A/N: Not sure where this came from. This is more or less my idea of romance. Well, sorta.

As it turns out, Tenten is the one who brings up marriage.

The subject comes up after Neji attempts to propose. She doesn't get what he's saying at first, going glass-eyed by not understanding words like duty, tradition and a list of other terms until he mentions an heir before making eye contact with her. And then it hits her.

She does her best not to visibly shudder at the prospect even as her insides are violently swirling in a vortex of disgust. A "fuck no" is tamped down with considerable effort as she takes a deep breath, swallows hard and frantically plots an escape.

Somehow, familiar dark eyes come to mind. She then comes up with a plausible excuse partly to keep from hurting Neji's ego and mostly to keep the subject from ever coming up again.

"I'm already engaged," she blurts out. If it sounds loud and kind of desperate to her own ears, she wonders how hearing it half-shouted must be like for him.

She tries not to childishly point out Sasuke, who's standing under a tree in the plaza square across from they're sitting. Naruto and Sakura are talking to him about something she can't make out.

Unbeknownst to her, Neji follows her stare to the dark eyed fellow across from them.

Neji's expressions don't vary much aside from somewhat pleased, arrogant and pissed off. His earlier nervousness changes into something else she can't really read. Most guys would redden from embarrassment, fidget around or babble about something stupid. He's not quite frowning as he does when he's pissed, but she's unsure what to make of the way he stares off into space.

She doesn't know what to do as guilt and a strong urge to flee suddenly overtake her. Tenten gives into both, throwing her arms around Neji for a moment before running like the little coward she feels like at the moment.

When she reaches Sasuke, she snatches his wrist to drag him into step beside her. As always, he follows without question, sending a goodbye nod in his former teammates' direction.

The ensuing training session is brutal and leaves her completely drained.

She is gulping in air when he suggests she stay at his place since it's closer. Unexpectedly, she throws her arms around his shoulders.

Unable to sustain her weight, he sags against her, accidentally pressing her back into the rough tree bark. She's weirdly elated and it mostly has to do with avoiding Neji's earlier proposal. It almost feels like the time she escaped a dozen bandits alone. She wasn't really trying to be convincing, but perhaps if her former teammate didn't believe her earlier, this little stunt might convince him as a few pedestrians walking nearby notice the little scene. It also doesn't hurt that a chuunin team is scheduled to use the training grounds after them. The rumor mill is notorious for exaggerations, especially among the shinobi ranks.

She's so happy she could kiss Sasuke. So, she does, lips coming into contact with salty skin since his face is so close.

Sasuke offers her tea after she takes a cold shower to wash off the afternoon workout.

Sitting across the low table from him, Tenten sips a little before breaking the news to him.

"I told Neji I was engaged."

She stares deeply into the cup before taking another careful sip.

"To you," she finishes and sneaks a peek at him from the corner of her eye.

She's disappointed he doesn't choke and splutter and spill tea all over the table. Lips pucker in reflex, pouting at him.

"Hn," he replies with that familiar composure that almost unnerves her.

Tenten chokes on her tea and sets the pretty cup down with an unexpected slam. She covers her mouth with her hand and might have snuck in "psycho" a few times in between coughs. She's irritated with his amused smirk, but doesn't want to pursue the subject further, so she drops it quickly by insulting him.

"Looks like a chicken attacked you in your sleep," she says, running a hand through his messy hair.

He appraises her with a kind of lazy quality that he might have picked up from Kakashi.

"You should talk," he retorts. "You look like you picked a fight with a grill pan."

He points to the shirt she was previously wearing. It's partly in ribbons and singed at the ends.

"And lost," he adds.

She throws a cushion at him. The way it messes up his hair even more is satisfying.

A few days after she announces their totally fake engagement, Sasuke is struck by an idea. Or rather, someone inadvertently plants it in its head when he hears the first whispering of rumors about his upcoming nuptials.

Either way, she is not happy with his reaction.

Naruto, on the other hand, is thrilled and can barely keep still, even though he's eavesdropping on a conversation. He kicks himself for not having a recorder on him at the time, although he is armed with plenty of ammunition to blackmail them both should the need ever arise.

The blonde is plastered against the wall as he listens to them. Mostly, it's Tenten's voice he makes out clearly. And she's becoming more exasperated by the minute.

Sasuke's voice is a lot more subdued, if he's saying anything at all.

"Get that thing away from me."

Whatever he says, Naruto can't hear it.

"OK, I get it! It's shiny. Point proven. Now put it away."

Naruto tries not to splutter. He'd gotten a look at Sasuke a few times while bathing and it was nothing special as far as he could remember.

"You know how many people are gonna wanna kill me if they find out?"

Again, Naruto can't hear what Sasuke has to say.

"I'm not going to be able to walk around later."

Naruto has to cover his mouth to stifle a high-pitched giggle.

"Hey, what's going on?" he hears behind him.

Sakura curious about Naruto's crouched position, stands warily a few feet behind him. Naruto immediately clamps a hand around her mouth.

"Shh!" he tells her.

Sakura swats at Naruto, but then they hear loud shuffling inside. Sakura stops, her hand on his wrist as the sounds of furniture moving around grate along the floor.

The next shout they hear makes their eyes widen.

"What the fuck?" Sakura mouths. It comes out like a weird muffled groan behind Naruto's hand.

"No means no!"

Footsteps pound on the floor in rapid succession. Naruto backs away automatically, trying not to look panicked at being caught. The door opens, but is shut unexpectedly.

Sasuke's voice is clear this time.

"You're the one who started it."

Tenten scoffs.

"So that's your excuse for this?" she screeches. "Ugh!"

And that's when Naruto decides to go in, wild-eyed and dying to catch Sasuke doing something naughty. It's about damn time, too.

There are no bodies pressed against hard surfaces or cornered to any walls. Hell, they're even fully clothed. The only thing he gets to see is the two of them holding hands, nothing more.

Sasuke drops the matter for the sake of their upcoming mission and pockets the box without Naruto noticing.

If there's one thing Tenten learns about Sasuke, it's that he's twice as stubborn as Naruto when he wants after something. She's beginning to feel like a helpless kind of prey — a lot like the poor bunny Akamaru caught the last time she hung out with Kiba. She wonders if she has the same look in her eye as that bewildered, twitching animal.

It happens when she's waking up on the hospital bed after being bed-ridden for two days after completing a delivery to the desert. She wonders at first if it's a weird kind of mirage or some kind of afterimage from all the heat they were subjected to that makes her hallucinate.

The ring he offered her before embarking on the journey is in his hand, being held out to her. The scene looks too familiar. A familiar kind of panic seizes her.

The horizontal blinds cut through the sunlight with shadows. Sasuke manages to find the right angle for that giant stone to nearly blind her, much like the previous time.

"Take it," he says.

Her eyes widen, brows raised in alarm.

"Huh?" she manages.

He doesn't wait for her as he reaches for her hand and places the little velvet box into her palm. The rounded edges dig into her skin as he lightly crushes her hand.

She has questions in her eyes as she shifts nervously in bed, uncomfortable with the subject. He makes her close her fingers over the fabric box before the reflex to throw it across the room manifests. She notes both the weight she's being forced to hold and the warmth of his hand.

She fidgets some more, her other hand gripping the metal rail beside the bed as her feet dig into the thin sheets of the mattress. She looks ready to run and he's strangely thankful that she's under orders to lie still.

"Look, Sasuke, if it's about the other day and the whole engagement thing, I was just trying to throw Neji off," she explains.

He stares at the their hands and says nothing.

"So all of this," she stares pointedly at the box hidden between their fingers. "Is really unnecessary."

Aware of his silence and afraid she's accidentally insulted him, she backtracks in a hurry.

"Don't get me wrong, it's nice and have you seen the rock on this thing?" she blurts out. "It's huge and sparkly and I wouldn't ever have a special occasion to wear it. With my luck, I'd lose it in any of the missions I'd go on."

She feels his hand squeeze hers and it's not painful or strange.

"Besides, shouldn't it go to the girl you really want to spend the rest of your life with?" she asks, nearly pleading.

She deliberately looks away to not see his expression — hurt, annoyed, angry, whatever it might be. Neji suddenly comes to mind and it feels like those were the words she meant to direct at him when he tried to propose.

Knuckles glide over her cheekbone, making her aware of the chill of the air conditioning when she feels warmth. Her tangled hair is down and she feels it being brushed lightly before a lock is tucked behind her ear.

"What if I already know?" he asks.

She turns to him, confusion apparent. Her first instinct is to push her arm out further to him, to make him understand it's not too late to take the ring back and give it to a more deserving person. Someone who really wants to be with him. He pushes back gently.

Fingers release her hair to slide along her jaw and pause at her chin.

"You steal my pajamas when you sleep over, not that I'm complaining," he states.

"He pinches her sleeve.

"And I'm pretty sure this is mine," he says dryly.

Hotheaded as ever, she looks like she's about the shirt haul off, but he finds her hands instead. Not that he'd mind the view if she took it off.

He doesn't shy away from the sharp look she directs at him. It's the same one she gives him when she's about to take a swing at him. A strange sort of satisfaction washes over him to know he has her attention.

"It's not like I haven't already seen your underwear," he deadpans.

He lets go of her hand. She notes how his fingertips linger a moment too long. Fingers closer automatically into a fist before coming in contact with his shoulder. Sasuke ignores her dark frown, eyes strangely softened.

"Perv," she spits, but doesn't resist him when he leans in and encloses her in his arms.

She feels the way he moves just so to press his cheek against her neck. He inhales deeply before releasing that breath slowly./p

"I don't mind it when you stay over," he says.

She chuckles in disbelief.

"Are we roommates now?" she wonders aloud.

One palm is full with the velvet box, the other with a handful of cotton fabric as she sinks further into his arms. This close, she can't help but breathe him in. Like the pajamas she's used to borrowing, she can make out smoke and metal and something unmistakably him.

"If you want," he goes on. "At least you smell nicer than Naruto."

It's the closest thing to a compliment, which makes her giggle, knowing for a fact the blonde has a habit of staying over with him when she's out on missions. She can tell by the sour mood he's in and the strong smell of takeout when she returns. Sasuke's place turns into a ramen wasteland with all the containers littering the place.

"Will you be charging me rent?" she half jokes.

He exhales a chuckle, slides hands along her back. Strangely enough, she can picture waking up next to him. There's no disgust or awkwardness about it.

"You're the most pigheaded girl I've ever met," he declares.

The sound of a snort and her ensuing laughter is muffled.

"I aim to displease," she declares.

Fingers comb through her hair, smoothing back wayward strands. She's suddenly struck by how familiar it feels even though it's the first time he's openly caressing her. It hits her then how he's always touching her. Every scrape, cut, bruise and break is attended by him. She's always been accident prone, scabs and cuts in the process of healing, but never quite finishing. She wonders how many times he'd gone to Sakura for advice and suddenly understands the looks the girl had given her when she'd gone for a checkup. Sasuke's always so careful in putting her back together, in making sure she's all right. Because of him, she hasn't had any new scars marring her skin, not that she's ever really minded. They were temporary reminders of completed jobs.

"So just do me a favor and keep this."

"She looks at him, unsure of what to say. The sort of warning Kakashi gave her about Sasuke is ringing in her ears. It bothered her when the older man smilingly told her to be careful with the boy. He'd gone on to warn her again after casually mentioning how relaxed Sasuke seemed to be with her and pointed to his eye before pointing at her to signal he was watching her.

"If the giggles are are any indication, Naruto also appears to be in on it, even if he never says it out loud. The blonde drops plenty of hints though, none of them subtle even though she can't bring herself to believe any of it. Earlier, he slipped out of the room about two minutes before Sasuke came in to see her. About the only thing he let her know was that Sasuke had panicked when she'd gotten injured.

"It's not like I'm asking you to marry me," he clarifies.

Tenten readjusts the hold on his collar. She aware he's come first in the most eligible bachelor poll conducted unofficially at the Hokage tower for several years now.

"Who the hell would want to?" she retorts, voice muffled.

Sasuke grins and continues to play with her hair, gently untangling it. With the unruly quality of her hair, it's a wonder he hasn't snagged it between his fingers.

As she relaxes, she feels him pry her fingers off his shirt.

"Then you won't mind keeping this, too," he says.

She stares at him as he reaches into his back pocket before he covers her eyes with one hand. He plucks her wrist as she tries to push him away.

"Wait," he growls. "Close your eyes."

She consents, holding out her hand for him as he fumbles with something. After a very long minute or so, she feels a cool weight on her hand.

"There," he tells her.

Tenten opens her eyes and he savors the color of dark honey focused on him. It's gone after a moment, replaced by wide-eyed horror.

"What the — ?" she starts.

The giant bright pink heart-shaped locket hanging off her wrist is heavier when she looks at it. Her feet dig into the mattress again, the thin sheets being pushed off her lap. She has that familiar look he recognizes when she's ready to bolt.

"It's stainless steel," he explains.

Jaw clenched, she makes every effort not to call the nurse to check his eyesight. Surely, he's going blind. She turns her hand and sees the little flowers and hearts glimmer in the sunlight. It looks like something a two-year-old picked out. She imagines he might have fought a kid to get her this ugly thing.

"You can wear this instead of the ring," he tells her. "And you don't need to worry about damaging it."

He bites his lip while observing her discomfort.

"I'll be sure to get you a matching one," she deadpans.

Sasuke pushes hair behind her shoulder, comes forward and gently presses a soft kiss on her cheek. Tenten supposes they're even now since she did that not so long ago. But then he kisses her other cheek and smooths out that little crease between her eyebrows with another one.

Naruto stares at them dreamily through them glass in the door. When Sakura appears, he stops her from going in.

"Hold on," he says, extending his arm out to make her stop walking.

She turns to him, eyes widening for a moment.

"Are you crying?" she asks, clearly surprised.

It explains his blurred vision.

"No!" he denies a little too loudly.

Hands grip her shoulder to position her until she's pointed toward the window. While Sakura's not looking, he wipes his eyes with his sleeve.

"Aww," she groans in delight and clasps her hands over her chest. "They're so cute together."

"I know," Naruto replies, voice breaking just a bit.

"It's about time," Sakura hisses, taking a step back to lean on a nearby wall.

"I know," he repeats.

She grabs his elbow and stands with him to watch the two for a bit longer.

"When do you think the wedding will be?" she asks, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"He'll have to drag her down the aisle," he replies. "Probably never, though. He looks too happy to make her miserable."

"Sakura agrees.