Naruto One Shots

Coffee #1 (Neji Hyuga)

[Art work is not mine! Credit to Marimari999]

Requested by: Anonymous

Word Count: 3,878

Warnings and/or Pre-Notes:
- Neji didn't die in the war because I said so and it was a pointless death :)

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     I feel excited, I shouldn't feel excited. It's just a cup of coffee, it's no big deal. It's just a cup of coffee. Friends get friends coffee all the time. I mean, Kakashi brings Gai-Sensei coffee all the time and vice versa. It's just coffee, it's just coffee, it's just -
     "Neji!" Lee's voice rings out, making me snap my eyes closed and let out a long sigh. "Neji, Neji, Neji!" He continues, his voice picking up the closer he gets to me. "Neji!" He screams once more, continuing to race forward, amping for another sad attempt to take me on.
     I deck down, making sure not to spill the coffee as I avoid Lee's jump kick. He goes flying over my head, another missed attempt to take me down. How sad. Lee lands a couple of paces ahead of me, quickly turning around to face me. "Oh! Did you get Tenten and I coffees?"
     "No," I answer shortly, straightening up before I continue walking down the road.
     "Then who's it for? You don't drink coffee." Lee pushes, strolling next to me, his hands on his head as he walks.
     "They're for me," I mutter, letting out another sigh. Why is Lee my squad mate again? Oh right, I didn't have a choice. "Can I help you with something or are you just here to pester me?"
     "I want us to meet up for lunch, are you down?"
     "Sure," I grumble, stopping on the corner of the street, waiting to see who I'm looking for. "What time are we meeting?"
     "How about noon? Met me at Yakiniku Q," Lee tells me, jumping around as he pumps his arms. "So you're coming, right?"
     "Ya, ya, ya. Whatever Lee," I grumble, watching my new... friend, slide into the academy building. "I'll see you at noon, okay?" I push out, waiting for a beat before I rush across the street.
     "Oh, okay. See you at lunch," he calls after me, waving as I race across the way.
     When I get outside the door, I stop for a moment, balancing my breathing and setting my mind straight. It's just coffee. I'm just giving a nice girl coffee before I get my duty orders for the day. I am an active shinobi, I am a pillar of the Hyuga clan, I survived a war Lord being, I can give a nice girl with pretty eyes a cup of coffee.
     With that, I let out another long sigh before pushing the door open. I'm just here to get my duty form for the day and I just so happened to accidentally get two coffees. Even though I don't like coffee. At all. And purposely bought two. But she doesn't know that.
     I keep my breath even as I walk down the hallway, making the lefts and rights as I head towards the right room. The secretary's laugh rings out even through the door, making my hands tighten around the to-go cups. "It's just a coffee for a friend," I whisper to myself, squeezing my eyes closed for a second.
     When I open my eyes again, I push the door open, the metal squeaking on its hinges. "Good morning, Hyuga-San," the adorable secretary greets me, a huge smile on her face.
     It's just coffee. For a friend. With beautiful eyes. Who smiles every morning she sees me. "Hello, Aburame-Chan," I greet back, taking slow steps forward. "How are you today?"
"Oh, I'm great! How about you?"
"I'm good," I mutter, eyes caught on her toothy grin. Does she smile that big for everyone or just me? Hopefully just me, I want it to just be me. "I... stopped at the coffee shop," I add on, pushing the cups forward. "Fun story, I ordered one cup and they gave me two and... um... I would like to give you the other one."
"Aww, thank you, Hyuga-San. I appreciate the thought but I must insist you take it for yourself," the woman says, smile softening as she waves her hands around.
"No, no, no. Please take it, Aburame-Chan. I don't have any use for two coffees and I don't want the second one going to waste," I gently push, my heart pounding in my chest. Maybe it was a mistake getting her a coffee.
"Alright," she says, letting out an airy laugh. "I appreciate being in your thoughts," Aburame-Chan adds, taking one of the cups from me. She takes a small sip of it, giving me a soft smile after she pulls the cup away. The rim is stained, the clear sticky gloss coating her lips stamped into it. "Thank you, Hyuga-San."
My eyes flicker to her lips, the source of the stained cup. They're pink, plump, and shiny because of her gloss. I wonder if it's flavored gloss. What kind of flavored gloss would Aburame-Chan use? Would it be orange, like the scent of her perfume?
"You're welcome," I tell her, fighting down my nauseousness. The thought of her lips and her smile is making me nervous. I need to get my work order and leave. "Do you have my work form ready?"
"Of course I do!" She chirps, the top row of her teeth resting on her bottom lip, chewing on it as she smiles. Would her lips feel bruised if we kissed? Probably, since she chews on her lips. Is that why she wears the gloss? To make up for her chewing on them? "You walk in every day at ten thirty-two. It took a while but I've figured out how to get your forms in order before you come in."
"Oh," I breathe out, the feeling of heat crawling up my neck. Is my face red too? Or just my neck? Can Aburame-Chan tell I'm flustered? I hope not. "Well, thank you."
"You're welcome!" She says, her voice still cheery as she hands me my daily file. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hyuga-San."
"Neji," I correct, tightening my hand around the papers. "Please call me Neji."
"Okay, Neji," she says, my name sounding like a million praises falling from her lips. Her plump, gloss-tinted lips. "I'll see you tomorrow, Neji."
"I'll see you tomorrow," I echo, trying to even out my breath again. I slowly turn around, the thought of Aburame-Chan's lips still locked in my mind as I walk away. I peep back into the room as the door starts swinging closed behind me, catching her throwing my coffee into the trash.
"Did you not like it?" The man minding the desk with her asks.
"Not really, I'm not a fan of - " she says, her answer getting cut off by the door clicking closed. Not a fan of what? Me? Coffee? Black coffee?