Work Text:
The cool evening air enveloped your face as you stepped out of the crowded bar. After one too many, it had become quite stuffy and hot inside.
Stumbling out behind you was the prodigy of the Hyuuga himself. You never took Neji as one to take part in social drinking, let alone indulging to the point where his face was red and his coordination was compromised. Though unexpected, there was something humanizing and endearing about it.
"Hey... uhhh, are you okay?" He slurred, waving a hand at you in reference to your instability.
You could only burst out laughing, waving your hand back at him. Of coure you were okay, you got to drink and eat good food with your friends for the last two hours! For those two hours, you had also been sitting by Neji the whole time. It had nearly been a dream come true; you had been secretly in love with him for years.
Slumping against the wall, you sighed at the cool radiating off of the stone. Neji slumped right along with you, enjoying the same relief as you.
"Sheriously..." he mumbled, "I'm walking you home, 'kay?"
"Buh you don't have to," you crossed your arms in protest, pushing your cheek up against the wall, "you live the other way, don't you?"
Neji shrugged and pushed his cheek against the chill stone as well. "It's dark, you shouldn't be out alone at night"
"You underestimate me..."
"Normally I wouldn't, but you can't even walk straight."
"Neither can you!"
"So two of us walking half as good should make for one stable walk, right?"
You squinted at him before starting to giggle uncontrollably again. He smiled a little, knowing he had won. Something else was fueling that smile, though; he had also long been enamored by you. Your laugh, your energy, your beauty, all of it captivated him the moment he met you. He was a year ahead of you at the academy, but he wouldn't have had much time to get to know you even if he was in your grade. He spent so much time dedicated to pushing himself to the front of the Hyuuga clan, or as much as he could as part of the branch family, anyway. But despite everything, he always had a soft spot for you. While everyone was watching Lee beat Sasuke all those years ago, his eyes had been locked firmly on you.
"Neji, why are you staring?" you whined playfully, snapping him out of his thoughts. His little jump made your heart flutter.
"I'm not staring, you're staring," he replied plainly, "anyway, let's get you home."
Before you could say anything, he stepped to your left side and slung your arm around his shoulders, and his around yours. You could feel the heat and strength of his body beside yours.
It took some profound effort, but the two of you managed to wobble your way to your apartment and stumbled inside, kicking off your shoes. He walked you to the entrance of your bedroom and let your arm slide down his shoulder.
"That... whew, that was way harder than I thought it'd be!" you exclaimed, heart-poundingly nervous that the guy you had admired for so long was in your doorway, "Uhhh, can you get home okay?"
He looked at you with a tilted head, trying to decipher whether you were serious or not. Once again, he quickly found himself getting lost in your eyes, and lifted a hand to rub his face. He couldn't seem to meet your gaze when his hand fell.
Neji was never one to have trouble looking someone in the eye.
"What's wrong, Neji?" you inquire softly. Beginning to wonder if you had done something wrong, you sighed and leaned on the wall next to your bedroom just as you had outside the bar. The squish of your cheek was almost too cute for him to handle.
"Nothing..?" he slurred, tilting his head, "nothing." It almost sounded like he had to convince himself.
"That's the strangest 'nothing' look you've ever given me," you jabbed, "I thought your stare was gonna set me on fi--"
"I like you. I've liked you for a long time," he quickly admitted with a sudden, blunt confidence. He was finally looking you in the eyes again.
A jolt sprang through your heart and you almost felt sober for a moment. There's no way someone like Neji, someone with his status and demeanor, had just said that to you. He had always been kind to you, sure, but he never showed interest in anything but his clan. You didn't think you were good enough for him.
The initial shock left you speechless, but his pale lavender eyes didn't waver. He wasn't joking.
"I never cared for these social gatherings much, they always felt like obligations. But every time you're there, it's a pleasure," he continued, "I suppose this is part of what Guy-sensei means when he goes on and on about how electrifying 'youth' is..." he trailed off and you realized how hard your heart was pounding. For someone who only ever spoken so little, he had a magnificent way with words.
A wave of lightheadedness hit you, and your knees began to weaken a bit against the wall. Before you even fully noticed your instability, Neji lunged forward and caught you under your arms, lifting you up again and settling your back flat against the wall.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything--"
"It's okay Neji... I like you, too," you blurt out.
His eyes widened and his face reddened further under the blush of the alcohol. Without a word, he leans in to throw your arm over his shoulder again and leads you into your bedroom, sitting both of you down on the edge of your bed. By this point you were both more drunk on each other's presence than alcohol.
"Uh... d-do you really mean that?" he asks shyly, "because if you don't actually feel the same way, it's fi--"
You silence him by pressing a shaking finger to his lips.
"I really, really like you."
You both sat frozen, no sound except the frantic beating of your heart within your head. Neji reached over and took your hands into his, holding them firmly.
"Well..."
"Well..."
He lifted his right hand quickly to brush a strand of hair out of your face, "Well, shall we call this day one?"
"Day one," you say with a beaming smile. His face had never looked so soft; his cheekbones sat high on his face lifted by a warm smile you didn't know he had.
This was a dream come true.