Recap: Hinata realises that she's unhappy in her relationship with Naruto, she's unhappy with the entire direction her life has taken. When he comes home drunk on her birthday, she bottles her feelings, and takes him to bed.
CHOKE
On November the fifth, after an evening spent watching fireworks from a bar that was situated on a rooftop garden in the town centre, their friend Ino accepted a proposal in front of their entire university social circle. It had set cogs to wind in his own brain. Ino and Sai had only been in a relationship for a year, but Hinata and he had been together for five. She'd never brought up marriage, neither had he. He knew he loved her enough to marry her one day, but the look of panic on her face when he joked about Sai stealing his thunder and being the first to propose in their group- it only cemented the idea in his mind that Hinata had been waiting for his proposal for quite some time.
She'd never bring it up. She was too shy for that. Too sweet, so happy with what they had already built together. She'd given up so much to be with him already, and she'd stay quiet if she thought that asking for a more permanent commitment put everything at risk.
Usually, Hinata only saw her family on New Year's Day and her younger sister, Hanabi's birthday… she went alone on these occasions. It was cowardly, but he knew the family didn't approve of them being together due to his less-than ideal background and was sure his presence would limit those two days a year to a sum-total of zero. Most of all, Naruto was embarrassed that he hadn't thought of proposing to her sooner, he'd already envisioned their children, but somehow the thought of marriage had never come to him until he saw the rock on Ino's finger.
So later that week, during a lunch break- his search for a ring began.
And ended after three weeks.
Every day that he was at work he spent his break researching stones and cuts and band colours. Then on the way to pick Hinata up from her night-shift, he passed a jeweller and thought- why not see what they had to offer?
The ring was perfect.
A white gold band which was half-encrusted with miniature diamonds. In the centre, a large circle-cut amethyst which lay between a halo of the smaller diamonds. The mixture of the purple and white, in the light of the jeweller had reminded him of her wide eyes the first night he'd kissed her. As Naruto mentioned he was planning to propose on their anniversary, he took the jeweller's advice and had the date of their anniversary, Boxing Day 20xx engraved on the inside.
The plan was to propose to her at home, having a day to themselves to enjoy their newly changed status. Then they'd announce publicly the engagement on her birthday which came the next day.
But Hinata's schedule suddenly changed.
On Christmas, she received a rare family invite, and she took it. Naruto was too nervous to attend with her, knowing that he'd spill his intentions in front of the ever-watching eyes of her father. She didn't come home until mid-evening that Boxing Day, apologizing, but claiming that Hanabi was sick and she wanted to spend some time pampering her sister. By that time, he'd already been called out to finalise decoration for the fundraising event the next day.
He crawled into bed while she was sleeping.
Then on her birthday she appeared to have caught the virus that ailed her sister. It didn't feel right to propose to her there- he wanted it to be romantic. To be like their time together. To be something that would make them both smile when spreading the news of their engagement because of course she would say yes. She must've been waiting years for him to ask her that four-word question.
He wouldn't fuck it up.
It all came down to this moment.
0*0
He woke up before her, ignoring his hangover. He kissed the smooth side of her sleeping face before he entered the kitchen- where he began to make her favourite breakfast treats.
He sliced a ciabatta roll, toasted it and topped with smashed avocado and roasted tomatoes. The first of the entrees, he made sure the tomatoes read "I".
A small granola bowl with dried forest fruits in the shape of a love heart was the next dish. He put it in her favourite bowl, served with the spoon her sister brought back from a school trip to Paris.
Finally, the most important ingredient to his plan. A cinnamon roll. Hinata could never resist them. While the pastry warmed in the oven, he mixed fresh icing on the stovetop. He then dished the pastry, and using an icing tool formed the letter "U" on its cooling surface.
In his back pocket, a handkerchief lay, arranged and ready to be used. "Will you marry me?" embroidered on the exposed corner. That's how he would propose to her. Sweet and private. Just like his girl.
He entered with the tray as Hinata woke up. He didn't realise it last night- he had been a bit too drunk- but Hinata was wearing the logo sweatshirt he bought during their last year of university. He loved when she wore that sweatshirt, feelings of possessiveness rose within him. His favourite thing to do while Hinata wore his sweatshirt was to watch her engage in everyday actions, like how she was stretching while waking up right now.
"Morning," he said quietly.
"Good morning Naruto," she replied, "I didn't think you'd be up so early today…" Her eyes were still closed
"Neither did I," he admitted, "But, seeing as I finally have you to myself for a day, I wanted to do something special for you."
"Something smells good…" she groaned, eyes finally opening. He waited for her to sit up on the bed, then balanced the tray upon her lap. Hinata blushed again, reading the message on her food. "Naruto…" she breathed, "you didn't have to do all this for me."
"I wanted to." He grinned, "C'mon, eat up!"
"Aren't you going to eat anything?"
"I ate already!" he lied. He wasn't sure that he could handle any food right now. It was as though he was walking across the graduation stage again. He was so nervous for the moment to arrive, but he was sure after the proposal was made that his stomach would settle and his appetite return.
Naruto sat at the foot of their bed, watching her eat first the avocado toast, then the granola bowl. He'd had known his girlfriend for seven years, and despite her anal upbringing, the one food she could never eat without creating a mess was a cinnamon roll. He knew she'd leave it for last, because she never indulged in the pastry often.
As crumbs and icing gathered on her face and chest he smiled. Hinata usually only realised the mess she caused after swallowing the last bite of the cinnamon roll. But while she was in the process of eating it, her face always made impressive signs of contentment that were almost sexual in nature, no matter what- her eyelids seemed to drop when enjoying the pastry. The tip of her tongue brushed over her top lip, gathering the last of the icing. Hinata's eyes opened wide as she realised, once again that she had devoured the cinnamon roll like a starved dog- leaving remnants of it all over herself- she looked like she was about to hyperventilate over getting crumbs between their bedsheets.
"I can't believe you just watched me do that." She groaned with embarrassment, he laughed as he moved from the foot of the bed, to Hinata's side. Her cheeks looked like strawberries and cream with the combination of her blush and the icing… he couldn't help but get a taste with a kiss as he pulled his girlfriend into a comfortable embrace.
"Hey," he caught her attention again, "I got something for you."
Their fingers sparked as their flesh made contact when he handed her the napkin. She didn't even look at the fold and unfurled the fabric to wipe her face. Then she heard the clink.
And looked down.
Sitting in the empty granola bowl lay the ring.
She seemed to freeze.
"Is that… a ring?"
"Came with a message too… but I think you got icing all over it."
"Icing?... Message?" Hinata pulled the napkin from her mouth. Her eyes roved over the message once, then twice… the third time she read it out loud "W-will y-you m-m-marry m-m-e?"
"Of course, if you'll have me." He joked. This wasn't going as well as planned…He didn't expect this reaction from her. She'd not stuttered with him past the first year of the relationship. The shock must've been a bit much for her. As she looked up at his hopeful grin- she did something that freaked him out. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, her body went lax.
She had fainted.
This was… not what he had envisioned…
The blonde became frantic with worry as he phoned the emergency services and get advice on how to proceed.
I'd like to give thanks for my few positive reviewers, the followers and the faves. Some of these extreme NaruHina shippers are pressed beyond belief for literally no reason? So I've decided to literally just delete and report hateration. I don't need to entertain that mess.
