PIVOT!
Guys, you really know how to make me cry from happiness. Shoutouts to: guest, fanofthisfiction, Lucia Ten, Sucker for shipping and Candy W. for their fantastic reviews.
the one with the uchihas
Rock Lee makes a daily habit of "walking" up the seven flights of stairs to Neji's apartment every morning, several times, before he knocks on Neji's door and invites himself in. By that time, Neji is usually awake and disdainfully staring down at him with a cappuccino in one hand and a grumbling Naruto's t-shirt in the other.
He isn't a morning person, which is why Lee always insists that they handstand up the flights together instead of sleeping in and being passive every morning. Of course, that is when Tenten wakes up and throws a bag of trash at them for being too loud and Naruto pulls him inside for the sake of placating their neighbour.
When asked why exactly Lee consistently strives for physical prowess, he answers that as an aspiring-gym owner and a martial arts instructor, peak physical condition is a definite must if he wants to set an example for his youthful pupils. He loves what he does. Lee loves to train, to feel the adrenaline rushing through his system, to feel himself improving and coping more effectively with the extreme training he and Gai do everyday. He also loves showing up to class every Wednesday and Sunday afternoons to transfer his exuberance to the five disciples who still feel enough flames to show up and train.
They're his little chickens, complete with green jumpsuits and orange leg and arm warmers, and never complain about the cramped, rented space they currently have for lessons. He almost cries from happiness every time they reassure him and tell them how proud they are of their sensei. He's a sensei now.
"How're your lessons coming along, Lee?" Tenten, much friendlier now that her eye-bags have mysteriously disappeared, pours him a cup of his favourite Ten-tea, and beams at him when he tells her about the recent development with him and his students. He doesn't witness Tenten hurling a porcelain tea-cup at Neji, who's rolling his eyes and catching it swiftly, and laments over the upcoming rent for his apartment and the rented lesson space. By nature, he despises concerning himself with financial matters and anything overtly-commercial. Lee prefers to live life to the fullest and enjoy the luxuries afforded to him by kindness and friendship, but sometimes...
"You'll figure it out," Naruto interjects, having woken up from his shower, and ventures over to Tenten's fridge, "You're Rock Lee - you can do anything."
"I can!" Lee agrees vehemently, "But should I start charging my students now?"
"Now?" Neji joins in, shocked, "Now? It's been a whole year - why haven't you been charging them?"
Lee shrinks sheepishly, explaining that he'd rather them learn out of love for martial arts than obligation. Neji whacks the back of Lee's head with a newspaper.
"Fool. If they pay for your lessons, then they'll feel more determined to train harder to make their parents' money worth their time."
"Well, when you put it that way," Lee sits back, rubbing his shiny bowl cut thoughtfully, "That's a good point."
Neji shrugs. "Just make sure you get your finances on track."
"I will! But I have another question." Still balancing on two hands, Lee turns towards Tenten, who gestures for him to proceed, "How was your date?" Immediately, her countenance sours and Lee wonders how Neji manages to find the courage to calm down Tenten every time she's even remotely irate (which is rare, thus earning Tenten the coveted title of Youthful Spring Blossom).
"Just fine," she stabs at a piece of toast and lets the crumbs tumble down to the ground, in front of Lee's face. The room is silent. Tenten sneers and turns towards them. "Is 'I haven't been able to perform for two years because of my divorce' a pick-up line?"
Straight off the bat, Naruto asserts, "Oldest one in the book." He receives a sorrowful look from Tenten, who turns her gaze around again.
"How dishonourable of him," Lee gets back to his feet and gives Tenten a comforting pat on her shoulder. "Doesn't he know that you can dissect him into five million cubes in mere seconds?"
She gives him a watery smile and laughs. "I broke his watch and saw him cry like a baby."
"Atta girl," Neji says with a smirk, "And speaking of babies - I hear Sasuke has one now."
"Really?" Lee and Naruto scream in unison.
"Yup," Tenten's beam practically lights up the kitchen, "I'm going to be an aunt!"
"He didn't tell me shit!"
"Where were you when he was showing us the sonogram yesterday night?"
Naruto scratches his head, a look of dawning realisation popping up. "I thought it was a potato."
"Anyway," Tenten interrupts them as she puts on her coat, "We're heading to work, maybe seeing my precious baby later on. Don't wait up."
Neji joins her and closes the door behind them. "Lock up, Naruto."
Naruto runs to the door and makes sure the sounds of retreating footsteps are indistinguishable before he swears loudly at the door and blows a raspberry. Lee shakes his head. "How very un-youthful."
It's rare that Tenten finds herself graced by the presence of someone she knows at the restaurant.
Usually, her friends steer clear of each other's workplaces - they see each other often enough at Ichiraku's and at her apartment, after all.
But on some occasions, she knows she's cooking for Neji when a take-away order of pickled herrings topped with sesame seeds pops up on the screen, which is when she also knows she's getting picked up from her shift in his BMW. She knows Lee or Naruto are present when there's an uproar in the dining area and a sudden influx of meat is hurried out to a table, along with a few curses thrown about by the wait staff. Alternatively, and on much rarer days, her female co-workers mysteriously vanish and coo over someone who she knows is her broody brother.
Today is different in many ways, yet similar.
She's granted a half-hour break during peak hour for one, as tonight is slower than normal, so for the first time in months Tenten allows herself to settle into a chair (near the kitchen) and savour the grilled meat that she spends most days cooking. And during this half-hour break, she's greeted by a dark figure pushing out the chair across from her and ordering the same dish from Moegi, who's working part-time as a waitress.
The girl practically runs off, beet-red, and squeals with the other waitresses when she reaches the kitchen. Tenten chuckles at her brother.
"You really know how to make an entrance," she wolfs down more of her rice and stuffs a lettuce leaf into her mouth.
"Hm," he sips at his tea and smiles at her kindly. "It's good to see you again."
"Oh, please," she waves her hand in the air, feigning apathy, "You only disappear for fifty years at a time. It's not like I miss you - or Sasuke, for that matter."
"I suppose I am rather absent these days." Itachi smiles at a grumbling Udon, who's no doubt being cursed by a crowd of girls from behind the door. "Thank you. How have you been?"
Tenten shrugs. "So and so. Still cooking, still going to conventions. None have topped last year's Cleaver Show yet - I'm pretty disappointed."
"In due time," he nods in understanding, "I quite enjoyed the one you took me to. '00 Stainless Steel?"
"The birth of my passion. I don't think I would've ditched business for cooking if you hadn't agreed to drive me there."
"You did threaten me with a shuriken."
"It was plastic."
"I know," Itachi starts to elegantly chew at his meat in a way that makes her look completely barbaric. The Uchiha siblings, however, are notorious for being able to devour Mikoto Uchiha's mass production-esque meals at the dinner table, although Tenten gained more sideways while her brothers gained size vertically, so he finishes within ten minutes and orders another bowl. "How's Sasuke doing these days?"
"When did you arrive?" She points her chopsticks at him accusatorily, "That you haven't even talked to Sasuke yet."
"This afternoon. I was planning on meeting him tomorrow morning at the Museum - more opportune for the both of us."
"Does he know?"
"You know me." Tenten takes that as a negative and grins.
"You're in for a treat then."
"I heard the divorce was finalised." At her raised eyebrows, he continued, "Mum and Dad were sobbing to me over the phone about it - they want grandchildren before Dad turns sixty."
"They, or her?"
"They," he emphasises the word with a pointed glance, "And you should really get on that too - they can't just bug us brothers forever, you know."
"I had a date yesterday," she replies defensively. Itachi stares at her for a solid minute. She hears cars move around in the restaurant's parking lot.
"Did you lacerate him?"
"His watch."
"You're getting soft."
She opens her mouth to retort, and then the doorbell chimes as a new customer walks in with the lapels of their black coat upturned. Tenten signals for Moegi to greet the man, then realises it's Neji walking in with a cup of green tea. The momentary pause in her speech is enough for Itachi to turn around slightly.
Neji, bless his soul, has never met the wandering wolf of the Uchiha Family, precisely because he's never around when Itachi deigns to show up, so his eyes immediately narrow and silently ask if she needs him to do anything - something along the scale of interruption to homicide (it depends on their mood, really). She shakes her head.
"Neji! You just get off work?" He turns down his collar and allows his hair to breathe.
"Unfortunately, the boss was feeling particular today." He's in a salty, wine mood, which Tenten is totally amenable to on normal days, but-
"Tenten?" Itachi leans forward and rests his chin on the fold of his hands, the way Sasuke does it when he's feeling frustrated or in the mood for some scrutinising. "What's your name?"
"Neji Hyuga."
"Interesting," Itachi unclasps his fingers and leans back in his chair, fixing a strange look on him. "Have a seat, Neji."
Neji silently lowers himself into the chair beside them.
She chooses this moment to extract herself from the situation. "Well, would you look at the time. I have to work - see you at the dinner tomorrow?"
Itachi smiles warmly. "I'll see you tomorrow."
When she comes back from her escape into the kitchen, her apron is gone, her hair is still locked up in a sweatier rendition of her twin buns, and she wants to collapse. Neji's still sitting in the same position, silent and contemplative.
"Hey," she jolts him out of his thoughts, because as much as Neji likes to have his thinking time, it's midnight and she just wants to go home. "You ready?"
"Of course," he shrugs his coat on and grabs his cup from the table. "Tired?"
"Always," she practically whines and exaggerates a few back stretches, "One of these days, I'm going to be reborn as a goddess. Tenten, Goddess of Cooking."
"Lee's adamant that you're the embodiment of the Springtime of Youth."
Tenten makes a tsk-ing sound and thumps his chest. Neji holds his hand over the left side of his chest, glaring at her in annoyance. "That could be anybody - Lee thinks Gai is the Springtime of Youth."
"Didn't you train with them for a solid year?"
"Good times," she puffs out her cheeks and slowly exhales when smoke effuses from her mouth. "Hey, what happened with Itachi?"
Neji gives her a shrug and a brief look. "Nothing."
"I hate this," Sasuke enters Tenten's apartment with his customary scowl on his face and an eye-roll when he sees her and Itachi chatting amicably over the chicken.
"You're a ray of sunshine," Itachi pokes his forehead with a finger, reminiscent of his earlier - unwelcome surprise - visit that morning, and makes a sweeping gesture at the dining table. "Help set up; you're late."
"You're late," he sticks his tongue out childishly, which earns him a blank stare from his siblings.
"Good one."
"Shut up."
His coat meets the hook next to Tenten's door and exposes half of his stomach the exact moment Sakura emerges from her room. His mouth drops to the floor, because she's in leggings and a hoodie. Rich-girl Sakura is in leggings and hoodie. Rich-girl Sakura is putting her hair up into a messy bun and hollering at Tenten to spare her the leftovers if they have any from dinner. Rich-girl Sakura is greeting his older brother like he's an old, old friend, and Sasuke is effectively snapped out of his daze.
"Hi," he greets her. She perks up and smiles back, notices the state of his clothes, then blushes. His abs are by no means properly formed - divorce plus PhD equals almost no gym sessions. Sasuke pulls his shirt down, mortified.
"Have a great dinner guys - I'll be across the hall if you need me. Bye, Sasuke," she beams at the three of them and skips out with a tub of ice-cream under her arms. He glances up at his siblings and rolls his eyes when the beginnings of a smirk start to form on their lips.
"I'm impressed with her. She cut all her credit cards yesterday night, and now she's job-hunting by day."
"That's great," Itachi sets the plates on the table and checks his phone when it buzzes in his pocket. "That'll be them."
"Kami, help me," Tenten prays skyward and smooths down her dress. The only one who's not at risk of being prodded to death with critique and questions by their parents is Itachi, the Golden Child. Sasuke's fall from grace came when he divorced Temari, whom they adored, so he doubts telling them about her being a lesbian and having his child would make the delicate family situation any better.
Then again, Tenten's having it considerably worse off, with her job, her lack of marriage prospects and her being the 'only Uchiha in history who hasn't made a respectable name for herself'. The door knocks, Sasuke grimaces, and opens the door to find himself being thrown backwards by Mikoto Uchiha's embrace.
"My babies!" She pulls Tenten and Itachi over and snuggles the three of them in her arms. Fugaku spots the chicken on the table and drools. "You look so good, Tennie! Have you lost more weight?"
"A bit," Tenten manages to revive herself from the chokehold and ushers her mother into a seat, "I've been cooking lots, too."
"Aren't you ever going to make use of your degree?" Fugaku joins the matriarch at the table and gives her a stern glance. "You didn't spend all that money for nothing, you know."
"Father, Mother," Itachi interjects, situating himself next to Fugaku and beaming at them. "How have you been?"
Sasuke elbows Tenten into the seat next to Mikoto, which she pushes him for, and surrenders. Mikoto then happily loads food onto Sasuke's plate. "Eat up, Sasuke, you're looking so thin now! We've been fine, Itachi - do visit more?"
"Of course. My trips should be getting more infrequent now that the deal's been settled. I promise I'll make more time to visit you."
Fugaku nods at his eldest son, allowing a small upward flicks of his lip corners to appear.
"The food is gorgeous. Do you have a boyfriend yet, Tenten?" Mikoto reaches over to pour potatoes onto Tenten's plate.
"Uh, not exactly," she kicks Sasuke's shin under the table, "but Sasuke has some news for you."
Sasuke makes sure to scowl at her before responding to his parents' expectant stares. "I'm starting on my thesis."
He catches Itachi's eye-flicker of warning and cringes when his parents pour glasses of wine to celebrate. Tenten proceeds to send him a death-inducing side glance.
"And, also," Sasuke gulps, "You remember Temari?"
"Yes?" Fugaku replies, tone gruff.
"She's-She is. Uh. She's pregnant." The tension is palpable. Mikoto tears up from the news, a mixture of exuberant joy and pure sorrow radiating off her in waves, while Fugaku's jaw clenches. He does not like that jaw-clench. "And, she's also dating a woman named Shikamaru. We'll be raising the baby together."
His father's face purples. Mikoto breaks into minute sobs, then turns to Tenten with the same accusatory glare that they've all mastered. "And you knew this?"
-misspandalily