Neji Week 2021

Day 1: Hot Hyūga summer / Suit & Tie

Neji Week day 1

June 27, 2021

Prompt: Suit & Tie

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A slight, almost imperceptible twitch formed at his brow the moment he opened the box containing the birthday gift from his girlfriend. Inside was a tie... Well, that was a generous word... It was a hideous, gaudy orange thing with blue dots that almost reflected the light. Neji's first thought was that it was a joke from the brunette, but out of the corner of his eye he could see that she was waiting for his reaction.

"Thank you," he finally said before kissing her and pushing the box aside to move on to the next and best part of his birthday present.

He had been dating Tenten for almost a year and in that time he had discovered that she was a very colorful and cheerful woman. That was probably why she thought it was a good idea to give him something that didn't fit his style one bit.

The next morning, after she left, he put the new tie away with the others, in the back where he couldn't see it. He had no plans to wear it.

For their first anniversary, which was in early September, they took a short trip together. Their relationship was going very well so far, and for that reason they had decided to start saving for another trip, for their second anniversary. They wanted to go on an international trip. As a gift, Tenten had given Neji another tie. A green one with a strange checkered pattern that Neji made a point of ignoring, as he had no intention to ever wear it.

"Neji," December was approaching and they were starting to look for options for somewhere to have Christmas dinner. Tenten had suggested that, instead of dealing with making a reservation at a crowded restaurant, they could cook their own dinner. They were discussing their plans when she abruptly changed topic.

Neji, do you like any of the ties that I gave you?"

"Why do you say that?" He asked cautiously.

"I've never seen you wear them," said Tenten.

They worked for the same company, Tenten in marketing and Neji in auditing. They had met there.

"Maybe we haven't seen each other the days that I did," he tried to evade.

"Neji..." she pouted, "if you didn't like them you just have to tell me, it's all right."

"Tenten," he started, but her pout hadn't disappeared yet so he knew it wasn't a good idea to tell the truth. "I'll wear them more often - would that make you happy?" The smile he got was the clearest answer.

So, trying to hold back a curse in his head, the next morning he selected the least ugly tie she had purchased, an orange one that he supposed was wearable...

That day they were going to have lunch together so Neji was sure that she would see him wearing the monstrosity. In his mind the plan was simple; wear each one a couple of times on the days that he would see her and then return them to the bottom of the drawer from where they would never come out again.

Yes, that was a great plan.

His plan had not worked, in fact it had resulted in something unexpected. Tenten had gasped with excitement when she saw him wearing for the second time the orange tie that made him feel like he was carrying a lantern under his neck, and a week before Christmas she had given him two more ties. This time, they were seasonal.

Yes, they were Christmas themed. They were like an ugly Christmas sweater made into a tie.

Tenten wore pins or a headband with reindeer antlers, even a Santa Claus hat. In the company the festive atmosphere was everywhere so the brunette did not stand out. And, for the first time, Neji seemed to be part of the celebration. No one would ever dare to doubt the love he had for his girlfriend, for no other person in his life would he be able to wear such a thing. And it was definitely worth it to see her happy.