Yes! The last and final chapter of In All His Spandexed Glory. Now for the "Thank Yous" and dedication. This is dedicated to lightuzumaki23 because he is a very faithful reviewer. And I promised to. XD
Ok now my beta reader gets her own paragraph. ;D
Deenatweenty you are the best beta reader a writer could ask for! You're grammar is superb and I'm so pleased with your criticism. I cannot thank you enough. (P.S: If you haven't already check out her stories.)
Thank you to my reviewers and those that put me on alert and their favorites list. :3
And now onward to the completion of my youthful challenge!
Chapter 3
Inhale.
Her scent traveled up his nasal cavity, clouding his mind. He instinctively reached out and pulled the large warm mass deeper into his embrace.
"Tenten." Lee exhaled and laid his head onto the inertia that felt firm but soft like a pillow.
What am I lying on? Lee vaguely wondered before panic seized him. What if I'm lying on-
"GAK!" he coughed out.
Lee pushed himself back, limbs flying every which way as he tumbled off the bed. His back hit the carpeted floor with an insulated thud.
Oh no! She will think I am a pervert! How unyouthful!
All his body heat seemed to be concentrated on his countenance, radiating off in a deep blush. He faced floor and began rambling, "Tenten, my youthful flower, I am so sorry to have cuddled with you in such an inappropriate manner. It's just that you smell so good like peaches. You know the ones that hang off the tree heavy and round-"
Lee stopped mid-apology and risked a peek onto the bed. He felt himself flinch, expecting to get a swift punch on the cheek from an enraged and violated Tenten. Instead, he was greeted by a tangled mess of morning sheets.
Huh? Lee mentally questioned, scanning the empty room for answers— a task made hard by the head-splitting ache brought on by his low tolerance to alcohol.
Lee had woken up in Tenten's bed. A large body pillow flipped vertically held the fresh imprint of his bowl-shaped head.
So, it was a pillow...
Lee groaned and cupped his face in his palms, attempting to take deep mediating breaths in the hopes of calming down. He moved around the bed and out of the adjacent door. As he stepped out into the dimly lit corridor he was met with the wavering smell of toast. He followed the alluring smell to the end of the hall and looked around the corner. Tenten was leaning against the sink scrubbing a dirty pan. She seemed so focused on her task. He smiled at the apron pulled tight along her tummy, involuntarily accentuating the curvy frame that she hid under all the baggy clothes.
Lee mentally bopped the side of his head for admiring Tenten's pleasing shape, but it wasn't every day that he got to see he more docile and domesticated form.
He cleared his throat and said, "Good morning, my beautiful lotus flower."
He saw her start a bit, losing track of her surrounding as she was lost in her attention-demanding thoughts. She turned off the water, drying her hands on her apron before flashing him a genuine smile.
"Good morning, Lee. Feeling ok?" she asked, knowing that destroying a whole club would take a lot out of anyone. Fortunately, he wouldn't have to worry, as the damages would be covered by his General Shinobi Insurance.
He gave her a weary smile and scratched the back of his head in a bashful manner.
"Well, I have a very unyouthful pounding in my head."
Tenten reached behind her and handed him a few aspirin before pulling out a chair, motioning for him to have a seat. He glided over and for the first time that morning noticed the delicious single person spread Tenten had prepared for him. He grabbed the underside of his chair and pulled himself closer to the table, eyes locked on the bowl of strawberries and cream, ready to diverge into his sweet treat. His splendor was halted as Tenten began to run her hands through his silky locks gently pumping healing chakra into his pounding skull. His shoulders dropped from relaxation as he focused only on the pads of her fingertips playing on his scalp.
Tenten smiled at the cheerful aura her teammate was radiating. The dull pain of his headache began to subside.
"Hanging out with Sakura has caused me to pick up on a few handy tricks."
Tenten mentally face palmed for mentioning Sakura, knowing that Lee would end up back in his depressive slump.
But the truth was, Sakura's name had become but a pronoun initiating no feeling nor causing any pain to Lee. Instead, it caused him to muse. Just two days ago Lee had pined for his lost chances. He searched himself, wondering who had filled that hole but knew it was none other than his best friend and teammate: Tenten.
Maybe I've always had feelings for her but they were shadowed by my infatuation with Sakura-san.
He looked at her reflection in the sparkling silverware. He watched the green healing chakra glimmer in her orbs, creating a sharp contrast with her coffee brown irises. There was a tickle of those metaphorical butterfly wings in the lining of his stomach that made him question if maybe he was falling even harder.
But by the way his attention peaked at the tinkling way she spoke and the irked feeling he got when she removed her fingers from his hair proved to be all the answer he needed for his question.
She didn't move far, instead she slid into the chair next to him. Tenten leaned forward on the table, resting her elbows on the wooden surface as she sipped her milky chai. He gazed at her from the corner of his eye as he began feasting on his scrumptious breakfast.
Lee felt a surge of electric courage pulse through his veins and he knew he was going to tell her of the feelings that he harbored all along, just now noticing that she complimented him the way only a true love could.
"Tenten," he addressed her, turning to face her but was immediately stopped by a dismissive wave of her hand.
"No need to thank me, Lee. It's the least I could do." Her eyes crinkled with affection as she spoke. She set her glass down and began looking at Lee with deep resolve. Lee stared back at her, wondering what she was focusing so hard on.
Suddenly, Lee realized, she's staring at my lips!
Yosh! This can only mean one thing! he thought with unparalleled excitement.
Tenten slowly outstretched her tan hand and Lee's mind rewound to the way her fingers felt, lost in his tangled locks. If he wasn't sitting he would have melted, along with his courage, from the intense heat surging through his body.
Her hand landed on his cheek and he admired the callous touch of her thumb running along the curve of his upper lip.
In one swift and devastating movement, her hand was back on the glass mug as she sipped the room temperature liquid.
Huh? Lee's shapely brows furrowed with question. She simply smiled and stated, "You had a little cream on your lip."
A pouty frown set on Lee's lips but before he could dwell on his disappointment. She continued, "Hey, Lee. The Rantan Festival is today. Do you want to go out there tonight?"
Immediately, Lee hopped out of his chair pumping his fist in the air exclaiming, "How youth shines bright like the beautiful lanterns!" Before sprinting out the door, he called that he would get ready and pick her up later.
"OK!" Tenten yelled back, "I'll see you at 6:00!" She laughed at Lee's long gone form, an impish smile reflecting back in her glossy chai tea.
~O~
Tenten flashed herself a glossy-lipped smile feeling, quite satisfied with the placement of her duel buns. She tugged at the hem of her flowing dark green shorts. With the way the shorts lay it created the illusion of a skirt without all the "lady-like" mannerisms that came along with them.
Giving one last glance to her silky light blue Chinese shirt, she ran over to address the knock on the front door. Tenten hesitated before opening.
I wonder how long I should wait before meeting him. I don't want it to seem like I ran to the door. Maybe 20 seconds.
She proceeded to count on her fingers and toes before turning the doorknob. She slowly pushed open the barrier to reveal her usually spandex-clad teammate wearing casual clothes. He was sporting a pair of bright orange cargo shorts and a green mandarin style t-shirt embodied with gold stitching. All his exposed skin, excluding his face and feet, was tightly wrapped in his standard bandages.
So much for seeing some skin.
Before Tenten could relish on the missed opportunity Lee interrupted her thoughts. "Tenten, you look beautiful."
She looked up to meet his gaze and to give him a similar compliment but his round eyes were cast downward. She followed his gaze to a long thin black box that he held in his palm. Tenten reached out and took the offering, dutifully removing the lid.
Two golden ribbons lay parallel on red velvet. The repeating design was the Mandarin symbol for "grace".
Lee clasped his hands together and looked up at Tenten through his brow line in an attempt to conceal his blush as he said, "The way you glide on the battle field and dance at the club causes me to marvel at the incredibly graceful way that you move."
That affectionate statement caused Tenten to sport a blush that rivaled his own while she stuttered a gracious "Thank you." Collecting herself, she smiled and turned around. "I'll be right back. Let me go put on these beautiful ribbons."
With a whip of wind, Lee was behind her, ribbon in hand. Tenten was astonished with the magnitude of difference in Lee's already impressive speed.
Tenten gaped as he fumbled with his splendid gift. "Lee! Why are you moving so fast?!"
"Well, my precious petal, I was getting ready for our date today. I took off my youthful jumpsuit to change into this outfit. Then, I took my spandex off I placed my weights somewhere to get later."
Tenten nodded and Lee continued, "And now I'm not sure where I put my weights in the first place."
Tenten whirled around and gaffed, "Lee! Gai-sensai is going to have a fit!"
Lee whipped in front of her and put his hands up in an attempt to calm them both.
"Do not worry, Tenten. Everything will be ok," he reassured her, hoping to shake out that shiver of fear from the thought of Gai punching him squarely in the cheekbone to express his disappointment.
He gave her his signature smile, causing all her worry to melt away. She bit her lip to hide her own smile.
Kami. I'm a sucker for that face.
It was true, she loved him and those boyish smiles. "You look really handsome, Lee."
"Tenten!" He beamed back, enjoying the compliment, and flew to her side. He grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers and he all but dragged Tenten to the festival.
~O~
Tenten couldn't help but wince as she plucked tiny pebbles out of her bruised legs. With her free hand, she waved off Lee's apologizes for "moving at a far too youthful speed and not considering her comfortable pace."
Suddenly he stopped his apologetic rant. "I know! We will get custard and I shall pay!" He nodded in conformation with his condolence offering.
Tenten rolled her eyes, feigning exasperation at Lee's antic. When she looked back, he was already bouncing up and down, waiting to be served next at the concessions stand. Tenten hopped off the bench, ignoring the screaming pain of her raw legs and jogged over to Lee.
"Ah, Tenten. I have already ordered. You just need to tell the unyouthful flower what you would like." Lee said innocently.
Tenten gaped at his unintentional rudeness, squinting her eyes into narrow slits to hopefully send a subtle message. Before she could recapture Lee's attention, the old woman behind the counter said, "What did you call me?"
Lee's mouth made an "O" before replying, "Oh! How rude of me! I am so sorry." He leaned into the service window and said, "I should have known that your hearing would be decaying too!" Raising his hands to cup his mouth, Lee shouted, "I called you an "unyouthful flower" because you are OLD!"
Lee pulled his head out of the service window as the woman's face went through a series of emotions. The slot landed on overly cheery. She clapped her hands together, straining to hold her face in a fake smile and said, "Oh my, well, aren't you a sweet boy! So considerate. You know what? I'm going to put a special swirl on your vanilla custard."
She turned the façade on Tenten and asked, "What can I get you, miss?"
Tenten robotically answered, too shocked by the previous events. The server nodded and turned to make the orders.
"I think she likes me!" Lee cheered pumping his fist in the air. Tenten, still muted, mechanically accepted the custard from the returning woman's hand.
She gave them the plastic smile before slamming the window closed.
"WOW! Look at my special swirl!" Tenten finally closing her open mouth turned to observe Lee's cone.
It became plainly obvious to her that "special swirl" meant sucking off the top of the custard into a long thin point. She could even see where the old woman had began the suction of her "special swirl" because it left a red residue from her lipstick.
Tenten would have warned Lee but he was already happily lapping at his tainted treat.
Karma for the baka, Tenten thought, looking down to make sure her cone was untouched.
They sat down on the trimmed grass, silently eating their treats. After the last cone was crunched, Lee scanned the surroundings.
"Yosh! I have an idea! Let us embark on an adventure in the water," Lee exclaimed, jumping to his feet and gesturing to the plastic paddle boats roped to the dock.
Tenten smiled in agreement as she jogged to keep up with his 'walking pace'.
Lee ran over to the counter and handed the cashier the fee for taking the paddle boat out. Upon reaching the boat, Lee gingerly stepped before turning to offer Tenten a hand to steady her own entrance. With Lee helping her balance, she gracefully slid onto the cushion next to him.
The darkness was spilling onto the sky like ink on a page; the lanterns had yet to be lit. Using twilight as her guide, she saw that the path of water made a sharp right. Due to her position on the boat, she alone had to paddle until they entered the clearing.
Lee was uncharacteristically silent as he mused in his magnificent surroundings.
As Tenten neared the opening, it could be seen that the lanterns were actually ablaze. There was an assortment of colors, shape and sizes hanging around the perimeter of the large koi pond.
While Tenten admired the lanterns, Lee silently marveled at Tenten, affection immensely prominent in his round eyes. His eyes raked over her features, noting that the genin he'd grown up with was blossoming into an incredibly beautiful young woman.
Lee slid his hand across the leather cushion, searching for the warmth that radiated from Tenten's palm. He grasped his prize, giving it a gentle squeeze that only caused to further accelerate the growth of a heated blush on her tan cheeks.
The magnitude of glow illuminating from her slim face stunned Lee, causing his throat to tighten and trapping the confession he was about to make.
I was blind. I love you, Tenten. I've loved you all along .He tried hard to let his eyes do the talking.
Tenten shifted nervously from the intensity of Lee's gaze, opting to fill the silence. "Hey! Let's paddle our boat to the middle of the pond so we can lay back and watch the fireworks finale."
Momentarily forgetting his confession, all of his energy and attention shifted to pleasing Tenten.
"Yosh! What a youthful idea! I will paddle us there right away!"
With all the passion and hot-blooded vigor Rock Lee had become famous for, he thrusted his right foot forward, preparing to descend upon their destination. They were both unaware of the power that he had without his weights until his foot came out the other side of the boat. White plastic shattered, disturbing the night silence.
"Lee!" Tenten yelped as he struggled to dislodge his penetrated foot from the ragged hole. In doing so, Lee unplugged his accidental drain and cool pond water began filling the boat.
"Do not worry, my youthful flower, I will fix this!" he declared, leaning over the side of the boat in an attempt to push them toward the nearby coast. The sudden shift in weight caused the sinking boat to tip off balance and flip both shinobi and kunoichi head-first into the koi pond.
The chilling liquid thoroughly soaked them to the core as they gulped for air through chattering teeth.
"Oh,Tenten! I am so sorry!" he wailed, "I will do two hundred laps around Konoha and…"
Whether it was the stress from the past few days or the hilarity of the situation, Tenten interrupted Lee's punishment with a bout of giggles. When her fit ended, Tenten wiped the homogenous mixture of tears and pond water from her eyes and said, "Lee, it'll be ok. It's just a little water."
Just a lot of water.
"It's definitely been a date to remember." She smiled at him and Lee returned the gesture, feeling glad for Tenten's easy going reaction.
Upon reaching the grassy coast line, Tenten and Lee sat up, eyes toward the sky. A shot cut through the silence. "It sounds like the firework show is about to start!" Tenten said excitedly.
As if on cue, a shower of fireworks set the sky ablaze in a downpour of yellow and white sparkles mirrored in each shinobi's eyes.
A frigid breeze blew off the pond, chilling a drenched kunoichi. She wrapped her arms around her torso in an attempt to trap in her remaining heat. Lee saw her and leaned in slowly, wrapping his arms around her lithe frame in the hopes of transferring some of his own warmth. Wet bodies on wet bodies didn't exactly scream heat, but Lee did succeed in closing the distance between them, leaving their faces mere centimeters apart.
Brown reflected black and Lee was hooked. Mesmerized by her swirling chocolate orbs, Lee leaned in, ready to speak his passion through a lover's embrace. His lips meet the soft crease at the end of Tenten's mouth. To quickly fix his clumsy beginning without breaking contact, Lee slide his lips over until they were positioned perfectly atop hers.
He was tightly gripping Tenten's arm, so lost in the delicate butterfly tickle of their kiss. Tenten giggled into Lee's mouth and sent very pleasant vibrations down his body, seemingly amused with the awkward placement of his hand. She unlatched his hand and laid it on her hip before taking her own hands and tangling them in his head of raven locks.
With the need for air, they reluctantly pulled away while still maintaining a close proximity.
He looked at her, the surge of courage singing his nerves once again. He marveled at the swollen lips and rosy cheeks that mirrored his own and whispered, "I have found the most beautiful youthful flower and she was blossoming in front of me this whole time." Reaching forward to cup her now warm cheek he said, "I'm in love with you, Tenten."
Those words.
Those were the words that she had dreamed of hearing for the past four years and all she could muster were, "Lee…"
But with every enunciation of the letters in his short name, Lee could easily pick up on the love and emotion that she had pent up all these years. There was an undeniable chemistry present between them, evident with just the uttering of his modest name.
Gathering her wits and her tongue, Tenten finally answered his declaration with, "Lee, I love you too."
He pulled her in close, encouraged by her returned feelings. He impishly placed his lips on her ear, deeply inhaling her intoxicating peach scent. He slowly let out his breath along the contours of her ear, his steamy exhale causing an oxymoronic chill to ride down her system.
She felt rather than saw his smile as he whispered, "And don't worry about my clumsy first kiss, my precious petal. We will have a lot of time to train."
Oh yippee! My second multichapter story is complete! :D I really hoped you all enjoyed it. Don't forget to review. They make me a happy fangirl. ;D