Hinata plotted in her head what she would make. There were so many possibilities. She was actually excited to go home for once so she could start, so excited she ran into Sakura as she headed through the door.
"Hinata, how are you?" Sakura glanced down, studying her.
Hinata hated how she looked at her most of all. It was like she was looking for something to be wrong.
Hinata couldn't blame her, she was a medic, but Hinata hoped that it hadn't gotten in the way of her being her friend first. "Have you lost weight?" She added.
"No, it's just this shirt," Hinata assured, moving past her. "I'm sorry, but I don't have time to talk."
"Do you need help getting somewhere?" Sakura asked quickly.
"No, thank you," Hinata told her to just quickly not look back.
It was a nice routine. They met for lunch every day for the rest of the week.
Hinata brought lunch. Sasuke brought drinks.
It was comfortable for both of them. The only expectation that they had of each other was that they would do the same again tomorrow.
"You get groceries today, right?" He asked to chew on his rice ball.
She nodded. After a moment, he still didn't say why. "Did you want to join me?"
"If you try to keep your comments on my groceries to yourself." He teased.
She puffed her cheeks out. "I never said anything about your food."
"You were clearly judging me." He accused me.
"I just think prepackaged food is unhealthy." She excused.
"You try to make something with one arm." He sat back. "I can't even cut up vegetables in a reasonable amount of time. They roll away."
"Fair." She rescinded.
Hinata looked at the back of a can of curry that he had picked out. "This has a lot of salt in it." She mumbled.
"I said no commenting on my food." Sasuke reminded her, setting something on her list in her bag.
"Maybe you would benefit from one of those little kitchen gadgets that have blades in a cross pattern that you close an arm on." She moved her hand to explain her point.
"Yeah, what they don't tell you is that you have to cut the vegetables before you put it in there to fit." He grumbled.
He had heard it all from Sakura. She had been on a mission to annoy him into health and at one point tried to push her awful cooking on him. She recently was on him about his protein drinks because she didn't think they were good for him, but it was the only way he would get some of the vitamins he was missing in his diet.
"I could cut up some spare vegetables and give them to you in containers. With simple chopped vegetables, you can do a lot." She mumbled as she picked out another of his prepackaged meals that were initially just vegetables and sauce. "Omelets, curries, soups, roasts, and all you would need to do is add the proteins or sauces."
He took the package from her again and drop it pointedly back in the basket. "You like to inconvenience yourself for others, don't you?"
She frowned at him. "I don't know what you mean. You are helping me with my shopping. I would think that it wouldn't go unrewarded."
"You're also helping me with my shopping, so if you start cooking for me, that means I owe you." He corrected me.
She made a face as she realized her mistake.
"So what do I do for you if you make me cut vegetables?" He asked.
Her face became red. "I have housework I struggle to do." She admitted. "I haven't been able to clean the top of the refrigerator since I moved in."
He smiled.
They made a deal. Every Saturday, they would meet at her apartment. She would prepare vegetables and other items he struggled to make. He would help her clean.
Honestly, he was so glad he did because he got to see how she got around the kitchen, and he found it equal parts amusing and impressive. The top cabinets were too tall for her, but that didn't mean they were empty. Things used most were in the lower cabinets and drawers. Most people put large unused appliances and clean supplies in. She did the opposite, but instead of asking him to reach her cleaning supplies. She pulled out a step stool, pulled herself out of the chair onto it, and then right up on the counter, pulled out what she needed, handed it to him, and went right back down.
Because the counter came at shoulder height to her, it looked like she did most of her cooking at the dining room table she had in the kitchen as an island. She didn't use the stovetop but rather a hot plate that was on the lower table.
While she chopped his vegetables and put them in all different containers, all nice and neat, she had him clean what she couldn't reach. The top of the fridge, the upper cabinet doors, the stovetop she didn't use, the backboard on the counter, the top of the shower in the bathroom, and mirrors. He also vacuumed without her asking because he was sure the moving furniture was not easy on wheels.
At the end of a few hours, she had a clean house, and he had a big stack of vegetables and little handwritten notes on ways to use them.
He was glad he came.
Hinata sighed as he left the house. It was nice to have someone over. She felt bad that instead of being a guest, he worked, but it was also nice that they didn't feel pressured to entertain each other. They chatted here and there, but when they weren't, the silence wasn't uncomfortable.
He seemed to think the way she got around was funny, but honestly, she didn't mind, better than him pitying her effort or scrambling to help her. She thought about how he cleaned was funny. Wring out a rag with only one hand wasn't something she had considered when she had asked him to help her clean. He balled it up in his one large hand and squeezed the water out, but what was funny was the way his face twitched when he wasn't satisfied with how much water had come out.
She looked forward to doing this again.