This is a WIP I finally finished, and it took me a lot longer than necessary. It's extremely fluffy, not really my style, but I wanted to get out a cute short read for you guys. I had hoped to finish and upload this in time for Hinata's birthday (December 27 for you barbarians that don't know) but, as you can see, I totally missed the deadline. How did you guys spend Hinata day? Unfortunately, I was at work, which should be a crime, nobody should be forced to work on a national holiday. BUT, me and my sis went out to eat a cinnamon bun in her honor so the day wasn't totally wasted.
Anyways, hope you enjoy this story. It's set in the canon-verse and could be considered a prequel to Their First Night, but not necessarily. Let me know what you think!
"You don't marry the person you can live with.
You marry the person you can't live without."
He was making good time.
Really, really good time.
At this rate, he'd be back home in a matter of seconds. Home.
His village. His friends. His teachers. Ichiraku's.
Hinata.
He couldn't help his smile, and he picked up the pace, bounding tree tops at high speed.
She hoped she wasn't stepping out of line.
Really, he hadn't asked her to do this and there was a chance he might feel uncomfortable that she had taken such liberties, and this was a complete invasion of his privacy—but she wanted to do something nice for him. Naruto was finally coming home after a long mission, and she wanted to make sure he was welcomed with a clean apartment and a warm meal.
Hinata dried her hands on her skirt, rubbing them around distractedly as she went over her mental check-list one last time. She had tackled each room at time, somewhat grateful his apartment was still on the small side, though it was a distinct improvement over his old one. It was mostly just a conjoined sitting room and kitchen, with his bedroom and bathroom off to the side. Still, it was warm and comfortable and very new, having been constructed right after the Akatsuki's invasion. Hinata thought it was great, but she knew it didn't mean much to him. His apartments had always just been holding grounds, a roof to sleep under when he wasn't out on missions.
That would explain why he never bothered to keep up with the maintenance. She couldn't count how many times she had nearly hacked up a lung, coughing out the dust and strong cleaning solutions. Still, though. She didn't mind. At least it was clean now. No dust. No stacks of dirty dishes. No garbage. No clothes strewn over the furniture.
With a sigh, she straightened up the kitchen, wiping down the bare table. No table-cloth. Maybe, she thought, one day he would stick around a little longer. He might…ease up on all the missions. Stay home, here in his apartment, where she could visit him and cook for him and—no, that…that was selfish.
Hinata chided herself silently, folding his dried laundry and tucking it neatly into his drawers, stacks of orange amongst the piles of underwear and socks. Naruto was going to become the Hokage. It was only a matter of time. It only made sense that he'd be busy. As the hero of the world, he was constantly being requested on missions as a personal bodyguard or being summoned to the other countries to meet diplomats and work closely with the other kages. It only made sense. After all, he was Naruto. He was important. He was a savior and a hero and soon-to-be leader of their village, and, really, being her boyfriend was nothing compared to all of that. She would just have to get used to it.
Hinata sighed, feeling uncharacteristically under the weather, before straightening herself up determinedly. No, there was no point getting mopey about it. She needed to support him. And she really needed to get started on dinner too. Naruto would be home in a few hours and she wanted to make sure it'd be ready for him by the time—
The doorknob unlocked with a loud click and Hinata whirled from her position at the stove, immediately jumping to the thought of an intruder before realizing the person at the door obviously had a key and the only ones that had keys to Naruto's apartment were himself and…she blushed, drying her hands once more and treading into the living room just as the door swung open.
Naruto stepped inside cautiously, looking around in confusion at the apartment he could barely recognize and, wait, why were the lights on? He was sure he had turned them off before he left and, oh crap, was he somehow in the wrong apartment? And who is—
"Hinata!" He immediately closed the door behind him and kicked off his boots before leaping over to the timidly smiling girl standing awkwardly by counter. "You came! I didn't think—wow, did you do all this for me?" He looked around the room in shock, hardly believing how clean and neat it was.
"Y-Yes, I, well, I thought I should water your plants while you were gone and—yeah." She trailed off lamely, trying not to look so nervous and she didn't even know why she was so flustered.
Naruto was still hardly able to believe it. "Wow…" He breathed out in amazement, rubbing a hand over the back of his head. "I mean, I was just gonna come drop my stuff off and then go look for you. And you were here the whole time! I'm real glad I gave you a key and, you know, I didn't think you'd actually use it but you did—you came!" He paused, aware he was rambling and he grinned. "Eh, sorry. I'm just…happy you're here."
Hinata couldn't help the light blush and she glanced down at her feet with a small smile, remembering how flustered she had gotten the day he gave her that key, when he asked if she could take care of his plants while he was away on his missions. Of course, she had jumped to conclusions again, stricken by the implications of her boyfriend giving her his house key, but she had brushed it off. Obviously, he didn't mean…that.
She looked up at him with a warm smile, her eyes falling shut. "Welcome home, Naruto-kun."
His grin dropped. He was suddenly very aware of his surroundings; of his clean apartment, of the dimming sunlight coming in through his windows, of his girlfriend standing there, waiting for him, in her pink sweater and her skirt, her shoes and jacket at the door with his. Of Hinata welcoming him home.
"I'm…I'm home." He murmured, eyes softening.
Hinata turned and headed back to the kitchen. "I thought you weren't getting back home until midnight?"
"Yeah, I thought so too, but we finished up earlier than usual." He trailed after her, looking over his spotless kitchen.
"I see. Well, I was planning to make dinner but I haven't even started yet…" She gestured to the grocery bag on the table. "If you wanted…I could still make it. If you don't mind waiting, of course."
Naruto glanced from her to the groceries to the window, checking the time. "Well…it's getting kinda late and I'm starving. I can make some instant ramen." Hinata tried not to visibly deflate. Of course, he was tired and it really was getting to be late and she should be heading home soon anyways. "Maybe you could come over and make it tomorrow? And tonight, we can just relax. Yeah? Is that okay? You don't have to go home yet, do you?"
Hinata couldn't help her fond grin. "That sounds perfect."
Naruto smiled broadly before leaping into action. "Alright, I've got this!" He dove to a cupboard and rummaged through it. "Don't move a muscle, Hinata! I'll whip us up some dinner." He picked out his two favorite flavors and brought them over to Hinata. "Spicy Chicken or Char Sui?"
Hinata cupped her chin, eyes thoughtful as she pondered. "Hm. Spicy Chicken, please."
Naruto smiled approvingly and then quickly got to work on filling up a pot with water and setting it to a boil. Finally, some instant ramen after going so long without. Oh, but those three minutes. He hated waiting those three minutes.
The chair squeaked behind him and he turned around as Hinata settled herself at the table. "So. How did your mission go?"
He smiled, ramen all but forgotten as he sat himself in front of his girlfriend. Three minutes. What was three minutes without ramen when he had a whole lifetime with Hinata waiting for him.
"So this cranky rich lady's cat got lost in the forest…"
As most days usually went, they ended up on his bed. Hinata was only slightly disheartened that the sheets she had just washed and straightened were now being rumpled.
Then again, she hardly cared.
When they finally pulled away from each other, she panted softly, slightly out of breath, and lowered against his chest, glancing up at him as he reflexively licked his lips. They stared up into the ceiling, not a single thought in their heads, as the haze of their minds slowly cleared. His room was dark, dark enough so that she couldn't read the words on the posters on his wall. Clear, pale moonlight gleamed off Naruto's forehead protector, on his dresser where he had tossed it as soon as they came in.
Now she watched his chest rise and fall with his breaths, and closed her eyes blissfully.
Naruto tucked his free arm behind his head, sighing contentedly. Kissing. He had missed his village, and his friends, and his ramen…but damn, did he miss this.
Hinata lifted her head off his shoulder, sitting up slowly, and Naruto watched her with a pout. "Heeyy. Where ya going?"
She looked at him over her shoulder and smiled softly. "Nowhere." She shuffled to the window at the foot of his bed and leaned against the windowsill, tucking her legs beneath her. She could feel the coolness of the glass and wondered if it was going to warm up anytime soon. Spring was only a few months away.
The mattress shifted behind her as Naruto crawled over to her and craned his head over her shoulder, peering out the window. "Man. I didn't notice how late it is."
"Mm." Hinata nodded. There were hardly any villagers out.
They were both silent for a few seconds, both reclining slightly. "Moon looks nice, huh?" Naruto murmured, staring up into the night sky. Hinata followed his line of sight.
A full moon.
Pink dusted her cheeks and nose. "Yeah. It does." She smiled.
He glanced down at her, watched the further darkening of her flush at his intense gaze. "What?" He asked, knowing perfectly well what. She didn't answer him, turning her head away and facing the window instead. "Hm? Hinata, I didn't hear you."
"That's because I didn't say anything."
"Hmm. Well, maybe you were thinking it then." He watched her mischievously as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Something along the lines of," His voice cracked as he heightened the pitch of his tone, clasping his hands to his chest in a very familiar pose that made Hinata do a double-take. "'Oh, Naruto-kun looks so handsome right now! He's much cuter than all those other crusty village boys. And that creepy pasty-face on the moon doesn't even come close." His smirk grew wider as Hinata turned to him, her mouth hanging open. "'Oh I just wanna kiss him so badly. A nice big wet kiss." His own cheeks tinted pink, and he choked back a laugh at Hinata's scandalized expression. "Oh—" He unclasped his hands and poked out his index fingers, glancing up at her widening eyes. Tapping his fingertips together, he continued in his shrill falsetto, "Maybe with to—"
Hinata slapped his hands away, face flushed pink, eyes screwed shut with embarrassment. "You're so mean."
Naruto busted up, waving his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay, I'll stop!" With a sigh, Hinata folded her arms over chest, beating back her blush. His teasing always hit a little bit too close to home, not that she'd ever tell him that. Still grinning, Naruto leaned forward, observing her. "Still blushin'." His cheeks puffed in a cheerful grin. "You're so shy, Hinata."
She nodded slowly, her eyes dropping to her lap. "I know. Sorry. I can't help it."
"Don't apologize! I really don't mind at all." Some silence passed in comfort as they adjusted themselves on the mattress. "Ya know…when I think about it…" Naruto paused as he lowered himself back to his bed and reclined against the pillows, idly scratching at his chest. "It's probably the one thing about you that won't ever change."
Silence followed his comment, as Hinata chanced a glance at him, mildly self-conscious. Her eyes lowered. "I see. I suppose my confidence could use some work."
The mattress creaked as Naruto quickly sat up, balancing himself by planting his hands firmly in front of him. "Not that, Hinata. I meant, ya know, other things. Liiiike," He leaned back again, scrutinizing the ceiling pensively. "Your hair."
"My hair?" Instinctively, she reached to it, patting her head as if to make sure it was still there.
"Uh-huh, your hair. Not too long ago, you had the shortest haircut in our whole class."
She couldn't believe he was bringing that up. "Bu—"
"Like, even my hair was longer than yours. Seriously. I mean, yeah, you had those bangs and those side-pieces of hair too—"
"Wai—"
"You coulda been a guy, Hinata! Your hair was that short!"
"It was for training!" She finally snapped in protest, hands fisting on her lap, and she blinked in the realization that she had just raised her voice at him. Naruto's eyes widened in amusement.
"Exactly." Naruto smiled. "It was short. Then you grew it out. Then you grew it out some more, and it's down to your butt now, and don't think I don't know you've been wanting to cut your hair again." Hinata felt herself blanch, wondering how obvious she must have been.
He paused, leaving them in silence, as Hinata could only watch him in wonder. She never knew he had even noticed something like that. "I guess you're right." She finally muttered.
He cracked another grin. "Yeah. You even ditched your hoodies! Who woulda guessed you actually have elbows, and wrists, and shoulders, and—hahahaha, uh, anyways—" He quickly changed the subject, aware his mind tended to wander in dangerous places once he started thinking about Hinata's bare arms. "Hair and clothes aside—you always surprise me, Hinata." His voice softened, and she looked up at him, rendered speechless at the suddenly bashful way he kept his gaze locked on the span of bedsheets between them. "Every time I thought I had you figured out—every time I thought I had you pinned down—" Faint redness hinted at his cheeks at another dangerous metaphor he shouldn't be allowed to use so freely. "You go and you do something crazy." A slideshow of some of his most incredible memories plays nonstop in his head—of all the times she made his heart pound like crazy, and his mind go blank, and his throat get tight and achy and he couldn't even believe a person like her could even exist and—damn. He was lucky. "But you're still her. Even though you're so different now—so strong, and brave, and confident—you're still her. You're still modest, and polite, and quiet, and so damn nice and—you're Hinata. Just with long hair now." He ended with a warm grin, eyes scrunched closed.
Stunned, Hinata stared breathlessly into his eyes before giving in to her twitching hands. Her fingers scrunched into the fabric of her skirt and she tried desperately to take a breath, feeling like she was baking under the heat of her ferocious blush. "Naruto-kun…" She murmured quietly. "…thank you." Silence persisted after that, and she kept her gaze on her lap, biting nervously at her lower lip and hooking a strand of hair behind her ear, feeling so unbearably awkward.
He chuckled under his breath. "You don't have to get so shy with me, ya know." He watched as her blush deepened, and she unclenched her fingers, laying them flat against her lap.
"I-I know, it's, uh, just that I'm kind of a creature of habit." She couldn't help giggling at his flattened brow, the disbelieving eyes. "No, really, I've always been like this, so—so it's a bit hard trying to change."
He sat up straighter, suddenly serious. "I didn't say I want you to change." She blinked, somewhat startled by the intensity. "I…I like it." He paused, struggling to come up with words. How could he tell her how endearing it had all become to him, her odd little mannerisms and quirks that he had once found so strange, without sounding like a total creep?
As he contemplated, eyes trained to the window, a sudden fluctuation of chakra and the tell-tale poof! of a jutsu being engaged sent his nerves into high alert, and he spun around, eyes widening and mouth dropping open at the sight.
There, awkwardly sliding off the bed and padding softly to the mirror on his wall, was a twelve-year-old Hinata. She didn't turn once to look at him as she assessed herself in the mirror, small hands coming up to stroke the back of her dark cropped hair.
Naruto sat, stunned and in complete disbelief at the sight in front of him. He couldn't fathom where Hinata got this idea, to transform into her twelve-year-old self, without at least warning him. Silently, he watched as she lifted her arms, examining her baggy, fluffy beige jacket, and scrutinized the legs of her dark pants. She didn't include her sandals in her transformation, and his eyes lowered to those small girlish feet, her delicate ankles, before trailing back up.
"You're right." She finally said, voice light and airy and even softer than he remembered. Slowly, she turned to look at him, bangs falling into pale lilac eyes that looked impossibly huge on such a small face. His breath caught in his throat. "I do look like a boy."
Naruto sputtered back to life, flailing as he instinctively leapt out of bed. "Wha—is that what this is all about?! Hinata, you—you're—you do not look like a boy! Geez, where'd you even get that from?!" He muttered angrily, ignoring the fact he had been the one to suggest it. "Now can you please change back?!"
She turned back to the mirror, fiddling with the fur on her collar, and looked at him through the mirror. "S-Sorry, I'm weirding you out, huh?" She turned back to her reflection. "It's just…so surreal. This is me seven years ago." She ran a hand through her short hair, brushing those long side-bangs from her face. "I…I was really different back then." Her eyes trailed over the little girl in the mirror, assessing every feature. As she slowly looked over her face, lingering on the petal pink coloring of her full cheeks, she remembered how, in the past, she could never look at herself so freely as she was doing now. Not without disappointment. Not without frowning and looking away.
But a certain boy changed the way she looked at herself. And even now, he still managed to reach out to that young insecure girl, and make her rethink everything she had once thought was wrong with her.
The back of her neck prickled with the sensation of being stared at, and she met Naruto's intense gaze in the mirror. Her knees got a little bit weak at the sight of those eyes, and the nostalgia forced a smile from her, one so open and genuine that her eyes slid shut. Warmth fluttered in her stomach, at this unexpected surge of happiness.
A poof! ripped her out of her serenity, and when she opened her eyes, she was no longer standing alone at the mirror.
Twelve-year-old Naruto, in an oversized orange jumpsuit, and a pair of green goggles strapped to his forehead. It's still the most delightful image she has ever laid eyes on.
Naruto didn't think so. "Aw, man…." He stared critically at his reflection, just now starting to somewhat understand why Sakura-chan had once begged him to let her take him shopping. The corner of his lips lifted. Yeah, it was an eyesore, but he liked it anyways—still did. He turned to the other side of the mirror, not surprised to see Hinata watching him avidly, cheeks shifting pinker.
Chuckling under his breath, he adjusted the goggles, watching himself smugly, and grinned. "Heh, still got it. Eh, dontcha think so, Hinata?"
She didn't respond at first, before realizing he had spoken to her. "Ah—sorry—what?"
Mh. He thought so. "Nah, nothing. Man, look at us." He stared straight ahead at their reflection, the sight odd-looking even for him. What a pair they were. One, a neon eyesore, and the other a plain walking hoodie. Except Hinata didn't look exactly the way he remembered. The blush had faded, more of a natural rosiness than actual timidity. And she wasn't trying to hide herself either, he noticed, observing the length of her neck and the casual way her arms dangled by her sides instead of strapped across her chest. More than that, more than anything, Hinata was looking right at him, straight into his eyes, not even once looking away. He couldn't take his eye off her.
Hinata crossed her arms behind her back, shifting her weight awkwardly as she looked into the mirror. They were both so young. She turned and looked at his profile as he openly scrutinized them, not noticing her watchful gaze. So cute, she almost squealed. But still…something seemed…off. Just slightly.
"Naruto-kun…your transformation…" She trailed off, not sure how to say it.
"Yeah? Pretty accurate, right? Look, I even remembered the hand!" He showed it to her proudly, waving his bare right arm around like a trophy.
Hinata smiled reassuringly, and decided to choose her next words carefully. "Um…well, maybe we remember things differently."
"Hm? How so?"
"You, uh, well…" She bit her lip and then steeled her nerves as she stared at their reflections. "I was taller than you."
An odd silence followed that, and his back noticeably stiffened, his stare joining hers at the mirror, both noting the two-inch difference between the tops of their heads. "No you weren't." He said decisively.
"Yes I was."
"No, see, I remember. Hinata, you're the smallest one in our class, come on."
Slightly stung by that, she did not mince her next words. "Maybe now, but Naruto-kun was the shortest in our class when we were children."
A foggy memory of Tazuna the bridge builder dismissing him over his pitiful height suddenly came to him and he paused, mouth hanging open. "No…I was taller than you. I had to be taller than you."
Hinata's amusement shriveled at that; she hadn't meant to make him feel bad, she thought he would have found it funny. "Naruto-kun, it's nothing to be ashamed of. We were all a lot shorter back then."
Small suntanned hands gripped the ends of shaggy blonde hair, yanking and pulling in frustration. "Oh, what's there to be ashamed of?!" He drawled exasperatedly, piling on the sarcasm. "My girlfriend's short and I'm even shorter than her!"
Completely bypassing the sullen attitude, Hinata immediately flushed red, knees going weak, her mind quickly recording and playing back twelve-year-old Naruto calling her his girlfriend. Oh my…
He sighed loudly, not noticing her subdued elation. "Were you at least second shortest?" Quickly pulling herself back to earth, Hinata avidly nodded. "Well… okay then." Sighing dejectedly, he held up two fingers and a cloud of smoke enveloped him. Hinata watched as the cloud cleared and a slightly shorter Naruto stood beside her, the ends of his long hair skimming her temple. The two turned to their reflection once more, each acknowledging the change and its legitimacy.
"Oh Naruto-kun…" Hinata watched the way his ashen face weakly regarded her. "You're being dramatic. It's not a big deal."
"Not a big deal…" He mimicked, sullen and annoyed. "Well, guess this is my life now. Hope you like heels, Hinata, 'cuz I'm not leaving the house without 'em." Hinata laughed into the sleeve of her sweater, knowing he was just poking fun and making himself feel better now. "What a pair we are." Naruto continued. "With that haircut, you look like you could be my boyfriend, and I'm your jailbait. Well, at least we complete each other."
At that, she exploded, arms instinctively coming up to hide her laughter, choking through feeble pleas for him to stop, though he had already finished his joke. Now he watched her amusedly, earlier anguish long forgotten, as she stumbled to his bed for support, climbing onto the mattress as she wheezed for breath. He followed her, sitting on the bed besides her and waited. It took several long moments before her laughter reduced to mild giggling.
"Oh, Naruto-kun…" She said again, this time shaking her head admonishingly, not noticing his admiring stare. "If it makes you feel any better, I never really noticed before. I-I mean, you know I only, uh, ever had eyes for you…" She trailed off, feeling her cheeks get hot again. When she didn't hear a response, she decided to look up at him. "Naru—ah!" Scrunched peach-fuzzy lips were heading straight towards her, and she gasped, barely dodging them in time, scrambling backwards and simultaneously planting an open palm on his forehead, holding him back.
Naruto growled in impatience. "Hinata, what the hell?!"
"What are you doing?!" She shrieked. "I-I can't kiss you, you're twelve!"
"What the—?! We're both twelve though?!"
"But I'm not really twelve!"
"Neither am I! Hinata, I'm older than you by a coupla months, remember?!"
She paused at that, suddenly thoughtful. "Oh…th-that's true." Naruto, red-faced and embarrassed, lowered to sit on the bed beside her, arms crossed against his chest. "I'm sorry. You just…surprised me." She explained quietly, watching his face sink into that familiar pout, eyes scrunched shut.
"We kiss all the time."
She sucked in a breath, fighting past the surge of embarrassment. "Y-Yes, but never like…this." She reactively scratched at her neck, a habit she picked up from him, and struggled to explain. "I guess…I'm just used to adult Naruto-kun. Kissing this you—well, it-it's complicated." Her eyes dropped from his, watching her trembling fingers instead.
"Why?" He persisted, and Hinata deflated, not sure it was a good idea.
"Well…when I was twelve—I don't know, I just never thought I'd ever…kiss you, so-so it's just…really weird for me…" She trailed off, clutching desperately at the sleeves of her sweater. Now she remembered why she loved hoodies so much. They were perfect for hiding in.
Heavy silence followed, and she didn't dare look up at him. It wasn't until she heard familiar juvenile chortling that she risked glancing over at him. His eyes were scrunched shut, a wicked grin splitting his face in two. "What, are you saying you don't wanna kiss me?"
Her eyes widened. "Th-that's not it at all!" She quickly defended.
"It's cuz I'm short, huh?"
Balking, Hinata sat straighter, completely serious. "Naruto-kun, I never minded that, honestly." She laid a hand over her heart, like she couldn't believe the ridiculous things he was saying. "You know how I felt about you."
His smiling face softened slightly, eyes lowering. "I'm joking, Hinata. It's cool, I get it, s'not like kissing some twelve-year-old twerp's gonna do it for ya anyways." He leaned back on his elbows. "It's weird being twelve again, huh?" He didn't bother waiting for her response. "I guess I just didn't pay enough attention back then. I can't really remember all this stuff about me. Like…being short, I guess. I remember myself a little bit taller. And I'm really skinny too. Hard to remember I wasn't always a total beefcake—" He paused here to wink devilishly at Hinata. "And I remember you differently too." At this, Hinata instinctively began to fidget, recalling quite clearly how he remembered her. It wasn't very flattering. "I don't think I ever saw you like this. It's just…I dunno. When I saw you just now, smiling like that, and laughing so hard…" He paused, eyes fixed to the window, to the full moon radiating in the distance. "I wish you were like that back in the academy. I wish that was how I remembered you. 'Cuz now I know what you would have looked like if you were happy." A cold hand squeezed around her heart, his words and the heaviness in his expression prompting something within her to remember distinctly how difficult she had once found it just to get through a day. But these were things she would rather not remember, and Naruto knew this, so he mustered up the biggest, most contagious smile he could. "I guess that's why I wanted to kiss you. Totally wasn't trying to be a creep, honest!"
Hinata laughed hesitantly, eyes slipping shut. "Ah, no, I didn't think it was creepy at all! And, uh, a-about that…" Fidgeting fingers locked on to the fuzzy hem of her sweater, bracing herself. "Um…maybe just once—"
He gasped before she could even finish her sentence. "Really?! You sure?! I mean, I knew you wouldn't be able to resist—"
"Yes, I'm sure, Naruto-kun." Hinata cut in impatiently, smiling through his boastful outburst.
And so, without much ado, bathed in moonlight, and awkwardly leaning forward trying to find the angle they were used to, the younger pair of lovers shared a short, chaste kiss—because even Naruto knew there was no way he could tongue-kiss Hinata when they looked like this.
Hinata's cheeks felt like they were on fire as she pulled away, burning even hotter as she watched the way Naruto's unfocused eyes glazed in that familiar way. "Okay, I'm ready to change back!" She quickly announced, holding up her two fingers.
Naruto sprang back to life. "Huh?! Ah, hold on!" Quickly, the two dropped their transformations. Naruto—who had basically doubled in size—adjusted himself on his bed, making sure to leave enough room for his girlfriend—whose size hadn't changed too drastically if he was being honest.
Well…except…
Naruto watched as Hinata reached for her hair, smoothing down the sides and appreciating it in a new light. "Thank goodness they're back," He began, grinning down at her, and she looked curiously at him. "Twelve-year-old Hinata's cute, but adult Hinata—" Naruto's eyes lowered to her chest, and her cheeked puffed in indignation.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata snapped, crossing an arm over her chest, so thoroughly embarrassed but so weirdly flattered at the same time, and she couldn't help the giggles pouring out of her as she ignored his half-hearted apology. She was old enough to know that they were past the stage of awkward teenage adolescence—though it didn't feel like it sometimes—and that while he was joking and just poking fun, he was also completely serious. At what point they would acknowledge it wasn't a joke anymore she didn't know. And yet, as her face grew warm and her stomach turned to an endless pit of fluttery nerves and molten fearful desire, she knew it would be soon.
"Eh, Hinata?"
But not tonight, she quickly decided as she recalled the fact that her father and sister were at home waiting for her and she still had a self-enforced curfew to keep her in check. An irrational fear that he somehow heard her embarrassing thoughts had her brain churning for a distraction. Turning back to her observant companion, Hinata lifted an amused brow. "Did you say something, Naruto-kun? It's hard to hear you from up here." His grin dropped, mouth scrunching like he took a bite out of a sour apple.
"Oiiii." He drawled, arms crossed against his chest. "You're pushing it, Hinata. Keep it up and we'll have to settle it man-to-man." He lifted his hands, holding them straight up for a round of fisticuffs, jabbing playfully in the air. "I won't go easy on ya just 'cuz you're my boyfriend, put 'em up!" By this point, the running gag had already been exhausted but for some reason that neither could bother with, it was the funniest joke in the world—simply because they shared it. Her mouth fell open, and before she could scold him for saying something so outrageous—she laughed. Laughed so much, she had to hold her stomach, and sputtered through feeble attempts to breathe properly. Naruto laughed right alongside her, triumphantly, the way he always did when he managed to get her to bust a gut at something she could have sworn she did not find funny.
"Naruto-kun, you're ridiculous." After finally calming down enough, she sucked in a breath and wiped her watery eyes.
"Yeah, but you love me."
A stillness held them both after he said that, neither missing that while he always dripped confidence in every word he spoke, there was the slightest undertone of timidity, the subtle shift of his eyes that wanted reassurance. Seeing him this way was always momentous, but never strange. The world always thought of him of someone who was unbreakable, whose strength and endurance could protect him from anything.
But the world didn't know him like she did. Without a trace of hesitation, she reached for him, smoothing her palm over the top of his warm hand, fingers melding between his. "Yeah. I do." Hinata said with lowered lids, studying their hands together. "So I guess you were wrong earlier." She looked up, smiling as his gaze immediately dropped to hers, seeking an explanation. "Because that's the one thing about me that is never going to change."
Naruto's eyes softened, his smile small and shy, as he turned his palm over, gripping her hand, and pulled her with him to lay flat on the bed alongside him. Hinata curled into him, sighing happily as his arm tucked around her, strategically sliding his bicep under her temple.
The two lay in silence, staring through the window, mindful of each other and yet lost in their own thoughts. Naruto's clock ticked in the background, a persistent reminder of how late it was getting and how neither wanted this moment to be over.
She nuzzled into his shoulder, the warmth radiating from him rendering her sleepy. It was so quiet, and his room was dark and secluded, and she thought vaguely how wonderful it would be if it could always be like this—just the two of them. She regretted it as soon as she thought it, because it was selfish and it was impossible and he had dreams and aspirations that she would never stand in the way of.
She knew this. And Naruto knew it too. That was why he looked at her the way he did when they were in the middle of a date and an ANBU would appear for him, and he tried so hard not to get angry because he knew he had asked for this. It was why, when she walked him to the gates of the village and she knew he would be gone for weeks and she didn't want him to see how upset she was, it was why he kissed her hard enough to bruise and long enough to make them both short of breath—he had always seen and he had always known. It was always going to be like this.
Her head lay tucked against his chest, temple rubbing against the soft cotton of his white t-shirt, the steady pace of his heartbeat lulling her to sleep. It didn't matter, she decided. She loved him and he loved her. And that was enough. Her eyes closed, enamored with the feeling of his fingers raking relaxingly through the ends of her hair.
"Hinata," Naruto said quietly. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes, glancing up at his tilted chin. He stared out the window, eyes unfocused and far away. She wondered what had been on his mind the long moments they were in comfortable silence. "Let's get married."
In that moment, when she immediately looked up at him, her mind wiped empty of all thought and her heart beating so frantically she was sure it would give out—in that moment, she knew she never wanted anything more in her entire life.
"Get…married…." Hinata repeated quietly, slowly, numbly. Naruto nodded his head once, suddenly finding it hard to speak. It hadn't occurred to him that she might respond any other way than with an immediate yes.
He swallowed against the knot in his throat, voice scratchy as he croaked, "Y-Yeah…with a wedding and everything…if you want." Naruto didn't dare look over at her, knowing he'd lose his cool at the sight of her and say every stupid thing that's banging around in his head to be let out. The tension in the air was thick enough to slice through and the way she avoided his eyes was making it worse. He didn't regret asking, but he wished he had waited to borrow a magazine from Sai first. He had probably done it wrong, he thought worriedly.
A muffled giggle broke through the silence and he held his breath. "A wedding…" She repeated fondly. "A wedding sounds nice." His eyes shot to hers, hardly daring to hope. "Especially since some weirdo crashed my last one."
It had the intended effect and Naruto immediately turned to face her, eyes scrunched shut in a sullen pout as she giggled maniacally. "You're such a jerk, Hinata!" Shaking his head, he turned back to face the ceiling. "Man. No one ever believes me when I tell them how mean you are."
"They'll never believe you~" Hinata crooned under her breath as she rolled onto her back. "I'm kind of hungry. Are you? I can make some more ramen," She asked, quickly sitting up and sliding her legs off the bed.
"I know what you're trying to do." Naruto said gruffly and she didn't take another step. "You're trying to distract me." A beat of silence as their eyes met, and Hinata lowered them self-consciously. The silence was permeable and more of an answer than he needed, or wanted. "If you don't want to, then just say so." His voice came out deeper, rougher, harsher than he intended. But he had not anticipated this response from her and he doubted he could ruin tonight more than he had already done.
Hinata lowered back to the bed. "Naruto-kun…" She said quietly. Quieter than normal. "Of course I want to marry you."
He searched for her eyes under her bangs, wanting the truth. "Then why aren't you saying yes?"
Hinata bit her lip, and she looked up slowly at him. "We haven't been together long." Not long at all. They had only been dating for little more than a few months now. "Some people wait years before making such a big decision." And even to herself it sounded so stupid, because she wanted this more than anything, and though this is her dream, and though she loves this man more than anything in the world, she would never want him to regret asking so soon.
"I'm not waiting years." Naruto said resolutely, now seeing the fear in her eyes, the real reason she couldn't accept what he was saying. "And I don't give a damn what anyone else says or does and neither should you." He knew he was getting angry and he knew he should never take it out on Hinata but the frustration was tearing him up and this should have been a happy, romantic moment and it wasn't turning out the way he saw it in his head.
"I know. I'm sorry." Hinata said quietly, eyes lowered, hands folded on her lap, and it was like his burning temper was doused with cold water, an effect only she had on him. He knew better than to let his emotions get the best of him. Being with her, not just as her lover but all those years of being her friend and getting to know her, had taught him to stop to listen, to see things from another perspective, to remember that his life was not just his but hers as well.
Naruto took a deep breath to prepare himself. "Can we please just talk about it? Just—just tell me what you're thinking. I have to know." She nodded immediately, eyes lifting to meet his.
She also took a deep breath and then reached for him. Immediately, his hand found hers, and he could tell by the force of her grip that she was afraid he would pull away. "Naruto-kun, I…" She began, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth nervously. "I don't want you to ask just because you feel you have to. I know that there's a lot going on right now and everyone expects so much from you, but I don't want you to feel like you have an obligation to me. I'm happy the way we are now. Truly. I-I couldn't ask for anything more. Just you being there is enough for me." She smiled and it hurt somewhere in his chest to look at her straight-on, she was so beautiful to him, but her words hit him hard.
"How could you ever think you're just an obligation to me? I told you before—back on the moon—I told you that I want to be with you forever."
She blinked, startled by his immediate rebuttal. "I-I know and I want that too, but your dream comes first and you have to become the Hokage."
And now he was the one to cock his head back, confused. "What? What does that have to do with this?"
"Your place is with the village. I know that." She sounded so rehearsed, she almost couldn't believe it, but she knew it was the truth. "All the Hokages, they worked so hard and they were so great, and—and I want you to be the best out of them all because I know that you can, and I don't ever want to get in the way of that."
"In the way…?" Naruto repeated back incredulously. "Hinata, you—are you out of your mind?!" And suddenly he was shaking her and he didn't even remember grabbing her shoulders, but he did and he wasn't letting go until she saw reason.
She rocked with his every motion, sputtering through refusals. "B-But your time has to be spent for the good of the village—"
"Hinata."'
"But, Naruto-kun, your dream."
"After all this time, you still think that's my only dream?" His voice softened and his eyes crinkled as they stared down at her and she didn't know what to say. Gently, his fingers unhinged from her shoulders, one hand sliding down her arm and the other smoothing up her neck, into her hair. "I finished my mission early because I wanted to see you. I ran all the way home, even when Gaara told me to take it easy and get some rest. And when I opened my door, and saw you there, I was so damn happy, Hinata. Still am. Just you being here, eating instant ramen with you, talking with you, laughing with you—I don't ever want it to be over.
"I've wanted it since I was a kid. Before I wanted to be strong, before I wanted everyone to acknowledge me, before I wanted to become Hokage, I just wanted someone to come home to. I wanted a family. My family." He took a breath, his eyes closing. "I had them, and I lost them." He thought of his father, his mother, his godfather, and how they were taken away from him. "I have a new family now—you know, all of us, our friends, our comrades, Sasuke-teme, and Sakura-chan, and Kakashi-sensei, and Iruka-sensei, and above all…above all, I have you." A bandaged hand cradled the side of her face, thumb tracing up a trail of tears she didn't know was there, his eyes deep and smoldering and shimmering with emotion. "Back then…back then, I was stupid and naïve and I never realized how terrified I was to lose you. And then I almost did, what is it, four times now?!" They both closed their eyes, almost laughing at the way they could now casually look back on all the insanity that was their lives. But the hand wrapped around her elbow tightened, his head bowing so that his forehead bumped against hers. "But I'm not letting that fear hold me back anymore. I want to marry you, and I want a life with you, and I want us to be a family. A real family. I want a house with you, and I want us to come home to each other, and-and ever since I realized how much I love you, I can see it all so clearly." His eyes cracked open, and they're glistening with unshed tears, and she can't stop her own from brimming over. And she looked into his eyes, and she could see it too—them, in the future, older and with shorter hair and laugh lines and a house they can call home and a child who looks just like him, and maybe another one who looks at least a little like her—the tears came harder, and Naruto pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "You and me, we're happy, Hinata."
Now sniffling and a crying mess, Hinata could only weakly nod her head, ashamed of the fight she put up over this. "I-I-I know." She choked out.
"So, uh, is that a yes?"
The fact that he still asked for a reassurance forced a string of sob-like laughter from her. "Y-Y-Yeesss!" Hinata was bawling now, so happy that her body couldn't think of another way to express her uncontainable joy—but Naruto did. Not wasting any time, he quickly swooped in and pressed their lips together, kissing her over and over and she was still too disoriented to even kiss him back properly but it didn't matter because they were getting married!
Eventually, he pulled back and Hinata took a breath, hardly daring to believe what had just happened. "Heh, Hinata, I knew you wouldn't be able to resist!" Naruto boasted cheerfully, and Hinata found herself back on earth, besides him, completely in love with this goofball that just asked her to marry him. "Okay, come on, stop crying. You're gonna make me cry too."
"You're already crying." She pointed out, wiping her tears away roughly with her sleeves.
"Am not." He shot back, blinking rapidly as if to clear away any moisture that might have spilled over and sniffling once to clear his suddenly stuffy nose. The bed creaked, dipping slightly as Hinata lifted herself up and planted her knees on either side of him, straddling him a way she had only done once before. His heart raced in his chest, eyes already closing as Hinata tilted down and thanked him properly.
The kiss was long and hot and thorough, and when she drew back from him, his eyes were clouded and unfocused. "Damn. I should ask you to marry me more often."
"Yeah. You should." She leaned in happily, nuzzling their noses together, pressing one last kiss to his lips before nudging him down on the bed with her. He turned her over so her back was to him and held her to his chest.
"You were right though." He said suddenly, and she tensed in response. "I don't want any distractions keeping me from what's important. So I'm gonna ask Kakashi-sensei to…just hold on a little longer."
Immediately, she struggled in his arms, wanting to face him and scold him. "Naruto-kun."
"Trust me, okay?" He insisted, keeping her locked against him. "I'll be Hokage one day. Just…not anytime soon. Not yet."
Hinata was silent for a minute, contemplative. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. This is what I want. A few years for us to get settled. I'll still go on some missions and stuff, but not like before." A sudden excitement grappled him, and he could hardly keep his wild ideas to himself. "We should go on vacation! Just us two. Go travelling, go to a hot spring, or something, or maybe a beach…" He trailed off, suddenly thoughtful, and then he glanced at the clock on his wall. "Crap…"
"It's late, huh?" Hinata sighed, visibly deflating.
"Yeah." He replied glumly. "Your old man's gonna kill me if I don't get you home now."
"No, he likes you." She retorted. "He trusts you."
"Not enough for me to keep you overnight, crazy girl. Not yet, at least." With a tortured sigh, he pulled himself from her warm back and tugged on her arms to pull her upright. She followed lazily, sliding off the bed and trailing after him to the living room to tuck on her shoes. "Come on, I'll walk you."
"Oh, you don't have to, Naruto-kun. I'll be fine." She shrugged on her jacket, smiling gratefully at him as he wrapped his scarf around his neck.
"Hinataaah," He drawled, opening the front door for her and leading her through it. "What kind of man would I be if I let my boyfriend walk home all by himself?" He closed the door after her, chortling like a mad demon, and Hinata groaned, following him down the hallway to the stairwell, shaking her head admonishingly but unable to hide her grin.
"You're right, Naruto-kun. Men like you are in short supply." Light giggles echoed throughout the quiet building as they made their way to the first floor.
"Oiiii."
THE END.
Aw, even I enjoy fluff sometimes. Hope you enjoyed. I have another little companion WIP to this piece so I hope I can finish and edit it soon. Now, I've been meaning to address it because I've gotten a few reviews and messages asking about it. I made a certain little promise in the ending notes for In Another Life (which if you haven't read already, you probably shouldn't) that I was writing another NaruHina AU (basically just cutting out The Last) which is still totally true. I am working on it and it's coming along great. As I promised, it is not as angsty and depressing as its predecessor. BUT, it's also not exactly fluff. It's more of a drama, I suppose, in which shit happens for, y'know, plot. Like I said, coming along nicely, but I've been struggling due to a pretty severe case of writer's block. Ever since I finished In Another Life, everything I write just feels like utter crap. SO I wanted to get your input. Do you guys have any requests? Something to give me inspiration to write into the story? NaruHina goodness that I simply cannot ignore? I'm all ears.
Also, did you guys see Sekibeing's NH animation? I died, I can't even, NaruHina is the best, most spoiled ship on the face of this planet and I am so happy to be a part of it.
Anyways, please review if you'd like and leave me some feed-back if you can. No pressure. Thanks for reading!
-Gen.