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I'm watching Rock Lee's fighting scenes over and over again....

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Pretty Please Snippet (NejiTen)

FFdotNet | AO3

~~*~*~*~*~*

 The hair on the back of her neck lifted as the energy she felt was rather aggressive. He wouldn’t dare…she thought. Then, a hand leaned over her head and against her locker door. Her head tilted upwards at the Hyuga who was now standing over her, looking into her locker. Neji’s face was unreadable as his eyes darted along the shelves and various personal items. She didn’t realize how close he was standing to her until she felt her body sway backwards and her back hit his chest. His hair was tossed over one of his shoulders and was draped slightly over her face. Silky and shiny…he takes good care of himself. Tenten thought as she looked up at him curiously. The Hyuga had a round face and yet a very defined jawline. He had to have shaved every other day judging by the state of his skin. His lashes were long, and his lips were a bit thin, but not to the point where they were barely there. The fashion heiress flared her nostrils, pretty boys are always douche bags. His presence wasn’t warm, yet she fit comfortably in the cavity of his torso as if his body was molding to the shape of her. His opal eyes scanned each item carefully, taking inventory. He didn’t say a word to her. Time felt as if it was moving slowly, and the space they had been huddled in was nothing more than an enclosed box.

Read the sauce: FFdotNet | AO3

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Pretty Please Chpt 3 Snippet

Read it here : ff.net | AO3

Shaking her head, she sipped at her matcha concoction. “No, I haven’t. I am not going to though.”

“Oh?” Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow.

“Shika, I see your point. But, just because this cunt is a Hyuga, doesn’t mean he has business meddling in the business decisions of his uncle or my own family. He has no power right now, and using that as an excuse for him to stop being a fucking shit-head is superficial. You know I hate that fake shit.”

The group hummed. She did have a point. Tenten usually avoided any kind of conflicts that would impact her family’s business practices. Using this as a tool was smart…but there was no point. Neji was a jerk, and if he wanted to start a problem with her that is on his own volition, not on his uncle’s. Now, if he did end up working as the head of Hyuga Corps by the time she also took over her own family business, that would be a whole different story. She already made it very clear to him in the hallway that she’d never-ever work with him. And yet, here they were. She had no choice but to work with him for this damn class project. It was only three months, Naruto had pointed out to her. This was true, in fact it was the beginning of March anyway. Her birthday was next week and she shouldn’t let this bother her. She will do the prompts and be done with it. Tenten knew she didn’t have to be friends with the ass-hat, but she needed this grade to graduate on time. A hefty sigh pushed past her lips; it was decided. She wasn’t going to let him get to her. This caused Lee to give her a bright grin, saying he will support her as well as he can. Shikamaru gave a mocking chuckle that caused her to puff her cheeks up at him.

“What’s so funny?” 

Shikamaru polished off his latte. “Babes, you are the most hot-headed bad bitch I have ever met. You taking the high road will be torment for you and us.”

“Wh-” her eyes got wide.

“Would you even be able to control yourself if he says something out of pocket again?” 

Just as quick as her mouth opened, she closed them. Tenten was a confrontational person, she believed in handling issues as they happened; passive aggressive behaviors were seen as weak to her. Crossing her arms over her chest, she groaned. Trying to let Hyuga's words brush off her shoulders would be a challenge. She can act unbothered…she was sure of it. But something in the back of her mind told her to not let it go. Whatever he said, he meant it with his whole chest. Those eyes…they were cold and full of whips of disdain. She glanced over at Sasuke. His onyx eyes used to be cold and dead as well. She found him so alluring, not by his looks or his “cool guy” behavior (actually, she found his aloof characteristics rather annoying as someone as extroverted as herself). And yet, there was some charm to them. How she and Sasuke ended up so close beyond her, they just so happened to be at that party together when he did her that major solid. She never asked Sasuke what made him do it, but after that night, he was softer to her. He had changed a bit as a person and was found hanging out with them more; the not so open invitation was made very obvious to him. And those eyes had changed as well. There was something about dead eyes that made Tenten’s chest fill with curiosity. 

“I think she will be alright,” Sasuke mused and he pulled out his phone. “I will personally keep tabs on it, just in case though. I can’t be sitting in these meetings with this asshole knowing he has insulted her.” 

Tenten’s lips fell into a small smile. He has definitely softened up, and she was happy he had changed a bit since they were introduced. The boys agreed to keep tabs on it as well, they couldn’t have Tenten deal with someone like this by herself; they refused to let her handle it by herself actually.

“Aww,” she beamed. “You guys are too much! It’s like you love me or something!”

“You’d do the same for any of us,” Naruto pointed out. “It’s what friends do, ya know!”

Tenten’s cheeks began to burn from smiling. She loved her small friend group; a carefully picked family of friends that had each other’s back no matter what. They stood by each other no matter what and gave no heed to what others said or thought; their own little squad of “delinquents”. They were just teenagers trying to get through school. There wasn’t a strong enough adjective to express their chaotic and yet sincere dynamic.

Read it here : ff.net | AO3

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Team Gai brainrot is real guys 💔 Look at this wht is this why did I make all this 💔 (/j ilovethemthat'swhy)

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Pretty Please Chapt 2 snippet

Read it here ff.net | A03

There was a loud crash as Neji found himself-once again-being shoved against his lockers again by this girl. He had to admit, she was a lot stronger than she looked and she was a good five inches shorter than he was. In a way, he found it rather amusing how her cheeks would puff up when she was angry; her face would also turn a shade of red that made it look as though smoke would start coming out of her ears. Tenten pulled and pushed on his collar, causing his body to collide with the metal structure on his back.

“The only thing tacky here is your fucking know-it-all attitude!” she spat.

“Oh? And what are you going to do about it?” he growled. “If I even dare to lift a finger, I will surely get in trouble. However, you simply can’t help yourself but to act as if you run this school as if you are untouchable. Your reputation is already in the trash like your fashion sense.”

Tenten huffed, her nose scrunched in irritation. “Damn straight you’d get in trouble! Your whole reputation will be finished if you dare mess with me!”

“And yet…” a smirk grew on his face.

Neji grabbed her wrists and pulled her closer to him. His nose was practically touching hers and she could feel his warm breath on her lips. He looked directly into her eyes; they were cold and full of disdain towards her. Tenten had never seen eyes so dead before in her life. They stood still for what felt like hours; she couldn’t bring herself to blink as she looked into his eyes. She was still annoyed that he was rude as hell to her, but there was something there that she saw…she saw something similar in Sasuke’s eyes a long time ago. A sliver of sadness in the shadow of his eyes. Her body jerked backwards suddenly, her back colliding into something warm and solid.

Read the rest here ff.net | AO3

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Pretty Please (NejiTen) Chpt 1 Snippet

Pretty Please: ff.net | AO3

Color of the day is red, Neji thought to himself as he watched her enter the room. This girl has been sitting in front of him all semester, and her outfits had become more and more ridiculous as the weather began to warm up slightly. Even when it was snowing out, her whale-tail would be hoisted above her hips and sometimes even decorated with bedazzled charms. She would sport waist beads, layers of belts and chains. Even if the heat wasn’t on, her mid-drift was showing on multiple occasions that presented her belly button ring.  Her simplest of outfits consisted of an oversized hoodie and shorts that were so short, you could barely see them under the hoodie. That girl had double pierced her nose and had those audacious cheek piercings that he sure hurt when she got them, he could only imagine any other places where she might have piercings. And every time she would walk into the room, there were eyes on her. Most of the other guys in this senior health class had attempted to get her attention at various points of the semester. She’d brush them off, or even flirt back depending on her mood. Neji noticed that she always had some kind of scent on her. He inhaled, his chest expanding. Color of the day is red…and she smells of coconuts. They never interacted before. He would see her around the school grounds, usually in some kind of argument, or petty fist-fight with whoever stepped up to her. Rumor has it, she was a ball at parties and loved to be a homewrecker. She’d go after any guy…or girl of someone she didn’t like just to stir up some trouble. What a nuisance, she has no class…he huffed. She would also always arrive to class with someone…that kid looked familiar to him. Neji was sure he was in some of his advanced placement classes, however he kept to himself. 

Read the rest here -> Pretty Please FF.net | AO3

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𓇢𓆸 ᴵ ˢᵗᵃʸᵉᵈ ʰᵉʳᵉ ⁱⁿ ʰᵒᵖᵉˢ ᵒᶠ ᵍⁱᵛⁱⁿᵍ ʰⁱᵐ ᵃ ᶜʰᵃⁿᶜᵉ. 𓏲 ๋࣭  ࣪ ˖

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Frequency Chpt 13 snippet

Read the full story: FF.Net | AO3

Grabbing the brush pen, Tenten wrote down a single word on the blank piece of paper and folded it twice. Placing it on the seal, she hovered her palm over it and released a small amount of chakra. The paper was successfully transported through the seal, wherever Akaji was. Running a hand through her long bangs, Tenten leaned on her elbows and held her head in her hands. She was doubting herself, and she couldn’t stop and wonder if she made the right decision. A hand gently rested on her shoulder which caused her to look up at her fiance. Neji was kneeling beside her, the blade in his other hand as he held it out to her. 

“It’s impressive what you accomplished in such a small amount of time, Tenten.” he cooed. “You have a gift for crafting.”

Tenten took the blade from him and inspected the work she had begun. It was still rough, she pursed her lips together. If she was going to craft her own blade of crystal, she needed to make sure her technique was perfect. Crystals were apparently a challenge to use in crafting, even for jewelry. The stone could crumble depending on the technique used and she couldn’t afford any mistakes. Neji listened to her concerns and laid his hands over hers.

“You will make it work. You always do.” he said softly. 

“But-”

Neji nipped at her cheek. She squealed and flinched at the sudden action, his grip on her hands tightened. 

“You always assume the worst,” he murmured. “I’m telling you, you will make it work. I believe in you.”

Tenten sighed and nodded slightly as her cheeks puffed up. He didn’t have to nip at her like that. A smirk formed on Neji’s lips and he let out a low chuckle. He had devoted himself to making sure her dark thoughts would cease from forming; it was an in the moment action to interrupt them. 

“Now,” he took the blade from her fingers and placed it on the tea table. “We need to discuss exactly what it is you’re going to do when we reach Suna.”

Tenten hummed as she thought about the next course of action. She was just going to Suna based on the sand clone really, but something in her gut was telling her that she would find something there; something useful whether it is an object or information. As she pondered outloud, Neji ran his fingers up and down her arms. He listened as she ran through her ideas and doubts. Ultimately, Tenten was going to look for where the rogues were residing. They had to be somewhere close to Suna and were hoping to corner one of them to interrogate. There was also a page or two in her father’s book that indicated a mineral merchant. If she cannot find the exact crystal her father used, she can hopefully find a replacement. And perhaps Gaara had some intel on business dealings her father had in the Land of Wind. 

“Thugs, minerals, business dealings…” Neji murmured. “Anything else?”

Tenten shrugged. If there was anything else, she would have to consider it as they traveled, or even after they spoke to Gaara. She really did hope the Kazekage had information he could spare. In fact, she hoped they wouldn’t reside in the Sand Village for too long. 

“I just…” she paused. “Neji, why are you stroking my finger like that?”

The Hyuga froze. His own digits were ghosting over Tenten’s left hand. He supposed he had let his thoughts wonder a bit, picturing the ring he had bought for her on her finger. Naruto’s words were echoing in his ears of how he shouldn’t be dragging his feet. Practically married, all this time. A small smile formed on his face as he recalled the conversation with his friends earlier.

“Sorry,” he brought her hand to his lips. “I was a bit distracted.”

“Oh?” the bunhead cocked an eyebrow at him.

“It seems as though I am a bit…impatient.” Neji gently kissed her hand. “I guess my brain was trying to figure out why you were not wearing a wedding band…as if we were already married.”

The weapons master looked at him with wide eyes. She watched as Neji's cheeks faded into a pink hue and his eyes remained fixed on her hand. The Hyuga explained that he had accidentally aged his relationship to Naruto, which had brought forth the comment from the blonde that they were seen as already married. He felt a bit embarrassed, in a way. Neji wasn’t sure how to feel about the others already viewing them as married, even though they had made their relationship quite secretive all these years. Tenten chuckled at this thought. Being embarrassed over such a thing was a bit ridiculous, especially since it was partly true if they really thought about it. Comparing the others and their relationships, Tenten commented on how much time they had actually spent together, either on duty or otherwise. 

“It’s a bit obvious when you’re only nice to me and Hinata.” she winked at him. “Even when we were in our early teens, you were only really nice to me.”

Neji rolled his eyes, his blush not subsiding as he nuzzled his forehead in the crook of her neck. He always had a soft spot for her, crush or otherwise. She was important to him, and he highly valued her as a person. 

“Neji,”  Tenten said after a while.

“Hn?” he pecked at her neck.

“Thank you for always being there for me.” she whispered.

Read the story: ff.net | AO3

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Frequency Chapter 12 snippet

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest. They had gone through all that trouble of deciding to get a ring, then helping him customize it, just to have it sit in his belongings. They have yet to see Tenten wear it. Neji groaned, stating he was going to wait for the opportune moment to present it to her. There was too much stress and things to do for him to pull her aside for that. She was determined to work on her skills for her project, he was trying to assist her in gathering information. 

“Sounds like bitch to me!” Naruto teased. “It’s like you're playing pussy all of a sudden.”

“Wha-”

“Naruto, give him time. He is right, we all have been stressed out.” Lee stepped between the two of them, sensing the shift in Neji’s energy. “Besides, I am sure Neji will fully embrace his youth with Tenten when we are all more relaxed.”

“Why are you so hellbent on being involved in my love life?” Neji huffed, his cheeks fading to a light pink. “Don’t you have better things to do?”

Naruto clicked his tongue. “Dude, you’re the first one in our group who is engaged . You, Tenten, Sakura, Sasuke, and bushy brow are some of the closest friends I have. And you, specifically, are always on my ass about Hinata anyway especially when we started dating. I’m simply returning the favor for my future sister in law.”

The Hyuga prodigy stared hard at the Uzumaki. It was with good intentions, but really he would’ve rather kept it all to himself. Sooner or later, he and Naruto were to be family. He knew Hiashi would instantly approve of their marriage just as the lord had approved of Neji’s choice of partner; it was only a matter of time before Naruto proposed to Hinata himself. A groan escaped his lips, it was really none of his business.

“I already spoke to Tenten,” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Once this mess gets sorted out, we will talk about marriage. Not when she’s in the middle of her own family dilemma that could potentially affect all of us in the long run.” 

“All I’m saying is, don’t drag your feet.” Naruto replied.

“That’s rich coming from you. You were completely oblivious to my cousin’s hints all these years and you’re telling me not to drag my feet? Tenten and I have been dating since our last chunnin exams; I think I know what I’m doing.”

Naruto looked at him in surprise. That’s when Neji realized that he had just aged his relationship with Tenten. It was true, they had begun dating not too long after they took the chunnin exams again when they were sixteen. They managed to keep it a secret from most of the group of their peers for quite a long time. The first of their peers to figure it out was Shikamaru, who agreed to keep the discovery to himself. Then, he had a long talk with Gai-sensei and Lee after he saved them from Kisame’s water prison. His affections had saved the group, purly under the responsibility he put on himself to keep Tenten safe from any harm without smothering her. Letting his emotions be open was already difficult for the Hyuga, but it was that situation where Gai-sensei had figured it out himself; how Neji had held her, and didn’t let her go. They worked hard to keep their relationship under wraps, however when they finally decided to make it public, it was after the war. Though one could argue that they did a pretty good job hiding it, it came to no surprise to people when they did make it public. They were always seen as a couple, even if they were pretending not to be. 

“So…all this time, you two-”

“Yes, Naruto.” Neji gave an aggravated sigh. “All this time.” 

“Damn, You guys are wild for that.” The blonde chuckled. “Practically married all this time!”

Neji’s eyes went wide at that comment. He supposed there was some truth to it when he saw their relationship as a bigger picture. A small half smile crept onto his face as he recalled all the times he was confronted about who he was to Tenten. 

“Yes, I suppose you’re right, Naruto.”  

“Of course I am.” The blonde grinned. “And when I’m the uncle to your kids, I will be sure to make sure they know how much of a wuss you were when proposing to their mom!”

As fast as the smile had reached his face, it vanished with the same speed. Neji felt a pit in his stomach and rolled his eyes. He had only spoken to Tenten about children, but hearing it from someone else made it seem more than a mere fantasy of his. Rock Lee saw the shift of emotion on his teammates face and chuckled a bit. Being an adult was hitting them faster than any of them would’ve imagined. 

read the rest here: FF.net | A03

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IPod Shuffle of Shame

(Art by me)

“Uchiha,” Neji’s smirk rested on his lips as he sardonically greeted his prodigal rival. “I never took you for the watching type.”

Sasuke Uchiha looked the pair up and down. The Uchiha was in his civilian clothing, having taken some time off himself from missions. He cocked an eyebrow at Neji’s hand placement and shook his head. 

“And I never took you to be so public about your…affections, Hyuga.” 

Tenten’s lips pursed together as she eyed Sasuke standing before them. This was the other peer she had sought out for relations besides Neji. She was unsure exactly on how they managed to find themselves in this situation; perhaps it was that mission they had had together a few months back where they had to go undercover as a newly wed couple. To be convincing, Sasuke had suggested that they act as a couple prior to the assignment. In other words, they had sex prior to the mission to test their compatibility. Their innate physical compatibility  was more titillating than they had expected; and they sought each other out on a few occasions to revel in their basal connection.

“I came seeking some…company.” Sasuke mused as his eyes locked with those of the weapons mistress. “But, it looks like my presence makes this a crowd.”

Neji’s eyebrow’s shot upwards. He softened his grip on Tenten and fully faced the heir of the Uchiha. He took a few steps forward to the point where he stood, towering over the raven haired shinobi, Neji’s eyes now flashed with annoyance. Tenten scrambled to adjust herself, tugging her red pants up, and shuffled to stand between the two prodigies. This was one interaction she had loath to come up against when it came to these two. They tolerated each other, only slightly. They would pick at each other, holding veritable pissing contests wherein each would attempt to piss the other off to elicit a big reaction out of the other. Tenten recalled when she had started seeing Sasuke, that Neji had begun to act out possessively just to make a point - he was the primary partner. Not that he was trying to push the Uchiha away, Tenten’s partners were her business, but he certainly felt an innate need to assert his dominance as her preferred partner. The weapons mistress pressed palm up to each of them and lightly pushed in their chests. 

“You guys,” she started, “don’t get into this now…we’re outside, people could - .”

Neji cupped her hand gently and turned her palm to kiss her knuckles. His gaze softened as he quietly acknowledged her intervention, however he held his hard stare with Sasuke. The Uchiha let out a deep chuckle and laced his fingers around her other hand, jerking her lightly towards him. Neji frowned, grunting in retaliation and guided Tenten back to his side by pulling on her waist.

“Uchiha, you seem to-yet again-be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  So, what will it take to have you just fuck off?”

Sasuke shook his head. He swiftly tugged Tenten out of the Hyuga’s grasp with a swiftness only a sharingan user like he could display - he held Tenten similarly to how Neji had. He stood over her with her back against the door to her apartment; Tenten huffed in frustration, still red cheeked, she knew it was usually better to just let their little spats play out then protest. Sasuke’s calloused fingers traced her jaw, lifting her chin to present a red mark that had just been freshly planted on her neck. 

“You’ve had her attention for a month…don’t tell me this is all she had to look forward to with you.” His thumb pressed against her bottom lip. “I’m rather disappointed that you would even attempt to satisfy her in such a way.”

Oh shit. Tenten’s eyes widened and a surge of energy filled her. Neji, snorted with dissent - he was not taking any of  this conversation well. Neji deftly moved forward and yanked the sharingan user’s hands off of Tenten’s body. 

“Guys, c’mon -” Tenten began to protest but she was pulled into her apartment by Neji. 

As the door closed behind them with a locking clank, Tenten felt Sasuke grip her wrist as the door shut behind them with a locking clank. Her back collided with Sasuke’s chest as he tugged her to him again. While Tenten could get behind these two dark and mysterious hotties vying for her attention - this game of tug of war was getting tiring.

Neji gave an audible groan through his gritted teeth. Without breaking eye-contact with the Hyuga, Sasuke took a quick nip of Tenten’s ear prompting Tenten to let out a small, sharp breath of pleasure .

“Tell me, does he actually fuck you to satisfaction?”

A deep chuckle escaped the Uchiha shinobi’s lips as he leaned in to whisper, his warm breath tickling her ear. 

“Or do I have to do damage control for a month of below par sex? Tell me the truth, Tenten, I’m sure you missed my touch and have grown bored of his clumsy fumblings.”

Neji, who was still holding onto her other wrist, took an angry step forward. He was so close to the Uchiha that Tenten was basically being pressed deeper against Sasuke by the Hyuga’s imposing chest. Squashed between the two men,  she could feel her face contort into a small satisfied smirk - she was not opposed to the hot man sandwich she now herself in. The ivory eyed jonnin raised her arm over head against the door. The weapons mistress let out a whimper as she witnessed Neji grab the younger Uchiha by his jaw, pushing his head back. Between the three of them, Neji was the tallest. He slightly towered over them and let out a cool response.

“I’m sure Tenten would agree…” said Neji, cocking his head to the side defiantly, “that your time with her is not nearly as satisfying as our time together.”

Sasuke sucked his teeth, trying to tear away from Neji but the Hyuga’s grip on his face was firm. This Hyuga was no longer amusing and was beginning to seriously irritate him. All he wanted was Tenten’s company after a month-long dry spell. And yet here this stubborn fuck, taking his time away from her. But then, an idea hit the Uchiha.

“I think Tenten should decide who she spends her time with.”

Neji blinked. He loosened his grip on Uchiha, though he did not remove his hand from the contours of his comrades face. He stiffened as Tenten began to pant under him, her soft gasps brought his attention right to her. Her amber eyes were half lidded and she leaned her head back against Sasuke’s shoulder. 

Neji and Sasuke share a surprised albeit pleased smirk between them 

“Huh, looks like she already made her choice a while ago, Uchiha.” 

Sasuke’s hand had found its way under her shirt, his fingers running circles around her nipples, slightly pressing down. Tenten could feel herself shudder with thirst, the rush of heat to her breasts perked her nipples into hardened mounds and she felt her loins flush with moisture. Neji, frowned slightly at Sasuke’s taking the lead over the situation, began kissing Tenten’s neck. But, Sasuke began pressing his hardening cock between the crevices of Tenten’s ass - distracting her from Hyuga’s affectionate touching. The two men were slowly working her clothing open when Tenten took a moment to honor rational thought. 

“Wait!” Locking the door to her apartment before melting beneath the probing touches of her two lovers, Tenten quickly fell back into their arms like melted butter as they reached for her.

“Does he feel your skin beneath his fingers like I do?” Sasuke whispered in her ear. “Does he make your spine tremble?” Sasuke stretched her arm further up the door, using only one hand to fondle Tenten. 

Tenten’s face was burning under the heat of the two men’s touch. Sasuke’s fingers were slowly trailing across her bra and her ribs. Forcing Neji to stumble back and watch as the Uchiha took possession of Tenten momentarily. Sasuke’s teeth found her earlobe as he plunged his hand south, teasing her bundle of nerves over her cotton panties. Neji’s eyes widened at the scene before him; the Uchiha seemed determined to encroach on all his time with Tenten, and was doing a good job of making sure she craved his touch. The Hyuga watched as Tenten’s eyes found him; as she groaned with pleasure, her eyes focused on Neji with a look of lust and daring. Her fist clenched as Sasuke continued to hold her arm above her, they maintained centered eye contact with one another as Sasuke continued to stimulate her clit. Neji, pursed his lips together - he was the one who was supposed to be making Tenten feel that way. It was his favorite expression of hers that he was sure would be caused only by him…however, the gel-block headed idiot Uchiha had achieved that  prized reaction so easily, and that pissed him off.

READ THE REST HERE: ffdotnet | AO3

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Sleepless nights Chapter 3-2 snippet

"Sorry about this." he breathed. "I tried not to go overboard with the drinks tonight."

"Don't worry about it. You were out with the boys, I wouldn't expect anything less than you coming home trashed." Tenten laughed softly.

Neji let out a groan and he slightly shook his head. Home, he thought. She opened his house to him as if it were his own home; he was forever grateful. His chin lifted a bit as he felt tenten tug on his long locks. Reaching his hand back, he ran his fingers along the high ponytail that she had styled for him. Then his stomach gave again, and he hunched over the toilet bowl. Her hand was back in between his shoulder blades, rubbing his back in comfort. It was weird, he thought. The roles were switched around this time and he wasn't sure how he felt about Tenten taking care of him. He was happy, but at the same time he felt as though he was burdening her. Trying to stand, Neji fell back onto his knee with his head spinning. The cheerleader hummed as she pushed him back down. Announcing that she was going to make him some ginger tea, she stood and shuffled back into the kitchen. She turned on her burner to boil water and took out two mugs. Hopefully his stomach will hold this down, and she wouldn't have to stay up making sure he doesn't choke on his own bile. A sigh left her lips as she heard the toilet flush and a cough. Reaching for some tea bags, she jumped a bit as she felt hands snake around her waist. His forehead collided with her neck as he leaned into her. Yep, she thought, absolutely trashed. He mumbled something inaudible to her ears as she patted his head. Touchy-Feely, she hummed. Neji was so touchy-feely with her whenever he was drunk. And it was only with her. Dropping the tea bags into the mugs, she served the tea and led him to her couch. She gently pushed him down and gave him a mug. His eyes watched as she ran back upstairs and for some unknown reason. After a moment of listening to her shuffling about, he took a sip of his tea. Ginger and lemon graced his tongue to which he gave a pleasant sigh. The warmth of the ginger traveled down his throat and into his stomach with such ease, he was sure he wouldn't feel like shit when he woke up. Tenten had finally come back down and sat herself next to him. She grabbed her mug of tea and shifted so her legs were resting on her best friend's lap.

"So, how was it?" Tenten asked after taking a sip.

"Just as you'd expect it to be with them," he murmured bringing his lips to the mug once more. "The food was actually pretty good and overall, they all behaved."

"Oh, shocker." Tenten hummed.

Neji rolled his eyes. Yes, his team had a reputation at university parties to...get a bit reckless. He never really joined in unless Tenten was present with her cheer team. They would make some kind of agreement about who got to get trashed and who would be driving the other home. It was usually Tenten who would be found with bottles and grinning to some stranger from the division one basketball team, to which he would look about from a distance just in case. And if they decided to both get trashed, they'd have Lee drive them to whomever's house was available and it was usually Neji's.

"I was shocked that Sasuke went through your phone to call me," Tenten said carefully. "I was hoping to not bother you guys. That's why I texted Lee."

"You texting me is never a bother, Tenten." He breathed.

"You've...been avoiding me."

Neji's ivory eyes snapped to hers. With whatever focus he could muster up; he locked eyes with hers. Tenten blinked awkwardly as the Hyuga searched her face. After a moment he sighed and placed the mug on the coffee table. Bringing his hand to his face, he rubbed his eye. He was trying to process some words, without just spewing out random whatever popped into his mind. Neji wanted to appear as if he was in control, however, Tenten knew he was trying to stop himself from babbling to her. She had told him before he left that she would hang up the phone on him if he did start babbling. Not that she didn’t like it when he did, it’s just she wasn’t in the mood to listen to him or his woes at the moment and was trying to push him to talk to his other friends.

"It's just… I've been…" he trailed off trying to find the right words.

Read the story here _| AO3 link

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Head Cannons One-Shot:

Nejiten Headcannon explanations: part one Nejiten Fanfictions by me: ffdotnet | A03

Head cannons: Tenten started realizing her feelings when they repeated the chunnin exams and they are both the jealous type (Neji more than Tenten, though).

Tenten recalled what happened during the chunnin exams as Fuu held onto Neji’s hand. She had just asked the Hyuga to be her friend, so why was the bunhead feeling so uneasy? The byakugan user was a bit taken aback by the girl, unsure of what to say except to request to release his hand. Even now, with them being back in the village and they all had just been promoted…she was still thinking about it. Lee was spouting some exaggerated scene before them as they walked through the village’s main street. The team had quickly gone home to shower and change, now in their civilian wear before meeting back up to spend some time together. The bunhead had fallen quiet, and her face was stoic as they walked. This was a bit unusual for the boys as they had definitely noticed her change in mannerisms. They had exchanged looks briefly before Lee had attempted to open more conversation, which resulted in blunt and not very engaging responses from the bunhead. Even when they went to have a celebratory meal with their sensei, Tenten’s mood had not changed. She ate quietly as Lee and Neji relayed the events that had taken place; from their separation and Tenten handling herself incredibly well, to Neji saving the Kazekage and another kunoichi who had a tailed beast inside of her. Gai praised Neji for having been promoted to jonnin at the young age of seventeen, now no longer a subordinate to their sensei. The Hyuga was rather pleased with the promotion, and yet his eyes kept glancing back towards Tenten who also looked somewhat content with her small smile and nods as they all spoke, but she remained in her own little bubble. This was a bit concerning to the Hyuga, as he worried she was deep in her thoughts and her insecurities were dancing around in her mind with the recent promotion. He would inquire after they finished their team meal. 

“What’s the matter?”

Her amber eyes found his ivory ones as they walked behind Gai and Lee to head back to the main streets of Konoha. The bunhead shook her head and looked forward. This caused Neji’s eyebrows to furrow and his lips pursed tightly. He wasn’t about to let her brush him off as he grabbed her hand and halted her strides. Tenten turned her head to him and shot him a glare.

“What is the matter, Tenten?” he repeated.

“Nothing! Let me go, Neji.” she groaned and attempted to pull her hand out of his grasp.

The prodigy held her hand firmly and pulled her closer to him. He quickly glanced ahead, watching as their sensei and teammate continued on. Clearing his throat, he called to them, stating that he and Tenten would be heading along and to not wait up for them. Gai and Lee looked behind them and nodded curiously at the two of them, watching as Neji held her hand and led her to a side street.

“Lee, what is all this about?’ Gai asked.

Lee hummed and tilted his head in concern. “I…am unsure, Gai-sensei. However, Tenten has been acting strange since we have returned.”

“Why?”

“I will ask Neji. I think he has noticed it as well. If he can get her to talk to him, I am sure he will tell us so we can be of support to her.”

The two taijutsu specialists hummed in unison and continued on their way. Lee was rather surprised that Tenten was in her head at such a time. She seemed very happy when they were promoted and was eager to continue her career with the two of them as a permanent three man cell. They didn’t want to be split up, and with Neji’s promotion, it was more than likely it could happen, unless the Hyuga put a request in to not be a solo jonnin or sensei himself. Maybe that is what Tenten was worried about, he pondered as he walked with his sensei.

Neji held onto her hand, his fingers interlaced with hers as he led her to their team training grounds. Finally releasing her, he looked down and crossed his arms over his chest. Tenten’s eyes went wide and she sucked her teeth. Her hands found her hips and she met his stare; he was waiting for her to start talking.

“Neji, I’m fine-”

“Tenten,” he leaned in. “How long have I known you?”

“What does that-”

“Answer me.” he murmured.

The bun head rolled her eyes as she answered him. It’s been over ten years, she groaned knowing that he knew her very well. Hiding things from him was rather difficult since Neji made it his business to know her business. Why he did this was a mystery to Tenten, but they were best friends and she supposed this was his way to show that he cared amongst other ways. Neji held his stare, waiting for her to throw him a bone. 

“I’m just in a shit mood…” she started.

His eyebrow cocked upwards, a signal for her to continue. She looked away from him.

“It’s stupid. Really it’s nothing…”

“Tenten, if it was nothing, you wouldn’t be in a ‘shit mood’. We all noticed it.” Neji replied. “Well?”

Tenten captured her bottom lip into her teeth. Neji watched as she adjusted her stance, looking everywhere but at him. She was either trying to find a way to get him off o f her back, or she was trying to piece together coherent sentences to express what was going through her head. But Neji waited patiently and had already decided that he would not leave her until he was satisfied with whatever conclusion would come from whatever problem she had.

“That girl,” she huffed finally. “The one that held your hand.”

He hummed in confusion, but then the scene flashed before his eyes of the green haired shinobi they had saved. 

“Okay…and?” he asked.

Tenten rolled her eyes, mumbling again that it was a stupid thing to be annoyed about, and yet, Neji took a step closer to her and encouraged her to speak her mind. She didn’t like how that Fuu girl just grabbed his hand and didn’t let go. Her chest had sunk when he didn’t pull his hand away from her. The smile she had given him annoyed her as well; yes, Fuu was grateful. But she could be grateful without touching him. The Hyuga’s eyes grew wide before a small smile formed on his lips. The bunhead still was not making eye contact with him; he guessed she was a bit embarrassed for being worked up over such a small thing.

“I am still a bit confused as to why you would feel so strongly about that. I told her to let me go.” he stated. “So, why are you still hung up about it?”

In honesty, Tenten was unsure why this bothered her so much. She crossed her arms over her chest and hummed. She hadn’t really seen him interact with other girls before in such a way, in fact, his lack of reaction is what bothered her. 

“I just didn’t like how forward she was with you…in front of me.” 

Ah, there it is. Neji held his hands out to her, his palms exposed. “Tenten, I hold your hand all the time for various reasons.”

“Yeah, but that’s us. That’s how we are. I just didn’t like how she did that, okay?” 

“You are,” he grabbed her hands gently. “Jealous that she held my hand without asking?” 

Her cheeks puffed in silent confirmation at his assumption. This caused Neji to burst out in bright laughter. Well, Tenten did insist that it was something stupid she was thinking about. Shaking his head, he took her hands and laced their fingers together.

“You have nothing to be jealous about.” he said once he had calmed down. 

“Listen,” she looked him in the eyes this time, a blush creeping onto her face. “I know that you know what you look like, which is attractive. I’m just not used to girls coming up to you in such a way so boldly when I’m around. I know you handled it well, it just…bothered me.” 

The Hyuga pressed his forehead against hers, a smile still glued to his face. He found it cute that she was jealous of the attention he was receiving. In a way, he understood where she was coming from. It had just been the two of them when Gai and Lee weren’t around. And the idea of either of them being with other people was unsettling. In a way, Neji felt more uncomfortable with the idea that Tenten may be gone from his side one day; maybe with another person, or just on her own. Her brown eyes looked up at him in surprise at this thought. Neji continued that he knows exactly what she is talking about since he was dealing with it himself.

“What do you mean?” she asked, her interest peaked.

“Well, for starters,” the prodigy used. “You have also been receiving a lot of attention lately from other people, especially tonight.”

Cocking her head to the side, she pursed her lips together in confusion. This reaction caused Neji to look at her in surprise and after a moment he elaborated; he was around her so much that he noticed when other’s eyes would shift to her. They had a mission recently in the desert where they had to attend a formal event in order to collect information for Gaara and Kankuro. Between her charisma and the incredibly fitted dress she wore where her muscular legs were on full display, she was approached by many for attention, and also to dance. Gai and Lee had to hold him back from intervening in any way. He would send glares to anyone else who had a nefarious look in their eye as they attempted to approach her. Or, when he had invited her over to the Hyuga estate for dinner, his cousins would whisper and try to steal glances from her. The prodigy was looming over there the whole time, practically attached to her while she was there. Hinata had to pull him aside and correct him on his facial expressions as his cousin and relatives attempted to interact with her. 

“Tonight,” he murmured. “You were too deep in thought over this to notice the looks you were getting as we walked through the streets.”

Tenten blinked. There was no way she was attracting that much attention. She didn’t consider herself to be such a blinding beauty that people would stop in their tracks to look. But, Neji disagreed wholeheartedly. Yes, he knew he was attractive and he has been aware of it since the academy. Tenten was attractive, she just didn’t see it. In fact, her maturity was the most attractive thing about her and the fact that she hadn’t noticed those looks and heard those comments told him that she was so focused on him and what others were doing to him instead of herself. But in a way, she didn’t have to pay attention to that because Neji was always there. 

“So…what are you trying to say exactly, then?” Tenten asked.

“It is,” his voice got low. “Absolutely infuriating watching these people fawn over you in my presence. Everytime we go out, every time we dress up for something…every time you are yourself, you attract eyes. It’s annoying.”

Tenten gasped at him. He was annoyed by the attention she got? She didn’t have people flinging themselves to her like he did. But she supposed that because he was there, they wouldn’t dare to think about approaching her in such a way. All it took was a look from her Hyuga partner and they would disperse instantly. In a way, she was a bit flattered at his explanation. 

“You…think I’m attractive?” she asked suddenly, her eyes wide.

It was the Hyuga’s turn to stare at her. He did say that, and he was hoping that wasn’t the detail she would fixate on (that was supposed to remain in his head and yet he still said it out loud). The point was, he explained, that he could relate to what she was feeling and wanted to express a similar situation in order to give an example. 

“With that being said,” Neji cleared his throat. “If you ever feel like you like someone else. I would require a heads up, unless you’re looking to be an accessory to murder.”

At this the weapons mistress laughed and hugged him. “Aw, would you be jealous if I did?”

Neji didn’t answer. Instead he wrapped his arms around her body and let out a sigh. He supposed he would be. In fact he would absolutely loathe the idea of Tenten being with someone other than him…in a platonic way? Mentally smacking himself, he held her tighter. No, he knew he liked her more than just a friend. In fact, the boys would tease him endlessly about how close he was with her and had even witnessed the glares he would give people  and the subtle shift in how close he walked next to her, the light touches of leading her by her elbow, or when he rested a hand on her shoulder. He had it bad, Shikamaru had told him. The Hyuga was having some difficulties keeping himself together when it came to Tenten. 

“Look,” Neji said after a while. “You don’t have to worry about that kind of thing anymore. I’ll make sure to act accordingly. But be realistic, okay?”

Tenten nodded against his chest and smiled up at him. She had gotten over it pretty easily, and she repeated that she knew it was a stupid thing to get worked up over. 

“I just don’t like the idea of seeing you with someone else like that, is all…” the bunhead murmured. 

Other than me, her mind screamed at her. At that, Tenten had snapped straight and moved to take a step back. Neji released her due to the sudden movement and asked if she was alright. I don’t like the idea of seeing you with someone else…other than me.

“Tenten?”

Her eyes focused and she rubbed the back of her neck. It had just clicked in her brain why she felt so uneasy about what happened, why she felt so inferior to the others who would admire him in such a way. Her feelings had crossed the line of “best friend” and now landed in the “crush” category. It was dangerous for them, and she had no idea if he even liked her back in such a way (he did, but she didn’t know that currently). Giving him a reassuring pat on his bicep, she didn’t look him directly in the eye as she thanked him for listening to her and quickly pivoting on her heel to head home.

“Wait, I’ll walk with y-” he took a step forward.

“No, no! It’s fine. I’m fine. We are fine.” she exclaimed.

Neji hadn’t seen the blush that was rapidly traveling from her neck to her ears as she made haste in walking out of the training grounds. Conflicted, he wasn’t sure if he was going to follow her after she insisted that she was “fine”. And yet, his feet started moving out of instinct and he was able to catch up with her. They walked in silence as they made their way to Tenten’s apartment. He had offered her his arm to hold as they walked, and smiled softly to himself as her fingers clung to him.

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Hot Springs 😏🌸

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You wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised me

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never both/pragmatic - nejiten week '24

day 1 - saudade (portuguese) The feeling of longing, melancholy, or nostalgia. A yearning for happiness that has passed, or perhaps never even existed.

Tenten was surprised when she got the dinner invitation in the mail. She supposed she shouldn’t have been, though. It was just about time for the Team Gai monthly dinners—the weekend of the 15th of every month. Every month, on the fifteenth (or the weekend that corresponded or was closest to it—for practicality purposes), Gai-han would meet up at a local diner and have a meal together. They’d catch up and discuss how their weeks were, complaining about mundanities such as an annoying grocery store run or the pipes being frozen again due to the harsh Konoha winters. They might even share the details of their last mission—with Neji being a newly appointed Jōnin, it delighted Gai to listen to his student, whom he’d nurtured from a cynical little twelve year old, constantly angry at the world and stuck in his ways, to a mature, level-headed young adult who had finally begun to have faith in life. Who had finally allowed himself to dream and hope and love and laugh and everything in between.

It delighted Gai even more so when he’d notice, through the little passing details in Neji’s stories, that the Hyūga had subconsciously adopted some of Gai’s ways when leading a team of his own. It got him thinking how it would be for Neji if he were to ever lead a squad of Genins, someday. How his own experiences as a Genin and how Gai’s tutelage might subconsciously pass on to that new squad. Out of the three of them—Lee, Neji and Tenten—Neji was the least likely to verbally express affection. He wasn’t particularly good with flowery words, and he often struggled to articulate such feelings, courtesy of his upbringing, so it was much easier for him to show affection through his actions. He was always willing to go out of his way to help, even in small, almost unnoticeable ways such as filling up an extra water bottle just in case someone forgot to fill up theirs (usually Gai, ironically enough). Buying candy for Tenten if he noticed (which he always did) that her mood was down. Making time to spar with Lee despite their packed schedules, if only to indulge in that nostalgia and spend time with his friend, in their own special way.

He was dependable. Kind.

Contrary to what some might think, Hyūga Neji was so very kind. He was undeniably good, and it showed in his actions. It bled through to his morals and how he conducted himself.

So for Gai to have his legacy passed on so tangibly, subconsciously no less, and to be able to see that with his own eyes… It was a feeling of accomplishment unlike any other. No amount of successful S-Rank missions or victories could trump the feeling of knowing you made a difference in someone’s life. Of knowing your influence on someone changed the course of their life for the better, even if only by a little bit.

This would be the first Team Gai dinner since Neji had died in the Fourth Great Ninja War.

This would be the first Team Gai dinner as a squad of three, not four.

Tenten looked at the invitation again. It was from Gai-sensei, inviting her to the local yakiniku place they’d been to so often in the past. Sometimes they’d go after missions, and Gai would treat them to reward their success, or even to uplift them after a failure; to remind them that there’s always a next time. Sometimes they’d go for celebrations—birthdays and rank promotions and such. And sometimes it was simply an excuse to see each other again, amidst all the responsibilities of being older, more dependable shinobi. Sometimes it was just an excuse to enjoy each other’s company and be together, if only for a night, like they’d grown so accustomed to in their earlier years.

It had been so long since Tenten had met up with Gai-sensei and Lee, outside of formal business of some sort. It was just too painful.

Over the past year or so after the war, Tenten and Lee alternated taking care of Gai. After the many months he spent bedridden in the hospital, during which they would alternate visiting him almost everyday, it was a given that one would see Gai strolling around the village in his wheelchair, accompanied by one of his former subordinates. It was like an unspoken agreement had been signed between Lee and Tenten: always one of them, and never both. It was easier that way.

When one of them was alone with Gai, it was easier to pretend that the two absent teammates were off doing their own thing. It was easier for Tenten to pretend, if only for a little bit, that Lee and Neji were off training at their usual spot, and it was easier for Lee to pretend that Tenten and Neji were taking a stroll around the village, or even hanging out at a tea shop, like they’d taken to doing at some point down the line. It was easier to ignore that gaping hole Neji’s death had left behind. That missing limb that overwhelmingly hindered the movement of the body as a whole. It was easier to ignore than to try and adjust to it—to the missteps and phantom pains and jerky movements.

Too soon after the war, shinobi were forced to take on new roles and responsibilities befitting the new needs of the village and the Allied Shinobi Forces as a whole, which put their grief on the back burner, and at some point, they eventually got too caught up with their own lives (which was, as much as Tenten hated admitting it, somewhat of a coping mechanism to deal with the loss of someone so significant) that they stopped seeing each other and meeting up. In the process of ‘dealing with’ (i.e. forgetting) and moving on from the loss of Neji, they ended up moving on from their bond as a team and all the memories they’d shared. It was easier to cut each other clean off and fully move on from team Gai as a whole than it was to try and pick the pieces back up and reconstruct it, this time wholly aware of the missing member.

That’s why, over the past year or so, Team Gai had let the distance get between them. They surrendered to it. Let it cause a chasm between them and then some. It was better for them to drift apart with love and goodness and grace and well-wishes in their hearts than to let the grief overwhelm them and drive a vicious wedge between them, like it had during those days immediately after the war. The way Tenten saw it—and she felt that Lee no doubt thought the same—it was better for Team Gai to dissolve naturally and amicably.

And for a while, that worked. Terrifyingly well.

The world had already begun to move on from the War, and the village was mostly rebuilt. People—shinobi and civilians alike— were rebuilding their lives and getting used to this era of peace. It was weird. It honestly still felt surreal most days. Tenten—any shinobi in general—was so used to being on edge all the time, and constantly preparing for the worst. Her fight or flight response was always either on edge or at the forefront, waiting like a dog poised to strike. But now, there was no war anymore, and though the effects of it could still be seen and felt everywhere, people were starting to acclimate. She didn’t need to conceal knives on her person anymore when going out. She didn’t need to sleep restlessly anymore.  She would be okay. She was okay.

︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶

At the last second, Tenten reached for her mascara again, unscrewing it and giving her lashes one last coat. She knew it was probably unneeded, but she did it anyway, and she felt better. She was still getting used to that—doing things for the sake of doing them, knowing they served no real purpose.

Tenten was… pragmatic. Very much so. And don’t get me wrong, that is a wonderful quality for a shinobi to possess, but Tenten found she no longer needed that. Well, not as much anyway. Her pragmatism had helped her solve countless problems successfully in the past, and it was one of the reasons she and Neji worked so well together. They were both sensible, if not a little hard headed at times, and they understood each other. To their friends, it always seemed like those two were moving in a rhythm inaudible to everyone but themselves. They were best friends, in every sense of the term. They somehow always knew what the other was thinking, and what to do. And part of that was because they were similar in that way—stubborn, sure, but willing to compromise when the situation called for it.

Pragmatic.

Which is why Tenten says her pragmatism helped her in the past, but she would be the first to admit that it also held her back from many things.

‘It would be too difficult,’ or, ‘Our backgrounds are too different.’ Or perhaps even the worst one, ‘We’re probably better off as friends.’

All things Tenten had said to herself in the name of being realistic. Pragmatic.

All excuses Tenten used to hold herself back from doing what she wanted to do, just for the sake of it. Shinobi fell in love. It was nothing unheard of—I mean, they were human after all. It was expected, even. Everyone was harrowingly aware of the risks being a shinobi entailed, and for most, quitting was not an option, so it was up to them to decide whether or not they would pursue a romantic relationship. 

It was up to them to decide which they were going to sacrifice: a chance at love, or their career. Because, in their world, it unfortunately had to be one or the other.

The choice was obvious. The pragmatic choice was obvious.

And both Neji and Tenten were pragmatic.

So they chose their careers.

When faced with the choice of being best friends and continuing to toe that line like they’d been doing for so long, or being lovers, and discovering an entirely new part of themselves—tasting an entirely new flavour they hadn’t even known existed—they chose the former. Because it was always one, and never both. And that was fine, for a while.

In fact, if that had been the end of it, Tenten imagined, perhaps terribly and selfishly, then maybe the aftermath of his death wouldn’t have been as hard. And maybe that made her a terrible person. Maybe she was terrible for wishing he’d never confessed and they’d never kissed. Maybe she was terrible for wishing he hadn’t given her a taste of what she longed for for so long, only to cruelly take it away before either of them were ready. And she knew it wasn’t his fault, but part of her couldn’t help but blame him. And maybe that made her a terrible person; she didn’t know.

But for now, she was content with doing small, pointless, impractical things like putting on another coat of mascara, just for the sake of it. She’d swallow the lump in her throat and put on a brave face and walk out, and she’d do things just because she wanted to. Just because it made her feel better.

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They’d both shown up.

“Hey,” she greeted, once she’d spotted the two green-clad men waiting by the entrance of the restaurant. She’d gotten there a few minutes early, but here they were, arriving even earlier. 

“Tenten!” It was Lee.

While Lee had jumped at the opportunity of this dinner, craving the nostalgia like it were a physical thing, Tenten was a bit hesitant. Still, they had both shown up. She smiled. How very predictable of Team Gai.

Maybe things weren’t that different after all.

It was awkward at first. After exchanging pleasantries, they entered the restaurant and took their seats at the reserved booth. The thought of making small talk with people that were once so engraved in each other’s very being was unbearable. The view of the vacant seat at the table was also unbearable—it had been so long since they’d met up like this for dinner that, when Gai-sensei was making the reservation, he accidentally asked for a table for four instead of three. Force of habit.

But they managed.

“How have you been, Tenten?” Gai asked, voice mellow. Him and Lee had remained pretty close through it all, partly because of Lee’s self-imposed duty to care for Gai most of the time, and partly because those two had always had a special bond that not even Neji and Tenten could get between. Tenten shrugged noncommittally, replying with that customary reassurance that made it seem like she was very busy while simultaneously downplaying whatever it is she’d been busy with since she’d last seen them. He nodded kindly, and the three of them started chatting mindlessly about nothing in particular. It was obvious that they were ignoring the elephant in the room. Neji’s loss—his absence at this table—was so palpable it was almost taking up the space of the would-be conversation.

“I miss him,” Tenten sighed, almost bluntly. Flippantly. She didn’t know what reaction she was expecting, but the willing avoidance was getting suffocated. She knew everyone was thinking that, so why didn’t anyone say it?! Why couldn’t anyone give her that relief? Why was everyone—her included, she realised belatedly—so hell-bent on forgetting him, when he had been such a core part of who they were for so long? She missed him. She missed talking to him— about him. She didn’t like that no one brought him up anymore, as if he’d never even existed. He deserved to be celebrated and remembered, for God’s sake! That was the least they could do for him.

“Me, too,” Lee murmured, uncharacteristically resigned. “It’s unbearable, most days.”

Immediately, pressure built up behind Tenten’s eyes, and she vaguely regretted putting on more mascara. “Yeah,” she whispered, almost in wonder, “it is.”

And surprisingly, that was what broke the tension.

Or maybe it wasn’t surprising or weird or unexpected. Maybe that made perfect sense. Because Team Gai was never one for stuffy formalities or beating around the bush—they knew each other too well for that.

Gradually and ever so tentatively, the dinner took on an air of normalcy, and things were almost like the old times—almost. They were able to actually speak to each other again for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, without being snappy or short-tempered, or feeling like their words weren’t reaching through to the other person. They were finally able to acknowledge their loss together, and weirdly enough, it made them feel lighter than they had in ages.

︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶

“It’s getting late,” Tenten yawned, stretching her arms over her head. “We should probably go before we get kicked out.”

With a frown, Lee responded, “Yeah. You’re probably right.”

They, reluctantly, said their goodbyes. She’d originally thought this would be awkward, but she realised with a pang as she was walking away that she didn’t want to go. 

“Tenten!” Lee called out from a distance away, and she turned around.

“What is it?” she called back.

“Don’t be a stranger.”

Her breath hitched, and the only thing she could do was nod vigorously and hope he saw it.

She would be okay. They would be okay.

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Nejiten Family Head cannons

Read the material: Nejiten headcannons | Tenten head cannons | Neji head cannons

Here we go:

As parents:

1. Neji and Tenten were the first to get married. I’m going based off of the “promise” Neji made Tenten during the war. He probably promised to always be by her side, and probably insisted they get married. Hiashi was aware of Neji’s intentions, and since he was already familiar with Tenten, he gave Neji his blessing even if the elders did not.

2. Tenten was apprehensive about having children. Childbirth scared her, and she didn’t want her children to be branded with the curse seal. Luckily, by the time Naruto and Hinata were married and established, the act of using the curse seal was disbanded, and she did not have to worry about her children.

3. Neji and Tenten were the first of their group to have children; twins boys. In some divine act to mirror the situation of Hiashi and Hizashi, Tenten popped out twin boys; The eldest twin was named Nozomi and the younger twin was named after Neji’s father, Hizashi. Because Tenten does have some interest in spirituality, she wanted to honor the possibility that Hizashi’s soul could be within her child and give him a “chance at a new life of freedom”. Neji was a bit shocked at her decision, however touched that she would think of him in such a way.

4. Three years after the twins were born, Tenten gave birth to a girl, the same year as Metal Lee and the gang. With the twins already toddlers, Neji wanted as many kids as possible with Tenten. Tenten, convinced him to stop after their daughter; fully closing the factory and insisting that three was more than enough. Neji named her Meiten, after Tenten. He wanted her to share some commonality with Tenten and thought that Meiten had a nice ring to it when he called both of their names out loud.

5. All three children have the Byakugan. In my Hyuga head cannons, the Byakugan is a dominate gene with the BB coding. With Neji and Tenten’s genetics, all three children have the Bb genetic coding due to Tenten obviously not being a Hyuga with the Byakugan.

6. Neji is a girl dad. He loves his sons, and yet there’s something about his little girl that he’s just attached to. He tends to struggle with keeping himself in check in terms of smothering her with affection. The same struggle that he has to keep in self in check around Tenten to some degree. He could come off cold to his children at times, especially Meiten, but he is trying to not spoil his children, his daughter primarily.

7. Tenten insisted on training all children weaponry. Even if only one child inherited her perfect aim (Nozomi did in fact show talent for it), she wanted her children to be well rounded and not just focus on the Gentle Fist style of fighting. In fact, she focused on one weapon specialty per child; Nozomi with twin swords, Hizashi with a staff, and Meiten with Nunchucks.

8. Neji refused to go on missions while Tenten was pregnant and the kids were at least one years old. It was explained that one of Neji’s love languages are Acts of Service. He felt the need to stay by Tenten’s side and assist her in anyway possible; he would handle the kids while she got rest, take them to appointments, set up the nursery with the help of Lee and Hinata. Gai would give him props for completely devoting himself to Tenten in this way; very much so that Neji would get embarrassed by the constant praise.

9. Tenten was the proctor for her twin boy’s second round of the chunnin exams. It was quite the spectacle for her to watch her sons show off their genius to the crowd.

10. Neji and Tenten show subtle affection while around the kids. Because Neji is awkward himself when it comes to it, the most they do is hold each other and Neji will lightly kiss Tenten if they are around the children. Tenten will still hang on her husband, however will keep her hands respectably where they can be seen *wink wink*.

11. Neji and Tenten are very open and honest with their children. They encourage curiosity and critical thinking. They want their kids to be comfortable enough to approach them, while coming to conclusions based in their own problem solving skills. Neji encourages them to hang around Shikadai, who inherited Shikamaru’s high IQ.

12. Neji and Tenten instilled the “stronger than yesterday” mindset onto their kids. In an attempt at encouragement as well as motivation, Team Gai’s ideals were passed on between Nozomi, Hizashi, Meiten, and Metal Lee.

13. Lee has attempted to keep the green spandex tradition going. You can check out the mini comic page here to see how that turned out. Neji and Tenten kept the green spandex suits hidden from the kids; that hideous thing needed to be burned tbh…

14. Neji tries to be there for Boruto when Naruto is busy. He does try to make Boruto understand that his father is in a very important position and tried to support him as much as he can. Hinata appreciates Neji’s efforts, though Boruto is stubborn, just like his father. Neji doesn’t take any offense when Boruto calls him out for acting as if he was his dad, though the kid also acknowledged that Neji was in fact more present than his own dad and immediately felt like crap for snapping on his Uncle.

For the kids;

1. The twins caused some controversy within the clan. They were the first branch members to not be branded by the main branch. There were times that Neji had to put some of his relatives in their place while protecting his boys. The curse mark can only be removed through death as stated in cannon, it’s safe to say Hiashi had to control his nephew’s threats to his relatives if they even looked at his kids the wrong way.

2. The twins showed more aspects of Tenten’s outward appearance and personality than Neji’s. Nozomi and Hizashi are bubbly, outspoken, and clever in a mischievous way. However, they do share Neji’s ability to remain calm in certain situations and have inherited his determination. They also inherited Neji’s intimidation vibes and high patience levels.

3. Nozomi and Hizashi find their Uncle Lee to be quite the drama king. Much like their parents, Uncle Lee can be a lot sometimes, and the twins try to keep a straight face around him. It’s not that they don’t find him amusing or wise, it’s just that he tends to let the tears of youth flow a little bit too freely.

4. The twins are protective of their little sister. Metal Lee gets a pass for being friendly with Meiten because that is their Uncle Lee’s son. Meiten and Metal practically grew up together. Everyone else though, the twins can be quite intimidating depending on what’s going on.

5. Meiten inherited Neji’s calm persona and yet she can be quite the hot-head if pushed. When around Metal and Uncle Lee and Uncle Gai, Meiten will be the opposite of their energy in order to maintain some sanity. She has also picked up on Neji’s mannerisms such as pursing her lips together when annoyed, rolling her eyes, and over all having some kind of opinion that tends to be the opposing opinion.

6.Meiten finds her cousin Boruto to be a bit of a brat, but she does understand why. She knows that Uncle Naruto is always busy with being Hokage, and Boruto had even called Meiten “lucky” that her father was always around for her.

7. Nozomi and Hizashi are on separate teams. Nozomi’s sensei is Rock Lee, who gladly took the responsibility of training one or both of the Hyuga twins. Hizashi’s sensei is Kiba Inuzuka. Kiba was surprised to have Hizashi grouped with him, however Neji supported the decision on separating the twins. Tenten also wanted the twins to make their own friends, and be independent of each other.

8. Nozomi and Hizashi faced off during the chunnin exams while Tenten was their proctor. Oh boy, oh boy! Tenten could barely contain herself as she watched her boys fight to become chunnin. It ended in a draw with both boys fighting until they were completely drained of chakra. Neji and Tenten were pleased with the draw, both becoming chunnin anyway due to their skills.

9. Meiten didn’t get past the preliminary round of the chunnin exam fights. She was clocked by a foreign gennin. She was very upset with herself and refused to look her parents in the face after wards. Tenten had to tell her own experience of the first time taking the her and Neji took the chunnin exams; Tenten was also clapped by a foreign ninja, and Neji was beat by Meiten’s Uncle Naruto.

10. All three children are considered heirs to the Hua family business even with the last name Hyuga. Lady Chao-Xing Hua was very pleased that Tenten married into the Hyuga family, she hopes that one day, one of them will take over the family business. Tenten refused to take over, however her brother Shinten decided to and made Konoha a second head quarters for the business. Tenten does help from time to time, however she does not fully get involved.

If you want to see some of the kids designings, I got them for you right hereeee: Full Nejiten Kids designs