A cozy early evening had settled in the living room of the Hyuuga residence. The cold wind blew against the windows incapable to disturb the warmth of the house, locked out in the freezing darkness of the winter.
Hinata looked up from the book she read for one of her university courses. A gaze at Toneri reassured her that he was still immersed in the cartoon on the tv. The five-year-old had stiffened in his position but his eyes sparkled from the curiosity of what was going to happen to his favorite hero behind the colorfully flickering screen.
The girl smirked at her sister Hanabi, who had fallen asleep on the other couch. Hinata had covered her with a blanket earlier but one of her hands was peaking out of it, touching the carpet beneath while one of her legs was lifted on the back of the furniture.
Hinata had never understood how her sister could sleep in positions like that.
She closed in on Toneri and stroked his head. "Are you hungry?"
Toneri shook his head, his fair eyes still glued to the tv. Hinata glanced at the clock on the wall. There was still plenty of time left before his bedtime so she chose to give him something to eat later instead of disturbing him and possibly triggering noisy displeasure on his side.
"Are you having fun?" she asked after a while of observing him.
"Mh." He nodded, wiggling with his feet as he glanced at her just shortly to not miss anything that was going on in the show.
Right when Hinata leaned back to open her book again the ring of the doorbell resounded in the house. Toneri looked up at her as she left him with a reassuring "I'll be right back" before leaving him.
Her slippers resounding on the surface of the parquet was especially hearable in the quietness of the hallway to the front door. She switched on the light and opened the door.
The cold air from outside made her shiver when she recognized a familiar face standing in front of her.
"Naruto, what are you doing here?" The appearance of her boyfriend was surely a surprise as they had cancelled their get-together due to the fact that she had to babysit the neighbor's youngest son.
"I had nothing to do at the dorm and no one wanted to hang out." Naruto's arms were wrapped around his body, covered in a thick down jacket. His golden locks were hidden under a beanie and his mouth under the jacket that was zipped up from the bottom to the top. Hinata could detect the redness of his nose under the light of the terrace.
She had already guided him inside, taking of his jacket after shutting the door.
Naruto sighed contently as felt his fingers and toes defrosting bit by bit. The warmth revived his body.
"How often do I have to tell you to wear a scarf when it's cold." Hinata couldn't prevent the scolding undertone in her voice as she gave him a pair of slippers and stored his jacket away in the wardrobe.
"Yes, mom," he answered jokingly, nuzzling her cheek with his nose. She resounded sharply and pushed him farther away. "You're cold." She giggled while thinking of giving him another cardigan from her father's.
"Because it's damn cold outside." Naruto rose his hands as if she had accused him of a great crime. It was dry, dark and freezing but those were hurdles he overcame to meet up with his girlfriend.
Hinata just rose a finger to that obvious statement. "Hey, no cursing in front of the kid."
"Yes, mom." The grin on his face made her doubt if he took her command seriously. She stared at him for a while, in which he jokingly poked her in her sides, making her snicker for anew.
Then she lead him to the living room and gestured at Hanabi to let him know that he should be quiet.
Toneri inspected the newcomer with creased brows. His voice in the hallway had already made the boy uncomfortable but Toneri's eyes narrowed farther down when the blond messed up his hair.
"Hey, you must be Toneri." The nineteen-year-old grinned widely at the boy and instead of recording it as a friendly greeting like it was intended to, Toneri was under the assumption that the older was mocking him.
Between the strands of his hair, that had fallen into his face, he watched Naruto making himself comfortable between him and Hinata. He started talking about something the little boy didn't understand and it made him angry. It had been so nice and comfy until this stranger had appeared.
"Which lecture is that for?" Naruto pointed at the book on the coffee table.
"For Tsunade's. Exams are coming up and I'm not really sure if I'll be able to get good grades, so I'm doing some extra work for the preparations." Hinata lifted her legs to the sofa and turned towards her boyfriend, who supported his head with one arm on the back of the couch
"You said that last semester too and got only As. Don't worry." He gestured with his free had. "Also, let's talk about something else than university. I had enough of that at the dorm." The times they had had to meet up to study become too frequent so he wanted to avoid that topic when there was no need to think about university for once.
They continued to exchange gazes and talk in a low voice in consideration of the sleeping Hanabi, who didn't seem to notice that an intruder had entered the living room.
Toneri wasn't happy with Hinata's attention he had lost and jumped down from the sofa. What was going on on the tv wasn't important anymore, he had to make himself the main character of the evening again.
His eyes crossed with the figure of Hanabi and with an idea already assuming in shape he approached her. One last cheeky glimpse he roamed over the girl before he climbed up on her. Clawing his fingers in her legs when reaching the top.
Hanabi first stirred in confusion but her upper body rose quickly when she sighted a shock of light hair in her view and an unusual weight on her.
"Toneri." Hinata scolded him from the side but the boy didn't back away and instead threw his arms around the girl, who was still dozing without an understanding of what was going on. Also the sudden presence of Naruto made her forehead wrinkle in confusion.
"I'm capturing Hanabi," Toneri said proudly, his arms just able to embrace Hanabi completely.
"Huh?" Hanabi was awaking little by little but still didn't oppose when Toneri started to tie her up with the soft blanket she had slept with.
Toneri smirked in the triumph of having gained Hinata's attention back. Now Naruto was the one looking at her back and that view pleased him to an extent that gave him enough power to make Hanabi stand up from the couch.
While Hinata was confused that the timid personality of the child had changed drastically, Naruto on the other side tried to figure out when the boy had disappeared from his side because he couldn't recall him going to Hanabi.
The little boy snatched a pillow and threw it in Naruto's direction but to his disappointment, Naruto averted it with a swift hand and moving his head away.
"Hey!" Naruto jumped up from the couch but the boy wasn't interested in his little eruption of anger instead pulled at the blanket around Hanabi to make her sit down at a wall between a plant and a cupboard.
He put a hand on her forehead and said that she had to faint now because he had the powers to make her do so. Hanabi had found fun in the little play and acted to his wishes, making her head fall and closing her eyes.
Naruto and Hinata had started to understand that Toneri wanted to play a game. They looked at each other, when another pillow came flying in Naruto's direction. This time he wasn't quick enough to fight it off.
"Why are you only attacking me?"
"Because you are the enemy." Toneri pointed a finger at him, making Naruto pout and ponder what he had done to the boy in the last few minutes to make him think that.
Hinata, who had begun to find the situation amusing started to giggle behind her hand.
Toneri got back into his character and loudly announced that Hanabi was now his prisoner and he wouldn't give her back, while covering their view of the girl, who was still leaned against the wall and pretending to be unconscious.
"What should we do, Naruto?" Hinata turned her head and looked at Naruto with pretended pleading and desperate eyes. She took up her acting too. Naruto smirked shortly but then put on a serious face fitting the situation.
"Fight him of course," Naruto exclaimed with one fist in the air.
Toneri started laughing, as if he imitated certain foes from movies.
"You can't beat me, I'm stronger." He rose two pillows from the pile he had collected when announcing his triumph and threw both simultaneously at Naruto.
"Ouch." Hinata wasn't sure if Naruto was just a very good actor of if he actually got hurt by the pillows, not knowing that the astonished expression on Naruto's was caused by his surprise at how good the aiming of the five-year-old was. How could he hit him this precisely?
"What should we do for you to give my sister back?" Hinata asked resurrected in her role as the older sister wanting to safe her sibling.
"Come with me, Hinata." Toneri didn't even need time to think about his conditions, this was all going according to plan. "I will free Hanabi then."
"Never!" Naruto's response was loud and passionate as if there was actually someone to take his girlfriend away. But he and Hinata weren't in sync as she already advanced towards Toneri, agreeing to his demands and leaving Naruto behind.
"Okay," she said but Naruto stopped her by grabbing her arm.
"Hinata, no."
"I have to do this for my sister." Naruto and Hanabi herself were both taken aback by the actual sad vibe her tone had gotten and how much she had gotten into character, silencing his usually unstoppable mouth.
"I like you more than that idiot anyway." Toneri's confession interrupted the little moment the couple had and turned their attention towards him again. Naruto slowly lost his grip on Hinata.
"That's impossible, I like you more." His words and the serious manner Naruto expressed them with, made Hinata's heart pound harder in excitement, what seemed odd considering the setting. Her smile formed by itself without a chance for her to suppress it. It seemed like those words would never fail to flatter her no matter the occasion.
Toneri side eyed Hinata's obviously happy features and screwed up his face in anger. The little boy snatched another pillow, this time of the bigger ones, and thrusted it as hard as he could in Naruto's face. He was supposed to be the hero not that blond moron.
Naruto was caught unprepared for that cushion and fell down with the stunner of the toss' force. From the ground he saw how Toneri took Hinata's hand and pulled her to his base between the plant and the cupboard.
"Hinata, don't leave." With a hoarse voice and an outstretched arm he called after his girlfriend, who gave him one last glance before she went with the little boy as she took his pleading as very good acting. She didn't know that Naruto's back actually ached from the collusion with the floor.
"You have to stay like that. You fainted." Toneri averted his eyes from Hinata and pointed at Naruto on the floor, who made a grimace at his instruction. But still he rested his head on the carpet again and closed his eyes, his limps sprawled out like a starfish.
Hinata sat down next to her sister, exchanging amused glimpses before they went back into acting.
Naruto stole a glance at their figures at the wall, wondering how long he might have to lay like this. His eyes locked with Hinata's, whose lips stretched, her eyes lighting up. If it made her happy when he laid like this and followed that little brat's commands, then that's what he would do.
He heard her asking Toneri what they were supposed to do now. The child rose a finger to his chin and began pondering. When there were no words coming from his mouth Hinata made a suggestion herself.
"How about a snack?"
Hanabi agreed with nodding her head excessively. "That's a good idea. I'm starving."
"Food?" Naruto rose his head, this time without hiding it from the kid, who dismissed the older with a harsh gaze for his hopeful exclaim of getting something to eat.
"Okay, let's have a break."
In the little break Naruto had realized how much Toneri started to aggravate him. They had sat down around the coffee table and ate some sandwiches, the older ones quickly prepared before. Toneri continuously glared at him when Hinata wasn't looking.
Naruto didn't know what exactly made the kid react like that but it frustrated him even more when Hinata didn't seem to realize the child's displeasure towards her boyfriend.
When Hinata had removed some crumbles from Toneri's face with gently stroking them away, the child stretched his tongue out and gave Naruto a mischievous grin.
Naruto was sure that it wasn't jealousy that made him turn to Hinata and point at his cheek, waiting for her to remove the leftovers on his face too.
But the girl commented that with a laugh and told him that there was nothing to be removed on his face. It fueled the flame in his stomach how much Hinata was oblivious to the situation while Hanabi tracked the interactions of the threesome with an entertained expression.
Toneri ordered Naruto to lay down at his place again, what Naruto did after expressing his displeasure by mimicking his words.
Hinata and Hanabi also returned to their places in the corner, what Toneri had expanded a little bit with the big sofa cushions, blankets and everything else useful he had found in the living room.
He had called it his castle, making Naruto give a loud, mocking laugh on the floor.
"Hinata, marry me and Hanabi will be safe," Toneri said making Hinata raise her brows.
"What?" Naruto's head popped up but Toneri shushed him. The boy stood on a stool because he had felt that his lack in height made him less intimidating. "You can't talk now. You fainted."
Naruto involuntarily went back to his unconscious state, completely sure that he wouldn't stay like this for much longer.
"If that's the only thing I can do, I have no choice I guess." Hinata stood up while Toneri jumped down from his position and pushed the stool farther to the side until it was under the long curtains of a window.
"Here is the altar."
"I thought that was your castle," Naruto butted in but was shushed by the younger one again. Hinata smiled at Naruto when she passed him to get the tablecloth they had removed when taking their break.
Using the newly attained item as a veil, she covered her head with it and approached the "altar" in a wedding march.
By this time Toneri had returned to his position on the stool and awaited Hinata's arrival by his side. His eyes sparkling with youthful happiness and eager.
When there were opposite each other, Hinata halted and adjusted her veil, waiting for Toneri to react accordingly.
"You have to kiss me," he said as if he wanted to teach about her ignorance of weddings.
"Ah, right." Hinata bend down a little more because Toneri on the piece of furniture was still not tall enough to reach him without shifting. She moved closer to his face to give him a peck on his cheek but suddenly Naruto appeared behind him and lifted the boy from under his arms.
"She already has a boyfriend." Naruto looked down at the boy, who was still in the air and had his head in his neck to look up at the taller one. His eyes gleaming with beams of hatred.
Toneri started to squirm his legs and kicked Naruto in the stomach, uncertain if accidentally or intentionally.
Naruto resounded in pain and let him fall to the ground, where Toneri landed on his feet and distanced himself from him in quick steps, disappearing in the hallway
"That's it, you brat. I'll take you down." Naruto totally forgot about Hinata, who silently judged him getting too serious with the game the child had played. "No holding back anymore." Naruto moved to follow him but Toneri entered the living room again with one umbrella in each hand.
"Come here old man." He put one umbrella, which was obviously the shorter one, on the ground and kicked it towards him to hand it over. No matter how little he was, he still had a certain pride in his chest.
Naruto lifted the item, with a hollow laugh escaping his mouth.
Hinata was unsure if she should get in between those two to stop them. One part of her nonetheless believed that Naruto was acting but the other doubted this, finding it's proof in the glares the boys shot at each other.
Still Naruto wasn't the type of a person, who would deliberately hurt a child so she stood still and watched them instead.
A glance at Hanabi assured her that she was definitely enjoying the boys' dispute and clapped into her hands to express her joy for the showdown.
"You brat are going to regret this." Naruto pointed with the tip of his umbrella at the little boy, who mirrored him.
"This is the finale. THE LAST fight."
After his announcement a chaos of clashing umbrellas and flying pillows erupted in the room. They chased each other from one corner of the room to the next, unyieldingly throwing anything soft at each other that they could get a hold of.
An orchestra of exclamations and groans ringed in the air, mixed with sets of laughter and giggles from every party.
Naruto patted Toneri's back one last time before he handed him over to his mother. The little boy dug his sleeping face into her bosom and exhaled through his nose.
"Thank you again for looking after him, Hinata." The woman whispered to prevent disturbing her son's slumber.
"No problem." Hinata smiled and bowed her head as a goodbye. Naruto did the same, gaining a smile from Toneri's mother as well.
The couple looked after them vanishing in a car and driving away before they turned towards each other.
"I'll leave too then." Naruto grabbed his jacket. He tried to put on his shoes and slip into the jacket at the same time, nearly begging Hinata to help him get dressed, what she did without a word.
At last she put on his beanie and adjusted it so that his ears were protected but his eyes still able to see under the hair that peaked out under it. Naruto watched Hinata's face while she did so, capturing the concentration she put in a simple task as this. Her face was close to his and he could feel her breath on his skin.
The crooking of her lips confirmed him that she was satisfied with her work as she stepped away after stroking his strands for one last time.
She traced him to the front door and the terrance, staggered at how much colder the night had gotten.
"This was fun," Naruto stated. There had never been a time where he hadn't enjoyed being with her but he felt the urge to express it this time.
"Yes, it was." Hinata wrapped her cardigan tighter around her body. "I've never seen you like this. So this was nice."
"Like what?" Naruto zipped up his jacket.
"With a child. Enjoying yourselves like that." Naruto had always had a bright personality and she hadn't feared of him being incapable of handling children. But actually seeing him interacting with one, switching between taking the child too seriously and playing with him smilingly.
This evening had definitely been a good one, as she had discovered a new side of the Naruto she had been together with for the past years.
"Is that so?" he asked amused, one corner of his mouth moving upwards.
"Mhm."
Silence settled in their middle, in which they exchanged content gazes and lighthearted smiles.
Naruto took one step forward and took her hand into his. He hadn't put on his gloves yet and his fingers were already starting to get cold but it didn't feel uncomfortable.
"Maybe I'll see you tomorrow then."
Hinata nodded and squeezed his hand, subtly moving forward too.
"Good night."
"Good night." Naruto rose a hand to cup her face and kissed her while pulling her a little more towards himself. His insides warmed up, prepared for his cold walk under the glowing full moon above them.