No Surrender [Giving Up]
Title: No Surrender
Fandom: Naruto
Couple: Naruuga - Neji/Naruto/Hinata
Challenge: #3, "Giving Up"
Rating: PG-13, for gratuitous man-snogging
Summary: Hyuuga Neji does not give up.
"Hinata loves you, you know."
Naruto looked over slowly, sweat trickling down his brow, hunched over and panting from exertion. It was hot out, and he'd been training for hours while the angry July sun had beat down on him. Long ago he'd discarded both shirts, and dirt was streaked across his lean, broad-shouldered chest. He squinted his impossibly blue eyes and could just barely make out the form of Neji, surrounded by a blinding aura of sunlight.
"Wha?"
"She loves you. You know that, right?"
Naruto's brows knitted together and he stood tall, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
"'Course I do. I love her."
"I know."
There was a pause, and Naruto cocked his head in a distinctly puppy-esque gesture.
"Then why'd you ask?"
"Because I love her."
Another pause.
"Well, yeah," Naruto said at last, finding the whole equation obvious. "You're her cousin. Family, 'n stuff."
"No, not like that. I love her...like you do."
"...Huh?"
Neji sighed, and stalked forward slightly.
"I love her, just like you do. But she loves you, and you love her. Right?"
"Um...yeah..."
Neji was slowly drawing closer, and Naruto could now see the agitation in his eyes. And he was beginning to get uncomfortable, especially at the realization that his back was almost against a tree.
"Then you had better treat her well, Naruto," Neji growled, voice growing deathly soft. "Because if you hurt her..."
And suddenly Naruto was pinned, Neji's arms on either side of his face, pale eyes inches away from his own. He was flooded with the unpleasant memories of his fight with the powerful Hyuuga, and how near defeat he had come. Now, Neji was a Jounin, and Naruto did not want to see the ninja's capabilities head on. He'd certainly seen enough of them when they had fought side by side.
"I...I would never hurt her," Naruto growled right back. He was not the kind to back down, not even against someone who he could never hope to defeat.
They stayed like that, eyes locked and burning, waiting for the other to make a move and not giving an inch. Naruto was a font of power, and of near endless surprises; Neji was skilled, and lethal, and had nearly destroyed him when they had fought.
"You had better not."
"I won't."
"Because if you do..."
"I'm telling you, I won't."
"And if I find out about it, I promise you..."
"I'm never going to hurt her!"
"I will not hesitate to kill you."
The tension kept rising, almost to a tangible level, and it felt like an electrical charge was running through Naruto's skin. All that tension, building, growing, and neither would back down. There had to be a breaking point, it had to be released, it had to -
Lips on lips, hot, demanding, sudden. Neither had initiated; it had just happened, a final cap on the building energy between them. Naruto reached up, fisting his hand roughly in Neji's shirt and Neji's hair, bringing him closer. It was rough and angry, and Neji could feel the bruising starting on his lips, but damnit he wanted more. The taste, the feel, that heat of skin on skin. His mind screamed to stop, wondering why he was doing this with his rival, but he didn't listen. It was instinct. Pure, raw, delicious instinct.
Finally, they parted, breaths coming in ragged gasps. They stood there, in stunned, embarrassed silence, not wanting the tension to return but not knowing how to break it.
"I won't give up," Neji finally whispered. "I won't let you have her without a fight. And you won't give up, either, will you?"
"Never."
"You never do, Naruto," Neji said, bowing his head slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "That's what I like about you. You never give up."
After a thoughtful pause, Naruto murmured something so quiet, Neji could barely hear.
"She loves you, too."
"What?" Neji asked, not trusting his ears.
"Hinata...loves you," Naruto said again. "She's always worried, always wondering how you are. She doesn't think I know, but I do. I'm better at noticing things than a lot of people think."
Neji lapsed into thoughtful silence, trying to ignore the salty scent of Naruto, so close to him, close enough to taste.
"Naruto...do you think...could I...?"
"Yeah."
Slowly, Neji blinked and tilted his head up, letting his eyes meet Naruto's once more.
"With...you and Hinata?"
The blond shrugged languidly. "I don't see why not. You love us, we love you. Works for me." Then he grinned, that wide, slightly lopsided grin that was always so damned contagious. And so Neji smiled too, and kept smiling until Naruto's lips found his again.
Sometimes, giving up just wasn't necessary for a victory.
Fandom: Naruto
Couple: Naruuga - Neji/Naruto/Hinata
Challenge: #3, "Giving Up"
Rating: PG-13, for gratuitous man-snogging
Summary: Hyuuga Neji does not give up.
"Hinata loves you, you know."
Naruto looked over slowly, sweat trickling down his brow, hunched over and panting from exertion. It was hot out, and he'd been training for hours while the angry July sun had beat down on him. Long ago he'd discarded both shirts, and dirt was streaked across his lean, broad-shouldered chest. He squinted his impossibly blue eyes and could just barely make out the form of Neji, surrounded by a blinding aura of sunlight.
"Wha?"
"She loves you. You know that, right?"
Naruto's brows knitted together and he stood tall, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
"'Course I do. I love her."
"I know."
There was a pause, and Naruto cocked his head in a distinctly puppy-esque gesture.
"Then why'd you ask?"
"Because I love her."
Another pause.
"Well, yeah," Naruto said at last, finding the whole equation obvious. "You're her cousin. Family, 'n stuff."
"No, not like that. I love her...like you do."
"...Huh?"
Neji sighed, and stalked forward slightly.
"I love her, just like you do. But she loves you, and you love her. Right?"
"Um...yeah..."
Neji was slowly drawing closer, and Naruto could now see the agitation in his eyes. And he was beginning to get uncomfortable, especially at the realization that his back was almost against a tree.
"Then you had better treat her well, Naruto," Neji growled, voice growing deathly soft. "Because if you hurt her..."
And suddenly Naruto was pinned, Neji's arms on either side of his face, pale eyes inches away from his own. He was flooded with the unpleasant memories of his fight with the powerful Hyuuga, and how near defeat he had come. Now, Neji was a Jounin, and Naruto did not want to see the ninja's capabilities head on. He'd certainly seen enough of them when they had fought side by side.
"I...I would never hurt her," Naruto growled right back. He was not the kind to back down, not even against someone who he could never hope to defeat.
They stayed like that, eyes locked and burning, waiting for the other to make a move and not giving an inch. Naruto was a font of power, and of near endless surprises; Neji was skilled, and lethal, and had nearly destroyed him when they had fought.
"You had better not."
"I won't."
"Because if you do..."
"I'm telling you, I won't."
"And if I find out about it, I promise you..."
"I'm never going to hurt her!"
"I will not hesitate to kill you."
The tension kept rising, almost to a tangible level, and it felt like an electrical charge was running through Naruto's skin. All that tension, building, growing, and neither would back down. There had to be a breaking point, it had to be released, it had to -
Lips on lips, hot, demanding, sudden. Neither had initiated; it had just happened, a final cap on the building energy between them. Naruto reached up, fisting his hand roughly in Neji's shirt and Neji's hair, bringing him closer. It was rough and angry, and Neji could feel the bruising starting on his lips, but damnit he wanted more. The taste, the feel, that heat of skin on skin. His mind screamed to stop, wondering why he was doing this with his rival, but he didn't listen. It was instinct. Pure, raw, delicious instinct.
Finally, they parted, breaths coming in ragged gasps. They stood there, in stunned, embarrassed silence, not wanting the tension to return but not knowing how to break it.
"I won't give up," Neji finally whispered. "I won't let you have her without a fight. And you won't give up, either, will you?"
"Never."
"You never do, Naruto," Neji said, bowing his head slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "That's what I like about you. You never give up."
After a thoughtful pause, Naruto murmured something so quiet, Neji could barely hear.
"She loves you, too."
"What?" Neji asked, not trusting his ears.
"Hinata...loves you," Naruto said again. "She's always worried, always wondering how you are. She doesn't think I know, but I do. I'm better at noticing things than a lot of people think."
Neji lapsed into thoughtful silence, trying to ignore the salty scent of Naruto, so close to him, close enough to taste.
"Naruto...do you think...could I...?"
"Yeah."
Slowly, Neji blinked and tilted his head up, letting his eyes meet Naruto's once more.
"With...you and Hinata?"
The blond shrugged languidly. "I don't see why not. You love us, we love you. Works for me." Then he grinned, that wide, slightly lopsided grin that was always so damned contagious. And so Neji smiled too, and kept smiling until Naruto's lips found his again.
Sometimes, giving up just wasn't necessary for a victory.