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"Neji was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago," says Tenten, leaning back against the fence and glancing up at the sky. "Do you think he just isn't in the mood to go have lunch right now? He's back from his mission, right?" Lee nods from where he's standing on one hand roughly five feet away from his teammate, who has given up on trying to stop him from training every second of the day. "Neji should have gotten back earlier today," Lee confirms. "He is not usually the type to be late..." "Maybe he's tired," says Tenten, slightly concerned even though she tries to hide it. "We'll wait for a little while longer and then go look for him, okay?" Lee agrees and Tenten crosses her arms and stares at the building across the street from her, wondering what could have kept her normally punctual friend from his schedule. Lee and Tenten end up waiting about seven more minutes until Tenten's curiosity and worry gets the better of her and she starts off towards the Hyūga household, Lee bouncing at her heels. The doors are open to the two of them as usual, and they head straight for Neji's bedroom, where Tenten stops to knock. There's a long pause in which nothing happens, so she knocks again, harder this time. That, finally, elicits a response. "Lee, Tenten, I'm afraid I cannot join you for lunch today," says Neji's voice, muffled by his bedroom door. "Maybe tomorrow. I apologize." He sounds exhausted and uncharacteristically defeated, and Tenten locks eyes with Lee, who frowns. "Then we will join you instead," announces Lee. Neji remains silent for a few seconds, then sighs deeply. "Alright, come in," he relents, and Tenten opens the door. Neji is lying in bed with his eyes closed and his hands clasped over his stomach. Tenten sits down on the floor nearby, and Lee claims the foot of Neji's bed, and they sit together quietly for a while. "So, are you okay?" asks Tenten awkwardly. She knows she ought to ask, but she can't figure out a less direct way to do it. "I'm fine," says Neji, his voice clipped. Tenten sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration. "If only people knew how damn stubborn the pride of the Hyūga clan really is," she mutters to herself. Lee hasn't said a word in five minutes and Tenten knows it means he's worried, too, but doesn't quite know what to say. Neither of them do, really- Neji is their leader, their teammate, someone they trust and admire, and it dawns on both of them that they really don't know the demons he faces. They don't know what he's seen or felt or what lies behind those pale eyes, and it's painful to realize their shortcomings as a team so suddenly. It makes Tenten ache to do something for Neji to make up for everything she doesn't know. He looks haunted, eyes closed and body tense, and it hurts her to see. "Neji," says Lee, "are you certain you don't need anything?" There's an audibly painful silence as Neji fights off the urge to give in and just let Lee and Tenten take care of him for once- they can both see it on his face, how much it takes out of him to say "no." Tenten bites her lip and wishes that either she or Lee were good with words or comfort or emotions in general- both of them are clueless and tactless and completely out of their depth. Weapons and fists aren't going to solve anything, and Tenten is at a loss. She runs through 29 different battle plans in her head before reaching a conclusion- she doesn't know what Neji wants, she doesn't know what he needs, but she does know him. She gets up and repositions herself next to Neji's head, then takes a quiet breath and brushes her fingers lightly through his hair. He makes a noise halfway between a whimper and a sharp exhale- his hands tighten into fists and his whole body is coiled like a spring, almost vibrating with tension. Tenten runs her hand through Neji's hair again, untangling dark locks with a gentle touch, and he takes a shuddering breath in like he's trying not to cry. She still has no idea what happened on his mission to break him like this but she does know that Neji Hyūga is never going to admit he needs anything, and so it's her job to coax it out of him. Lee scoots up the bed and lays his hand over Neji's, and that's it, that's all Neji can take before he makes a noise like he's been punched and suddenly there are tears on his cheeks and Tenten keeps stroking his hair, murmuring sweet nothings and wishing again that she were better at this. She's finally doing something but it's still not enough and she searches herself for answers. Neji sobs and Tenten shifts so she can wrap her arms around him. Lee follows suit- Tenten's glad he joined in because he's always been sort of a cuddly person and she doesn't know what she's doing save that she wants to help Neji and this seems like a logical choice. "Shhh," whispers Tenten. She's still running her hand through Neji's hair and every breath he takes feels like he's coming apart and all that's holding him together is his teammates' arms, warm and reassuring. Tenten still doesn't know what's happening or what's happened or what's going to happen but she's a little more sure of herself now, with Neji's face buried in her shoulder and Lee's arms wrapped around the other two like the soft, comforting cuddle octopus that he is. Neji still hasn't said what he wants or admitted what he needs but it doesn't matter now- Tenten and Lee already know, somehow. Tenten knows she's not good at this, but Neji doesn't seem to mind, judging by the way he clings to his teammates like a lifeline. She can't help a little spark of pride from glowing in her chest. Everyone needs someone to rely on and Tenten has never been that person up until now, but she thinks she actually might be doing okay. She closes her eyes and tightens her grip on Neji, willing herself not to let him drift away from the little sanctuary of warmth that envelops the three of them like a shield. She doesn't ask what happened or how to fix it, after all- either she already knows, or she doesn't need to, and either way is fine. ~end~