Balance

[verdant_lotus]

Characters: Rock Lee (verdant_lotus ), Tenten (heavenlykunai ), Hyuuga Neji (heavenly_earth )
When: The morning of April 14th
Where: Hyuuga 1
Rating: Pg-13 for possible topics of discussion?
Summary: It's not easy keeping a team balanced, and after Kakashi's comments about Tenten feeling left out, it's time for the three to talk.

Comments

[heavenly_earth]

The morning was an occurrence Neji hadn't been looking forward to since the two of them established that they'd talk to Tenten the previous evening. He shifted in Lee's hold, discontent, his own arms tightening around him in subtle protest.

White eyes peeked open as he stirred, glancing out the window for confirmation. The sky was lightening, and the horizon tinged a deep purple to signal the approach of dawn, the Jounin's chest heaved in a tired sigh.

"I suppose." He admitted eventually, propping himself up and slowly pulling out of Lee's hold with apparent reluctance.

[verdant_lotus]

Lee watched him for a moment, taking in the subtle clues of tension in the set of his shoulders. A strong, steady hand, bare for once of both bandages and gloves, settled on Neji's shoulder. "Everything will be fine. One step at a time. We will talk to her, and if she does feel that way, then we will work out something to make certain that she does not. Okay?"

[heavenly_earth]

Neji looked to Lee, pale eyes staring down into earnest black, and inclined his head. His feet touched the floor and Neji picked his shirt up, shrugging it back over his head. Aside from that, he hadn't undressed at all the previous evening, and ran an idle hand through his hair.

"We'll make breakfast then. Tenten's unlikely to have woken up this early..." Not that he'd be awake if he had to be either. Neji stood, tying his hair back once again, and paused before the door, voicing a reassurance he wasn't certain was for himself or Lee or both of them. "I'm sure things will be fine by this afternoon."

[verdant_lotus]

"They will be," Lee agreed. It took longer for him to get dressed, and he glanced toward the door as he carefully wound bandages around his forearms. The gloves by this point were worn-in and comfortable, and he pulled them on without much thought, thinking about the day ahead. After the talk with Tenten would be training, and after that errands, and after that... sometimes it seemed like life in Adstringendum was far busier than life in Konoha had been.

Finally dressed, he joined Neji in the kitchen and started making tea. Despite his attempts over the past few months to learn how to cook, his skills were still basic at best, and it was generally agreed that he was better off doing simple things like heating water or cutting vegetables. Things that wouldn't result in food being inedible.