Runner's High
Chapter Three, Something Precious
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.
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It's been a little over four months since he started running here.
His summer break was upon him, but he hadn't even given it thought all first trimester.
This was going to be his first summer as a Uni student, too. He should be taking this more seriously!
Normally what was a time where he tirelessly ventured into top tourist destinations, where he swam the popular beaches and hopped on a wakeboard, where he tested hiking trails and squeezed in a trip to the amusement park just to cap it off on a high note - now he couldn't even summon the smallest ounce of interest.
It was almost as if he didn't want to do these sort of things alone anymore.
The morning air was damp and heavy with the promise of scattered showers, and they had just completed their run.
They walked back to the lockers located at the front of the parking lot to retrieve their stowed away bags. Naruto wiped himself down with deodorant wipes while Hinata slaked her thirst on a water bottle.
The gentle roll of her throat as she swallowed mesmerized him. Hell, everything about her mesmerized him.
From the way her bangs stuck to her forehead in a way he wishes he could replicate in bed, to her deep panting which he has committed to memory and still never tires of hearing. How her chest rises with a powerful swell to rival the ocean's waves, to her sticky, pink cheeks which gave the impression of satisfied afterglow.
He furtively cleared his throat. "I'm gonna head over to my usual spot. Gotta have my carbs and proteins ASAP, y'know."
"Oh? Where do you go? Is it a clean eating chain?"
Naruto chuckled at her assumption. Her adult ignorance was too cute. "Nah, those hipster places are a scam. I fill up on ramen. You can't tell me ramen isn't the most perfect dish in existence! My buddy Choji's a gourmand and even he agrees with me! I hope you've got a meal plan to go with your workout."
She slung her cinch bag over her shoulder and spent a moment thinking. "I've been making protein shakes. Are those good, or are they a scam too?"
"Nah! They do the job! Why do you run anyway, Otsutsuki-san?" He had to bite his tongue because he was one consonant slip away from unleashing a roman candle of compliments upon her, and that would be way too inappropriate at this stage of their... friendship?
She placed a slender finger against her jaw.
Was it that serious that she had to think about for more than two minutes?
Her eyes then turned shy as she looked at him askance. Whatever it was, he wasn't going to judge.
"I've been looking for a way to feel better," his mind went straight to the gutter. But then she added, "About things..." and it dampened his good humor.
He could sense the muscle-twitch of flight response in her stance, like a rabbit ready to bound away from danger.
"Otsutsuki-san..." he didn't even know what to say. All he felt was sad for her. That perhaps her life wasn't as good and beautiful as she was. And why was that? Whose fault was it that she wasn't happier?
He doesn't know when he'll ever get to ask, but he never sees a wedding ring on her finger when they go running. And she's so pale, there's no detectable tan line.
Hinata ducked beneath the curtain of her bob, then resurfaced with a strained smile. "Let's have ramen tomorrow. I admit I've grown tired of the same flavor shakes every morning. Bye for now, Uzumaki-kun."
And with that, she walked away.
Naruto stood rooted, her words not sinking in no matter how many times he's replayed them in his head.
Panic and excitement finally set in, seizing him like a heart attack.
He gripped his chest as if his soul were about to leave him.
Eating ramen. With him. Tomorrow.
Eating ramen. With her. Tomorrow.
Eating ramen. Together. Tomorrow!
Naruto punched his fist in the air over and over again, a stifled shout restrained in his chest.
Progress. It was a beautiful thing.
Granted, this was a bribe to get him to drop the topic, but he didn't hold it against her.
Because once they had one lunch together, there was no reason not to have lunch again the next day, and the next day, until it simply became another regular thing between them.
Today she's wearing a soft gray high neck sports bra with a zipper running down the middle. Her sudden modesty felt contrarian to the warming weather and he worried if this was somehow in response to their lunch date.
Her low ponytail bobbed with every step and he can't help but picture his hand around it as he angles her head back to explore her neck, his tongue swiping up the bitter salt of her sweat. Those plump mountains pressed against his middle, he reached for the zipper and began to tug it down slowly, slowly. He moans against her pulse as he feels her breasts expand against him with every inch of her constraints undone. She's an avalanche of vanilla and milk, of silky softness and sinful abundance.
She's just so fucking beautiful.
At the conclusion of their run, he waited by the lockers while she cleaned up in the restroom. She then returned to him encased inside a smokey lilac windbreaker, hiding her whole self from the world, and more disappointingly, him.
Nonetheless, he flashed his patented grin as he jutted his thumb over his shoulder. "Alright, let's go!"
Naruto excelled at conversation. His natural gusto and optimism gave him a magnetic advantage around new people, even more so in group settings. He'd be the one throwing darts or making jokes as he moved around the room, making it so everyone knew his name by the end of the night.
He wasn't popular in the same sense as Sasuke where girls were just clamoring over to get to him. But he was well-liked.
He never once thought that his mind would go numb once given the opportunity to be in Hinata-san's presence longer. Even worse now since they were merely walking together, as opposed to doing something together.
Doing has defined their Lvl 1 Friendship up until this point, and his damn tongue wouldn't move at all!
Why can't he come up with something cool to say?!
His entire mood was wiped once they reached Amawaji in total silence. Standing dumbly and defeated in front of the order kiosk, it wasn't until she tapped at his elbow that he finally sprang back to life.
"What should I order?" she pointed at the machine that would provide them with their meal tickets. There were about twelve different ramen bowls to choose from and five appetizers on top of that.
Naruto stammered out an apology because he also realized something else.
"I completely forgot! This is Uzushio-style ramen! Is that okay? It's only assari style, mainly fish broth, but there's kombu broth as well! Is that okay?!" He literally just asked her that twice. God, he was a mess. He hasn't been this pathetic since middle school when he chased after one of his best friends. And even then, he wasn't this bad about it!
"I'm not picky," she smiled, that small gesture alone never failing to shine its gentle sunbeam upon his face. "How about we just order two of the same?"
Ahhh! She was an angel!
They were seated at the back booth of the restaurant, the decor distinctly Uzushian, albeit cornier just to strike that novelty effect.
For example, the steel guitar on the wall was not Uzushian at all. It was merely popularized back in the day thanks to a foreigner who made Uzushio his home. And those child masks in the image of Kurama weren't authentic at all.
But there was something about the black&white photos of palm trees and surfers, of sellers on bikes strapped with fresh goods, of shrine festivals and open-air marketplaces that made him feel like time never marched on.
Like, maybe he didn't miss too much when he got forcibly stranded here on the mainland.
"Did you grow up there?" she asked, perhaps taking note of his spacey expression.
"Yeah. Up until I was ten. I was in the middle of this," he pointed at his cheek markings. "When my dad decided to kidnap me across international waters."
Fuck.
He mirrored her wide eyes.
Was this too much information for their first lunch date?
"You mean you had to go through more of... that?"
She wasn't at all shocked about his dad?
Naruto pulled out his smartphone and searched up an example of the final look, then showed it to her.
Her eyes moved from phone to face a few times.
"Can I be honest?" she asked, face utterly devoid of emotion.
He kinda knew where this was going.
"Go ahead."
"I think less is more. Besides, you're such a good-looking boy-" she said 'boy'. Suddenly her eyes widened and she hid her shameful expression behind her hands. Wait, was this actually because she called him good-looking? "That was insulting. I'm so, so sorry."
"What?"
"You didn't ask to come here because of your father, right? He projected his cultural values onto you, and now I've done the same. Forget I said anything."
Naruto rubbed at his neck, nails scratching idly at his nape hair. He didn't even get riled up, and yet she was twisting around herself in guilt.
"Uhm, Otsutsuki-san... If you really think I'm good-looking, that's enough for me."
She peeked through her parted fingers, and just before the air could get any weirder, their server arrived with their bowls.
The savory, oceanic smell wafter up to meet them, steam layering stickily against their cheeks.
They clapped their hands together and gave thanks for the food.
All in all, it wasn't a particularly bad start for their first lunch together
"I never got to ask," she's holding her fingertips to her lips as she chews on exactly two noodles. She was a fascinatingly dainty eater. "Where do you attend school?"
"Kodai."
Her eyes bugged. "That's so far! Why do you come all the way out here?"
For you. "Uhh," he gestured lamely at their surroundings, which made her raise an immaculate eyebrow. "Th-This is the only Uzushian ramen shop in the entire city! I hope it becomes a trend?" he cups the back of his head and laughs. The sound of his own discomfort made him internally cringe.
Her blank scrutiny lingered before she pivoted the conversation back to school. "What do you major in?"
Naruto spread his arms out in a grand, sweeping gesture. "Hospitality Management! When I go back to Uzushio, I'm gonna start my own hotel brand! I'm actually really big into travel and adventure, and I never realized until I got older how important the places we stayed at were. I want to create a location that feels like home no matter where you come from."
Talking about his dreams always got his heart pumping. He stared uneasily at her seeming lack of expression. But then the apples of her cheeks pinkened, her eyes softened into buttery admiration, and the smile she had he's never seen before.
Like she was witnessing something precious.
"Youth sure is wonderful," her eyes cast down as she tucked her chopsticks into the broth, and plucked out an errant piece of chashu and chili-pickled bean sprouts. "It's good to have dreams. I hope you don't lose that spark, Uzumaki-kun."
He wasn't sure how to take her comments.
Was she truly a woman full of regrets?
He didn't like that for her.
"What about you, Otsutsuki-san? What did you major in?"
Her wry smirk was a tell. "Believe it or not, I took the same course."
"No shit!"
"But I found out I wasn't cut out for it. So I truly admire your drive and vision, Uzumaki-kun. It's very difficult work."
Naruto fell back against the booth, feeling bad for her.
"Hmm. So what do you do now?"
"Retail. Department store. The upscale kind."
He nodded, having already expected that. "Owner?"
She laughed emptily and made an 'X' with her arms, shaking her head.
"Manager."
She shook her head again, uncrossing her arms. "I sell shoes. That's me. The thirty-six-year-old shoe salesgirl."
Thirty-six.
A seventeen-year age gap.
Not even a twinkle in his dad's eye when she was a schoolgirl.
An entire lifetime he missed out on.
He wants to get closer to her more than ever.
"You're valid, Otsutsuki-san. There're a lot of people who hate in-person shopping, but sometimes you still gotta do it. So someone like you makes someone like me's life ten times better. I mean it."
She didn't reply to anything he said. He didn't know if she was simply speechless, or perhaps... she hadn't even really been listening. There was that distant gaze again, and he thinks she tuned him out after all.
Humiliation climbed up his body and sat miserably in his face.
He has to shake this off. They're just not there yet. He doesn't matter right now. But someday he will.
He has to hold onto that.
By the time they emptied their bowls, he realized he still had so much to ask her.
Standing outside the restaurant, there was that muscle-twitch in her demeanor again as her right foot pointed in the opposite direction.
"This was nice," she said, still distant, still not with him at all.
"Yeah."
Maybe he fucked up after all.
Maybe she was just humoring him until she didn't have to anymore.
"Well, I have a busy day, so..."
"Yeah. Me too."
"See you tomorrow then."
The way she said it, flat like a statement, no hopeful, questioning inflection implying she looked forward to more.
He fucked up, didn't he?
"Yeah. See you."
As she turned, she pulled the colors from the world around her like cloth and carried it away, leaving him with a dullness he could not shake.
Every day for the next week, he tried the same thing.
They walked to the lockers, got their things. He said he was going to the same spot. Half the time all he got was a nod. The other half at least she looked at him and wished him a good meal or shared what she was doing right after. But even so, he felt like he was trapped in a maze. He kept running and running, but eventually, he ran into a dead end. Turn around, try a new route. Dead end. Dead end. Dead end.
News got out amongst his friends that he's been a depressed lump that never left his bed except to eat or go to the toilet, but he couldn't tell them anything.
They'd just laugh at him.
But then Sasuke came over.
"Wow, they weren't kidding. You look like you're on your death bed."
Sasuke wouldn't laugh at him, would he?
Nah, he's got that sugar momma, Terumi Mei paying for his tuition.
Naruto tried to blink away the cobwebs in his head as he reciprocated Sasuke's gaze.
"Hey, bro. You remember when you asked me to share my prized running spot with you? You wanna go tomorrow?"
Sasuke observed him curiously for a beat. "Yeah, sure."
"Sweet. Thanks, man."
This felt nostalgic. Keeping his distance from Hinata-san as he started his warm-up trot.
He hopes she's feeling better about things.
He'll never get to know because he's not worthy of knowing, but... he wants her workout to, well, work.
But what about him?
It felt so cold regressing back to this stage. Humiliation and yearning broiled unbearably hot beneath his cheeks. He couldn't help but wince as the heat edged around his eyes.
"What the fuck?" Sasuke breathed incredulously. "Is this why you keep coming here?"
They're both whispering.
"Like I said, I wanted to keep this spot all to myself."
"And why's that changed? I never would've given this up. Damn."
Yeah. He knows. But it doesn't matter now.
"Because she hates me."
"Huh? What'd you do? Make a pass at her? Mimed something lewd? Oh, wait. You copped a feel when she was tying her shoes, didn't you?"
Naruto shoved Sasuke so hard he nearly stumbled into a tree. Sasuke righted his footing and resumed jogging at Naruto's side as they exchanged murderous glares.
"I didn't do any of that! Who do you take me for?!"
"Mischievous."
Okay, that was fair.
"So she hates you," Sasuke pivoted back. "And now you're lonely."
He hated to say it, but... "Yeah."
"Why show me this when you could've just stopped coming here?"
They jogged in silence as he watched her bound up to the end of the path, her sleeveless hoodie giving her the modest look she'd been missing the first time laid eyes on her. He steeled himself when they had to run past each other, their habit of high-fiving dissolved by the awkward rift between them.
Maybe it was all in his head.
Maybe she'd still high-five him if he just initiated it.
It's such a small thing, and yet it scares him.
Sasuke blatantly turned his head as she receded down the path, and Naruto whumped his chest to get him to stop.
Why did he show her to Sasuke instead of keeping her all to himself?
Why didn't he just do the sensible thing and let this fade away?
"Sasuke."
"Hn?"
"I really, really don't want to give up. But I don't know what the fuck to do."
"Why don't you be upfront with her? Tell her all the ways you want to bend her over and make that thickness jiggle."
"Because I'm trying to not get rejected, idiot!"
"If she hates you now after being a gentleman, does your precious good impression matter anymore? At least get hated for the real you."
Naruto flipped his middle finger at Sasuke.
"She married?" Sasuke asked dryly.
"Probably."
"You ever think you should find that out first?"
"That's not my responsibility."
"Nah, I get that. I mean, you wanna gauge if she's loyal or not, otherwise aren't you just cucking yourself?"
"The fuck?"
"Like, she's still screwing her husband while making you think you've got a shot. You're the cuck. You still wanna fuck with that? Keep getting your dick tugged around like a leash?"
"I don't fuckin' know, man!" Naruto shouted, his eyes squeezed shut.
After a while, Naruto expected to her come back around, but when they reached the opposite end of the path, she was gone.
That was barely even a fourth of her usual workout.
Did something happen?
Was she just avoiding him?
"Think I scared her off with my good looks?" Sasuke teased.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Shut the fuck up, man."
"Hey, I got an idea."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "What?"
"I'll proposition her and see where it goes. Then we'll see if she's a cheater. Win-win, right?"
"Win-win? You're going to try to sleep with her before I get to... as a favor?"
"You really shouldn't have shown me this," Sasuke chuckled, wiping the corners of his lips with his thumb and forefinger.
What the fuck?
Was he seriously vibing for her too?!
"That plan is shit! Your plans are shit!"
"I haven't provided any other plans."
"Well whatever they are, they're definitely shit!"
Naruto stormed off; a living, breathing maelstrom of bitter jealousy.
The following day, Sasuke relentlessly spammed his phone with MILF memes and MILF nudes just to troll his ass.
Naruto regretted ever relying on the smug hypocrite.
AN: Hi, everyone, sorry this is long because after my last two updates on Ao3, I'm cranky and have a lot of thoughts on this fic.
I don't know how to avoid disappointing readers when I don't mean to. We all have different tastes, and I'm also a Discovery Writer. This is a guilty pleasure fic, meaning it's my lowest quality fic. I'm making shit up as I go, I'm only editing if it feels like it terribly needs it, and I'm just writing whatever I want for fun.
Speaking on the whole 'disappointing readers' and having different tastes:
My fics are Sasuke-friendly. He's pretty much always Naruto's wing-man best friend and just exists to provide banter.
Also, this is a Hentai Fic, and while I might not cover all of my favorite Hentai tropes, I'm fairly open-minded in what I like? For example, I've read a lot of fics that basically had Swinging in it, and you can expect that on some level in this fic, just not in the most literal sense.
It's still endgame NaruHina, but there's going to be a tiny bit of sexual experimentation with other characters. I unintentionally made some Ao3 readers salty when I excitedly shared a Threesome chapter idea in my notes and I hope I'm done getting unnecessary resignation letters. I personally would feel too embarrassed to tell someone why I'm not reading something anymore. I can stop reading something without making an announcement of it.
The threesome is the only one I plan on. I'm making it a skippable chapter and it's with Sasuke. (I don't understand anti-Sasuke sentiment personally, his character is fine, he was just a plot-whore but that's mostly Kishi's fault if anything) And while some people don't think it makes sense to include Sasuke, it does, and the end of this chapter should have actually tipped them off to the possibility. He's equally as perverted as Naruto, he's just shown casual interest in Hinata himself because of her bod... It's really not that weird how it happens. There are still 7 more chapters I have to cross-post, and I haven't yet written up to the Threesome but I am building up to it still.
The final thing aside from the Threesome that I'm planning is Lesbian/Bisexual content. So really, it's pretty much 1% HinataxMulti and 99% NaruHina. IDK if you've read "The Legend of Yukari" or "No Good Naruto", but this fic is almost yawningly Vanilla compared to those two.
Anyways, I hope this was helpful? I feel like I have to write this whole-ass note because if I knew I wanted to write a threesome and yuri content, I would've let them know sooner and they wouldn't have gotten the chance to get upset. I hope this makes sense.