Title: Strawberries
Requestor:
jasmine_signetAuthor:
wraths_smilePairings/Characters: Neji/Naruto
Genre: Get-together fic. Gen. Romance, I suppose
Rating: PG
Squicks/spoilers: Spoiler for the Neji vs. Naruto final exam match
Notes: I've never written these two before, to be honest. >.< Hope you like it though!
Link:
"You know how much I hate D missions?" Naruto asked in a annoying tone of voice, which still somehow conveyed the typical arrogant swagger that had become a key factor in his personality. "I mean, come on. The only reason this is even a stupid mission at all is because it's like, seven miles to even get here. Seven wasted miles."
Neji simply shrugged nonchalently and looked away, using his byakugan to locate another one. Perhaps using his kekkai genkai on a mission like this was a bit of overkill, but it was conveniant, as he walked over toward the bush and plucked another off, placing it quietly in the basket.
Red and luscious. Miya Katsuyo--the woman in charge of a small produce store in Konoha--only accepted 'perfect' strawberries. They bulged with juice, the skin of the fruit practically groaning underneath the strain of the flavor within. They glowed like gemstones and were such a delicacy that they were almost worth the outrageous prices that Katsuyo-san sold them for.
"Slave labor..." Naruto was muttering, sniffing at a strawberry. "That's all this is, Neji. Fucking slave labor." The Hyuga gave a complacent nod, knowing that if he did anything but, Naruto would probably raise another stink about that as well. "She pays us minimum--minimum--to hike seven stupid miles and pick these stupid fruits, so that she can turn around and sell them for three times our fee." He shook his head mournfully and huffed, poking at a strawberry that wasn't quite ripe yet.
Neji was still quiet, using the byakugan to do a majority of the work, finding the strawberries first and then moving over in one deft movement and plucking the fruit quickly, dropping it in the basket just in time for him to find another one. They worked like that for several more minutes before Neji looked up toward the sky with a small frown, finally speaking in a hushed tone. "We should have left before noon." He observed. "The sun is falling." Naruto followed his gaze and cursed.
There was really no question as to what would happen now. The forests of Konoha were crawling with hermits, deadly animals, and opposing ninja as it was, but when the sun went down, there was no telling what horrors could lurk behind even the most innocent of surfaces. And, as genin acting without a supervisor (Gai, Kakashi, and all four of their respected teammates were otherwise occupied back at the fillage), neither of them were authorized to go through the forest after nightfall, not unless they had a death wish. Even if they did manage to get back alive, they would be punished for risking the mission on a stupid stunt like that.
Naruto swore loudly. "Now, that old bat is going to cut our pay in half, 'cause we'll be a day late." He swore again. "Damn it all to hell, I didn't even bring a sleeping bag."
Of course he didn't--Neji didn't either. It was supposed to be a one-day only type thing. They were supposed to have left earlier in the morning, but Naruto had overslept. And if they postponed the mission until tomorrow, then they would suffer a docking of pay--which was looking like it was going to be the case anyway. In any case, they'd decided that they could risk coming out a bit later if they hurried.
They'd hurried, and the sun was still going down before they were ready.
Not for the first time, Neji wished for a jutsu that could reverse, or at least stall time. Then, he might have actually given into his whimsical desire and went to Naruto's apartment first thing in the morning instead of waiting at the predesignated meeting spot for three hours.
But if there was such a jutsu, he was still agonizingly unaware of it, and so, had to suffer the cold of the November night with only Naruto to keep him company and the prospect of Tsunade-sama yelling at them for being late to look forward to. Still, he maintained his dignity by not having a cursing fit like the other boy was (honestly, Naruto could have beaten three sailors in a round of insults at that moment), and trying to figure out how they were going to make this work.
The basket was three-quarters full. If food became an issue, they could simply indulge in the strawberries, and there was the sound of a small river running slightly to the east of their current location. They were near the edge of the trees, and so they would not fall prey to most of the predators who lurked within the dark areas at the heart of the forest, though it would still be safe to start a fire--seeing as to how they were still in Konoha territory, they shouldn't be in too much danger.
It was indeed one of the cushier campsites that they'd had over the years, but that didn't make up for the fact that it was wholly unneeded, and that they were now going to only get paid half for working twice as long. It was irritating, but there wasn't anything they could do about it.
Before long, the two of them had settled in quite comfortably, the fire oozing a soft heat and light as they each sat on their own respective side, with nothing to do but watch each other from across the flames. Once in awhile, the firelight would flicker up and Naruto would be able to catch a brief glimpse of the other's pale skin, illuminated in a soft sheen of the red glow. Neji was likewise, staring at Naruto, watching as the darkness gave his features a more... mature edge to them, echoing off of his skin like a deadly contrast to the black whisker-like marks tracing down his cheekbones.
Stillness.
Silence.
The hour had crept by, neither of them moving much as the fire did most of the job of scaring away potential predators. Neither of them would submit to their slowly developing grogginess, neither was willing to admit to the other how tired he actually was. They would stay up all night if they had to, staring at one another because they were both too proud to be the first to fall asleep.
Neji blinked his almost ominous eyes not taking his eyes off of Naruto as he did so, brows knitting in concentration as he thought. This was so stupid--he was extremely upset at the moment, but his anger was more towards the situation then from Naruto, for some reason. Another half-hour crept by.
Naruto yawned.
Jumping at the opportunity in the most calm way possible--something that only he would be able to pull off--Neji tilted his head somewhat, blinking slowly before speaking. "...Naruto. If you're tired, I can take the first watch." He paused a quick moment, before continuing. "I am perfectly capable of taking the first watch."
Of course. Just as expected really--in fights or whatever, Neji was as fluxuating and unpredictable as the weather, but in day-to-day life such as this, Naruto could tell just what he was going to do or say from a mile off. Like that. Snarking, he shook his head stubbornly as he glanced off toward the woods, closing his eyes for a brief moment before firing off a jagged retort. "Unlike some control-freaks, I'm perfectly wide awake. I just yawned because I wanted to..." He paused for a moment, letting out a michevious smile. "Oi, oi, 're you getting tired yet? 'Cause I can take the first watch if you wanna sleep."
"I am not." Neji replied off-handedly, looking off.
Rolling his eyes, Naruto squirmed and stood up to poke at the now-dying fire, watching halfheartedly as it receded into the ground from where it came. "You know, if neither of us get any sleep, then we're both gonna be grouchy in the morning. And I don't wanna deal with a pissy Neji. So one of us is gonna have to cave and take the first sleep."
Neji sighed. "You have an excellent point, Naruto." He murmured, staring off toward the fire. Naruto's chest swelled with the victory--because now Neji had to submit... Though his smile quickly brushed off as the Hyuga stood, watching as the other boy shivered somewhat, before his eyes honed back on Naruto as the blonde biting his lip somewhat and wondering if he'd really won after all. "...but you know as well as I that nothing of the sort will happen."
Giving a small groan, Naruto rolled his eyes and wished that he could have gone on the mission with Sakura or Tenten. Because then he could be a gentlemen and noone would be the wiser. But with Neji it was always this or that, never satisfied, always with his 'holier-than-thou' attitude. What? What was it that drove him to be so... arrogant?
Perhaps not arrogant in the same sense as Naruto himself, but the type of arrogance that breathed cool confidance in his abilities, the arrogance that had driven many people to their defeat.
So, after a moment, Naruto stood as well, dusting off his butt from the dirt that had been on the ground, eyeing the other boy from the corner of his eye. So what if he was tired? He would never give Neji the fucking pleasure. Pouting somewhat, he folded his arms and looked away, just wanting this night to be over. "So... what? We're both gonna stay up and stare at each other all night? Damn, as much as I love staring at your little emotionless self, that's gonna get real boring, real fast."
Neji didn't speak for a moment, subduing a yawn in order to give Naruto a somewhat glare, which the blonde pointedly ignored. "It appears so.... And you aren't exactly much to look at either."
"What, you saying I'm ugly?" Naruto asked haughtily, easily offended by Neji's tired remark.
Raising an amused eyebrow at Naruto's leniancy to jump for the metaphorical bait, the Hyuga boy simply stood there with a complacent shrug, gazing off into the darkness. "It is not my place to judge."
The blonde let out a hearty laugh at this, shaking his head somewhat and raising an eyebrow. "Oh come on. That was such a cop-out, Neji, I don't think you believe that even for one second. Answer the question... pretty please?" He asked, another mischevious glint in his eye. He was toying with the elder boy, that was certain, but at least it provided him with a distraction from how tired he seemed to be.
Neji frowned slightly at the implications of this, but said nothing, trying to blot out the image of Naruto giving him his puppy look. Shaking his head ever-so-slightly, Neji finally just shrugged and gave in, stating in the most bland tone of voice possible. "Doubtful. Few of the village girls seem to think so."
Grinning somewhat, Naruto moved quietly over to the other boy, but he knew that Neji had heard him. Moreover, he knew that Neji was just painfully awkward when it came to things like this, and he loved watching him squirm.
"I wanna know what you think. Come o~on, you're being all stupid. It's just a question, innit?"
The Hyuga boy shrugged with a 'you-really-should-know-better' look, before sighing as he glanced off. "Perhaps." At the look he gets from Naruto, he shrugs. "Moreso than some other males."
And Naruto knows that's just about all he's going to wrench from Neji without breaking his arm for it, grinning wildly as he crossed over to him and haphazardly draped his arms over the other boy and rested a chin over the Hyuga's right shoulder. "See? Was that really so hard?"
"No." Is all he says, because he know that it's what Naruto wants, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably in an attempt to get the other off of him.
"There ya go. That's all you had to say, right? I'm the hottest thing on two legs?"
Neji looked slightly miffed at this, before glancing toward the boy behind him. "I said no such thing."
"Of course you did. Also mentioned something about all the girls crooning over me. And some of the boys too."
Rolling his pale eyes, Neji forcefully moved away before turning to face Naruto with a small frown. "No, I did not." And he knows that he's falling right for Naruto's bait, but damnit, he was tired and he just wanted to be left alone.
Responding with a mischevious grin, Naruto steps forward, invading his personal space, and for some reason, he just refuses to let this go. "But you think so... don't you, Hyuga-kun?"
He's toying with him, Neji knows this. But it doesn't stop it from becoming irked by it, shaking his head, but he doesn't back away because that would be showing weakness. He stares Naruto straight in the eye with an unyeilding expression. "...For a male, perhaps."
Neji knows that he's playing straight into Naruto's hand. He's repeated that fact to himself several times now--but he can't get out of this stupid loop, and Naruto in that sort of proximity was making him insanely nervous.
Why? Why was it? Why was Neji even giving him the time of day? It couldn't be just because of that rougish grin, or the fact that Naruto had proved to be greater than him in the chuunin exams. It couldn't be the fact that he was just so confident like Neji could never be, so raw, so blunt. It couldn't be that. So, why?
He told himself that he was tired. That he was just exhausted, and that was all there was to it. That Naruto didn't matter to him. But he could see the truth, like always, and he could see that his own pitiful lies only held ground if he believed them, which he didn't.
Too close, now. Too close, and all those odd feelings were starting to come into play, turning the lighthearted and playful emotion into something horribly tense and awkward. At least for Neji. Was Naruto ever awkward? It didn't seem like it, didn't even see like he could have been embarrassed over anything that he did. Neji liked that about him. Liked how he was so outspoken, so free, so opinionated. But he said nothing. He did nothing. Not about that, and not about Naruto.
Naruto, whose grin had faded as he realized their proximity. Naruto, whose eyes only held the faintest flicker of confusion. Naruto, who finally got it.
"You do."
The Hyuga flushed awfully, before trying to pull away, shaking his head with all the stuborness of an ox. "Shut up."
But Naruto would have none of it--he pulled a hand up and grabbed the other's shoulder. Neji's eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second, and his own hand involuntarily moved up to block the other's chakra points out of sheer muscle memory, ending up with his fingertips just at Naruto's forearm before he could stop himself. The blonde's eyes were steely and his jaw was set.
"No."
There was another tense moment as they stared at eachother, emotions brimming over. Was Naruto looking for a fight? ...Was Neji? This emotion just seemed tense, about to boil over and leave them both burned, and neither of them was sure what to do about it. It had finally come to a peak, and they couldn't stand it anymore. There were only two ways out, and Neji hated both of them, because that would be admitting that Naruto had gotten to him, that those inescapable blue eyes had transfixed him and held him still like that.
Naruto wasn't much one for sentimentality, so he stubbornly leaned in and just kissed him.
It wasn't exactly romantic, or anything like what Neji had imagined his first kiss to be. It was short and playful, and Naruto's eyes still held a mischevious glint as he moved away, leaving Neji stumbling to get his words across, even though they sounded all wrong and came out all stuttery, so that they were hardly even words at all. "You--why the.... no, you--you can't just--I mean, that's not--"
It takes a lot to shut Neji up. But in all of Naruto's experience, a second kiss worked just fine. Better then fine, actually, because this time Neji actually had the chance to kiss him back.
They both pulled away quietly for the second time, and Neji's face was a flurry of emotions--anger, confusion, but then there was something else that stopped him from attacking Naruto right there and it wasn't the raging blush on his cheeks, or the lingering taste of the blonde boy on his lips--it was something deeper, something more, something as ripe as strawberries.
Naruto let out a burst of loud laughter and moved back over to sit down. Neji, having no idea what to do, simply followed suit, sitting near (but not too near) him.
"What--what was that?"
The blonde simply shrugged and laughed. "I dunno. Just felt like I should. Always trust the instinct, Neji."
A small pause. Then, "Yes. The same instinct that lead us to be three hours late getting out here?"
"Hey!"
And they were back in the motions again. He didn't understand it, how this could happen, how this could be such a huge moment in his life, and then suddenly it meant nothing. Didn't it? He was still confused. Had anything really changed between them? Really? Looking towards Naruto, he pursed his lips somewhat. It didn't seem like it, not outwardly. Outwardly, Naruto was looking toward him, expecting another retort, expecting a comeback, something.
Neji didn't give him any of it, simply stared right back with a meaningful look. "Does this mean we have to change?"
Huffing out a burst of laughter, Naruto shook his head. "Not on your life! I like being your friend. Just now... well, now we can--do other stuff too!"
For a moment, Neji was confused as to what this alleged 'other stuff' actually was, before figuring that he'd just have to find out when he crossed that bridge. Nodding quietly, he turned his gaze back toward the fire, before slowly standing and moving over, just out of the flame's reach.
"You can have the first watch. Wake me when you get tired."
There was a slight hesitation, before Naruto's face split into a slow grin. He thought that he'd won--but there would be other chances, Neji would be sure of it.
"Sure."