A/N:
Michaela my dear,
I hope you like this story
My sunburn still hurts
Just a little (BELATED) birthday story I wrote for a good friend. Thank you darling for letting me write my favorite Yuri paring ever. I had this for a long time before posting it, though the silly break in it was a last-moment addition. Based on a true story (just not the fun parts). And, yes, those are old legendary remedies for sunburn. I've tried them all, but the aloe is the only one that's actually medically vetted, so do your own Googling and don't blame me if something you picked up from a fan fiction doesn't cure your sunburn. Hope you like this one.
Reviews fill me with
Unimaginable joy
And motivation
Sunburns
"Owch!" Hinata hissed in pain, "Ow, ow, ow…" She held up her hair as she turned to examine her back in the bathroom mirror. Neck, shoulders, arms… everything on her back was bright pink.
She pressed an experimental hand t0o her shoulder. Her skin was hot to the touch and a palm print lingered bright white for a moment when she lifted away her hand.
Yup. She was sunburned alright.
The girl grimaced. How could she have been so stupid? Pale as she was, lying around without any sunblock! A royally stupid move and she was paying for it. Hinata whimpered and let down her hair. Even that hurt, so she wound up tying it into a high bun instead.
She left the room and padded down the hall. Her family compound was in pure traditional style, all rice paper doors and wood frames. Pretty, but frustratingly easy to get lost. Luckily, Hinata had grown up there, which kept her mostly on track as she made her way to her cousin's room.
"Neji?" she said experimentally, rapping on the wood side of the door with her knuckles. "Nejiii? It's me, please open up?"
A moment later the door slid open, revealing just a sliver of her brunette cousin. He looked mildly irritated – his default expression. "What is it, Hinata?"
She shrunk back a fraction. "Uh, um… D-do you know any fixes for sunburn?"
Neji blinked. "Sunburn."
Hinata nodded.
"You woke me up… for a sunburn."
"Sorry."
He groaned. "What's done is done. Get in here."
She entered, closing the door behind herself. Neji had his cousin lay in the bed over the blankets, on her stomach. He hissed in sympathy when he saw her back.
"Well," he observed, "That certainly is a sunburn."
"Thanks for letting me know," Hinata sighed, "Can you do anything for it?"
"Well," he replied, tying back his own hair, "I can try."
The branch member proceeded to attack the Hyuga heir's back with remedies.
First he soaked a rag in milk and placed it over her shoulders. Hinata flinched at the cold, making Neji scoff.
"Are you certain this will work?" she asked with quiet trepidation.
"Positive," he replied.
Half an hour later, her back still ached and sizzled. The rags grew hot sooner than they could cool and soothe.
Neji peeled up a rag and wrung it out into a bowl. The liquid was tepid and as pale as their eyes.
"Well. You must have sustained more damage than I thought," Neji commented, stroking his chin in thought.
Hinata just whined.
"Oh don't be such a baby," he frowned at her, "There are still other methods."
He 'other method' involved making iced tea.
It was brewed black and chilled with the bags still soaking. Neji poured two cups and removed the bags.
He handed Hinata a glass of tea and plopped the cool black tea bags on her burned shoulders.
"This will work," she checked, "Right?"
Neji confirmed it with a nod. "Right."
But forty minuets had no effect. Hinata's back was as red and as raw as ever.
Neji scratched his head. "Well, you certainly cooked yourself."
Hinata looked like misery.
Her stoic cousin took at least some pity. "There's one more thing that could be done. There's a kind of cactus that can help with burns -"
Hinata cut him off. "Do I have to go on some awful quest to Suna just to fix my burn?"
Neji rolled his eyes. "Hardly. I'm sure the Yamanaka shop will have a few. Besides," he added, "I'm quite sure that you and the desert sun wouldn't be a good fit."
† † †
In spite of being a branch member and her cousin, Neji was not inclined to go get the plant himself. Hinata was not confrontational enough to argue, and so ventured out to the Yamanaka flower shop on her own.
She pulled her jacket on the cover her burned shoulders. It hurt every time the fabric moved against her raw skin, and she was baking in the hot summer day. It was ninety degrees in the shade, and Konoha was all shade.
She wandered into the flower shop sweating and wearing a face as if she'd just shot-gunned a jar of pickle juice. She was greeted by a pretty blonde behind the counter.
"Hello, welcome to Yamanaka Floral, how can I – oh, hey, Hinata!"
"H-hi, Ino," she greeted with a small wave. The girls, though not the closest, were still friends enough for this to be relatively normal.
Ino, gone from bored to friendly in less than thirty seconds, hurried over to the door, shutting it and putting up a "went to lunch" sign, giving herself some time to chat with her friend.
"What's up?" she asked, back at the counter, leaning on it nonchalantly.
"Um, I'm looking for a plant…"
Into gave her a look that said 'nooo, really?' with sarcasm eyes.
"It-it's a cactus. It's, um, um, supposed to help sunburn?" Hinata was shy and a bit embarrassed, but Ino got it right away.
"Oh, you mean Aloe Vera." She walked around the counter, gesturing for Hinata to follow her to a small display of cacti and succulents.
The blonde picked up a pot with a spiky, smooth plant that resembled a tentacle monster with too much hair gel.
Hinata looked at it incredulously. "That's it?"
"Yup," Ino replied with a quiet smirk.
"Umm…" Hinata faltered, feeling stupid, "How do I –"
Ino cut her off. "Where's the burn?"
Hinata blushed and pointed over her shoulder to her back.
"Show me."
The blush intensified as Hinata unzipped her jacket to bare her pink shoulders. Ino whistled.
"Yikes. That IS bad."
"Y-yes, I know…"
Ino grabbed Hinata's hand and started tugging her along to the back room. "Ok, come with me, I'll help."
The blonde took her suffering friend to the store room. It was cool and perfumed with buckets and bouquets of flowers. Riots of scent and color were everywhere. Hinata inhaled deeply, closing her eyes.
"Great, isn't it?" Ino said, noticing Hinata's reaction.
As Hinata nodded, Ino sat her down on a break sofa somebody had placed amongst the petals. She tossed Hinata's jacket aside as she sat down behind her.
"How far down does it go?" Ino asked, lifting one strap of Hinata's tank top to examine the burn.
"Um, a-all down my – Hey!" she gasped as Ino all but ripped the tank top over her head.
"Oh relax," tsk-ed the blonde, "I need to see the burn if I'm supposed to help you at all." She proceeded to discard the shirt into a pile with the jacket. Hinata was blushing almost the shade of her sunburn now.
"Geeze," Ino raised her eyebrows, "This is worse than I thought. How did you manage this?"
"Um, I-I was lying outside… I fell asleep and woke up with this." As she spoke, Ino busied herself with the potted cactus. She tore a piece off midway down the stalk and split it open with her thumb nail. The inside was a thick, glistening gel-like substance.
"You just be glad you were on your front when you slept," Ino said as she worked at the plant, "It'd be a real shame if it was your face all read. It's too pretty for that."
Hinata's face turned red anyway, for a completely different reason.
Ino folded the plant open and set it gel-side down on Hinata's burnt shoulder. Hinata stiffened at the cold, then relaxed with a small sigh.
Ino smirked. "Good, right?"
"Excellent," sighed Hinata. The gel Ino now smeared all over her shoulders was cool and soothing. It absorbed much of the unbearable heat, giving the poor Hyuga some measure of relief.
The two girls entered a comfortable quiet as Ino spread the aloe on Hinata's arms. The pleasant chill on her neck made her shiver, but not unpleasantly.
When Ino had the burn once-over-ed she opened another stalk. The time she scooped the gel out onto her own two fingers and spread it over Hinata's skin directly.
"Feeling any better?" the blonde asked in a quiet tone, very close to Hinata's ear.
"Yes," the other girl replied, "Very much so."
Hinata's back soon had another layer expertly applied. Ino's hands now focused on the girl's neck and shoulders, moving further and further to her front. Suddenly, Ino's hands dipped all the way forward to Hinata's chest. Hinata gasped.
"I-Ino!" she cried, looking alarmed, "What are you doing?"
"What's wrong, Hinata?" Ino pouted, "Doesn't it feel nice?"
Hinata blushed. "U-um, y-yes but -oh!" she gasped again as Ino boldly moved over her breasts. Ino kept going, stroking and squeezing. This time she met no resistance.
Hinata leaned back into the touches, sighing. Ino's hands were beneath her bra now, playing across the soft skin. She flicked a nipple experimentally. When Hinata's gasp became a sigh, Ino smiled.
Her hands moved to stroke Hinata's curved sides and flat stomach. They were so close now, Ino's breasts pressed into Hinata's back.
Ino's hands moved back up. It wasn't long into this before Hinata turned her head and pressed a soft, blushing kiss to the other girl's lips. Ino's hands froze over Hinata's thundering heart as they gave the kiss their all.
† † †
Outside the flower shop, Sasuke Uchiha hammered on the door. "Ino? Ino!" he called in, totally and utterly out of character, "I have something important to tell you!"
He made such an unholy racket that a passing blonde boy crossed the street just to see what was the matter.
"Sasuke?" the boy called, face confused, "What's the matter with you?"
The black haired boy wheeled around on his heel. "Naruto!" he said with frightening enthusiasm, "Have you seen Ino? It's urgent!"
Naruto leaned back, raising a brow, blinking at his utterly out of character friend. "Umm… no? Sorry… Actually, I was just looking for Hinata. I wanted to tell her that I lov- "
Sasuke talked right over him, "Yah, super, good for you, man, but seriously: where's Ino? I've just realized that I'm madly in love with her!"
The two boys talked animatedly for a time outside the flower shop. But the front door did not unlock, the "Gone to lunch, back in 15" sign did not turn itself around, and neither young lady showed her face.
Eventually the two boys simply gave up, deciding that if they were going to be spurned, they might as well just hook up with eachother.
It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship, but not nearly so lovely as what the former objects of their affections were getting up to.
† † †
"…I think your back will be fine now," Ino broke the glowing aftermath's silence gently.
"R-Really?" replied Hinata breathlessly, "Because I think you should do that treatment again. M-maybe tomorrow."
Ino smiled. "Tomorrow then."
Hinata left, but with sunbathing plans for the next day. And maybe she'd forget the sunblock.
Or maybe not. She'd need somebody to cover her in that, too, wouldn't she?
THE END