Cookies

"NEJI! COME OVER!"

"Ten… ten… it's three in the morning…" Neji's eyelids began to close, his grip on the phone loosening.

"!" Tenten wailed, "COME OVER NOW BEFORE I DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Wh-what? Wait, what? You're going to die?" His eyes shop open and he straightened up immediately, gripping onto the phone. "Who's there? Enemy ninja? Kidnappers? Your house is covered in exploding tags?"

"NEJI, JUST COME OVER!"

"ALL RIGHT ALL RIGHT, I'M GOING OVER!"

XxOoOoOoOxX

Neji crossed his arms and tried to keep his cool while glaring at Tenten, "You woke me up at 3 in the morning for this?"

Tenten turned around and grinned, a bowl in one hand, a whisker in the other, "Yes!"

Tenten straightened her patissuer hat and glanced down at her white apron, "Um… I look like a professional patissuer, right?"

"Actually no. They're not covered in cookie dough."

"…" Tenten frowned and straightened up again and started to stir the batter, "Oh shut up Neji. Anyway, I wanna make cookies!"

"Why do I have to be here then?"?

"I need a taste tester!"

"…"

Flashbacks

"Hi Lee! I made curry!"

"CURRY! MY LORD, CURRY!" Lee grinned energetically and took a huge bite of the curry Tenten prepared.

Tenten grinned while Neji watched carefully.

"So? Is it good?"

"IT IS—"

Lee suddenly dropped the plate and his hands went to his throat, "TENTEN-CHAN, WHAT DID YOU –choke- PUT IN –choke- THIS?"

"…It's not good?" she asked slowly as her shoulders began to slump.

"NO! IT IS HORRIBLE! WHY DO YOU INSIST OF DISGRACING THE NAME OF—"

"SHUT UP LEE!" Neji roared suddenly when Tenten began to tear up, "IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT THEN DON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT."

XxOoOoOxX

"Hey Ino!" Tenten grinned as she saw the Yamanaka and began to wave wildly.

Neji walked behind her coolly, shooting glares at random perverts that began to check her out.

Ino grinned, "Hey! Trying to get Shikamaru and Temari together, but it's not working…"

"…Yeah Ino, flirting with Shikamaru really…"

"But Temari's supposed to get jealous! Then she'll come over and kill me with that fan, then she and Shikamaru'll make out!"

"…."

Tenten shrugged and began to untie the scarf around a box, "I made some rice, and I wanted you to taste it!"

Ino grinned as she took the bento, "Thanks!"

Chew.

Swallow.

…

Faint.

"INO!"

"Too…. Spicy….. Tenten…."

"I'M SORRY!"

End flashbacks

"Uh Tenten, based on your previous cooking abilities…"

"I swear Neji, I'm better now!"

"…"

"…Don't you trust me…?"

Damn puppy eyes.

"O-of course I do."

Tenten smiled brightly as she sprinkled something suspicious looking into the batter and began to mix, some of it splattering on her and Neji, "This'll be good. I mean, how do you mess up cookies?"

Neji watched Tenten as she returned to the counter and began to arrange the batter onto the cookie sheet, "Cookies are easy. All you do is…"

"..Tenten, you added sugar, right?"

"…Oh, I forgot that!"

XxOoOoOoOxX

"TENTEN."

"I SWEAR NEJI, I HAVE SUGAR, VANILLA, FLOUR, EGGS AND CHOCOLATE CHIPS."

"DO YOU SWEAR?"

"YES!"

"…Okay, put it in the oven."

Tenten puffed her cheeks out in annoyance as she opened the oven door, "If I burn myself, you are so…"

Tenten froze as she felt Neji reach over her, his cheek brushed her nose and his shoulder brushed her's.

"I'll put it in."

"Th-thanks."

Neji sighed and used his foot to close the oven door, "So Tenten, whaddya wanna do now?"

"U-uh…" Tenten rubbed her hands together nervously, "Um…"

"…You look cute in that outfit."

"…What?"

Did he really just say what I thought he said?

"I said, you look tired."

Damnit…

"I'm fine!" Tenten grinned happily.

Neji sighed, "Tenten, you have bags under your eyes."

"No I don't!"

He leaned over, his hair draped over her shoulders slightly, and he whispered hotly into her ear, "You can just sleep for 15 minutes."

"I don't…" Tenten's eyes widened slightly then closed as she felt Neji's warm hand on the back of her neck apply pressure.

"You… freak…"

Neji chuckled when she collapsed into his arms, "I know."

XxOoOoOoOxX

Tenten frowned slightly as she regained conscience.

What…

….

Oh.

"NEJI YOU COLD HEARTED FREAK."

Neji glanced up from the book he was reading, "I know. By the way, the cookies will burn soon."

"….."

Fall off the couch.

Run.

Crash.

Run.

Thump.

Open.

Take out cookies.

Sigh in relief.

"Nejiiiiiiii!"

"What?"

Tenten grinned and held out a cookie, "Taste it!"

"Why don't you taste it first?"

"…"

"FINE."

Neji closed his eyes and tentatively took a bite of the cookie.

…

…

Oh God it was horrible.

There wasn't enough sugar, there was too much vanilla, way too dry…

Tenten grinned, "So?"

…Oh well this is gonna be hard.

"Well Tenten…"

"Hm?"

"…It's not… that bad but…"

"…But what?"

"…I like other things better."

"What can you like better than cookies?"

"…You," he smirked and leaned in and kissed her.

Tenten's mind reeled as soon as their lips made contact. She unconsciously dropped the platter of cookies and pressed herself against him, her arms locked around his neck.

"Nn… Neji…" Tenten murmured against his lips.

"Hmm…?"

"…I know this is a nice way to say my cookies suck."