at him as she padded barefoot across the room toward the bed, flipping off the lights on her way.
The moment she slid in next to him, Neji wrapped his arms around her and pulled her firmly against him. She laughed breathlessly as she landed half on top of him, her warm little hands pressing lightly against his chest as he trailed kisses along her neck to her jaw, leading up to her lips. "I love you," he whispered, punctuating the space between words with more kisses.
Tenten snuggled against him, pressing the length of her body against his as she tucked her head under his chin. "Hmm, I love you, too," she murmured.
Neji trailed his hand down her side - and abruptly froze when he realized her breath was puffing in an even rhythm against his skin. Oh no, she is not asleep! he thought disbelievingly. Lifting his head as best he could without disturbing her, he craned his neck to get a better look at her face.
Sure enough, her eyes were closed, rosy lips parted slightly, her dainty features relaxed in a happy expression as she slept on, oblivious to her husband's sudden (and fierce) frustration. Groaning, he allowed his head to fall back against his pillow, eyes glaring in the general direction of the dark bedroom ceiling. When he suggested earlier that Tenten take a bath to relax her, he hadn't meant for it to relax her so much that she'd fall asleep before he had a chance to woo her!
Waking her, however, was definitely not an option. If she'd fallen asleep that quickly, it meant she must have been truly worn out and needed the rest. So, for now, Neji swallowed his disappointment and tried to convince himself that holding her through the night would just have to do.
A very long time passed before he finally followed his sweetly out-of-it wife into sleep.
Tenten halfheartedly washed and peeled some fruit for breakfast, glad she didn't have anywhere important to be because she felt so ... frumpy. She hadn't bothered to do more than throw on the first clothes her hands came in contact with, her hair was unbrushed, and the pale face that stared back at her from the mirror earlier had reflected absolutely no pleasure with her overall appearance.
As usual Neji had left long before she woke, leaving her a note saying he was scheduled to be in meetings all day. She told herself she didn't really mind, since she'd been intending to get housework done for several days, yet she couldn't help but miss him. After her failed attempt to romance him a few nights ago, she had been so depressed even he'd noticed. Last night, he'd practically ordered her to take a long, relaxing bath. She acknowledged that it had been a very nice, caring gesture, even though it hadn't been what she'd wanted. At least she'd gotten a good night's sleep out of the deal.
But now, alone in their quarters, she felt undesirable again. Okay, granted, she hadn't bothered to do much about her appearance when she woke. Except why should she, when she'd be spending yet another day all by herself; and this time with only dreary housework, not even a mission, to occupy her time?
She popped a strawberry into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully as she gazed out the window over the sink. The Hyuuga gardens were in full bloom, a riot of color that generally made up for the lack thereof inside the walls of the house. (And no, "light creme" paint on the walls of the kitchen did not count as color, as she'd told Neji when he volunteered to paint them for her after she complained shortly after their wedding.) She idly began to speculate on whether or not any colors existed with, um, aphrodisiacal qualities. If so, maybe she should paint some of the walls. Goodness only knew, it looked like she'd have plenty of time-
Tenten startled when the door to her and Neji's private suite opened and closed. She turned her head, listening closely for some other sound. Curious when she heard nothing else, she left her fruit by the sink and went to the doorway to peer into the main room. Maybe Neji had forgotten something important for one of his meetings and thought she was still asleep. . .
. . .Strong hands gripped her waist and spun her around. Tenten yelped in surprise as Neji, Byakugan emblems fading from his face, pulled her firmly against his chest and wrapped one arm around her, trapping her in place, as his other hand cupped her head. Caught thoroughly by surprise, her emotional wheels spinning wildly out of gear, she breathlessly blurted, "What are you doing? Don't you have meetings?" just before his lips closed over hers.
By the time the kiss ended, Tenten had almost forgotten about her questions. "I canceled them all," Neji said and tilted his head down to kiss her again.
His fingers were doing very interesting things at the nape of her neck and the base of her spine. "Oh, okay," she started to murmur back, just before the meaning of his words broke through her foggy mind. Pulling her lips away from his and trying to do the same with the rest of her, feeling on the jagged edge of tears, Tenten heard herself say, "But ... Lord Hiashi and the Hokage are important! And ... and ... I look awful!" And just why, a distant part of her wondered, did she have to react as a kunoichi rather than as a wife? Especially since she'd been longing for this to happen. Why, of all times, did Neji have to pick now to decide to be romantic?
It was so ... so ... frustrating!
Neji brushed his lips back and forth across her forehead. "Since they've had our undivided attention for the past month, Uncle and the Hokage will just have to wait. We deserve to have each other's undivided attention for a while." His lips skimmed down to plant a light kiss on the tip of her nose. "And lastly, I don't know what you mean about looking 'awful.' You look totally," he kissed one corner of her mouth, "completely," he kissed the other corner, "ravishingly beautiful, as always." Again, his lips closed over hers, in a kiss more heated and passionate than the others.
Knees turning to jelly, Tenten allowed herself a few brief moments for her head to spin, her heart to soar, and her belly to perform backflips, like happened every time he kissed her this way. Melting against him, her arms lifted of their own accord to wind around him in a half-embrace, half-attempt to keep herself from sliding to the floor. "Well, if you put it that way," she somehow managed to whisper.
He chuckled as he swept her up into his arms, his long strides carrying both of them across the room. Tenten felt impelled to make a final token protest, albeit a reluctant one. "But- You do realize it's the middle of the morning, almost afternoon?"
"I don't care," Neji declared, firmly shutting the door to their bedroom behind them with his foot. "Let the rest of the world be frustrated for once!"
And Tenten, quite happily, found no other reason to argue with logic like that.
*~The End~*
Author's Ending Notes: Okay, I'll come clean and admit it. I had way too much fun writing that! This prompt was so perfect for such a scenario as this, I couldn't help but follow the path and have some fun along the way. I really hope you enjoyed reading it, and thanks for checking it out!